I don’t know about you, but I’ve been spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately, baking ALL the baked goods. It’s a great way to work on math and science with the Junior Bobbins, and of course there’s the delicious, comforting carby goodness at the end of the process.

Some dear friends of mine recently asked if I could make an apron for their toddler. Little ones just love to have their own tiny version of the accessories that the grown-ups in their life wear.

This cute little apron is a modification of a pattern from my friend Dara Tomasson’s new book Walk, Jog, Run. I used these adorable Pine Lullaby prints from Art Gallery Fabrics and cut the squares at half the size to make a toddler size version of the apron. It came together super quickly, and I just love how it turned out.

I quilted it using the double daisy design variation from Dara’s book, adding lots of loops to avoid quilting over the adorable animal faces. I use this sweet “bear hug” panel from Pine Lullaby for the back, so it’s even reversible! I’m looking forward to making some coordinating oven mitts to complete the outfit!

I love how Dara’s book gives great instructions on how to build your muscle memory with free motion quilting. You can really tell that Dara has a background in education. Her lesson plans are so thorough and easy to follow. And the simple, quick-to-make projects in her book are a perfect canvas to practice your free motion quilting.

If you’ve been wanting to build your free motion quilting skills, pick up Dara’s book and I’m sure you’ll see improvements as you work through the exercises she has laid out. I might even use them for drawing activities while coronaschooling the Junior Bobbins!

Here is the link to buy Dara’s book: Walk, Jog, Run