A "Hello World" Baby Quilt

I enjoy Cori Dantini's artwork, and had stashed away some pieces from her "Hello World" collection for a possible baby quilt.  Now that I have a new great-niece, it became time to put these fabrics to use.

I created the black and white border by cutting strips free-handed, sewing multiple strips together, then crosscutting them, again free-handed.

The animal prints are from a panel.  I free-motion quilted the outlines of the drawings with dark thread, then used a loopy fill with light thread in the background.  The animals are mostly unquilted, which makes them soft and puffy, especially after washing. (These photos are prior to washing.)

I added a row of wonky stars across the bottom...

 ... and I like a fabric that can tell me how it wants to be quilted (the scallops).

I originally had a different fabric in mind for the binding, but when I saw this Denyse Schmidt plaid next to the other fabrics, I knew it was a better choice.

Here's another shot showing the backing fabric:

More of the animals:

This is my attempt to photograph the puffiness after washing.  (It doesn't show as well as I'd like -- the lighting is too soft.)

I hope baby Rebecca enjoys her new quilt!

I'm linking up with crazy mom quilts for Finish It Up Friday.