We are so excited to have our very first children’s book out in the world: ABC: An Animal Alphabet Adventure, available now on our website and wherever books are sold.

Our book is inspired by our best-selling Alphabet Quilt. Today we’re sharing a closer look at our signature quilt and the inspiration behind the original design.

Our ABC book, published with Rizzoli, presents the alphabet via one adorable animal at a time, from A is for Anteater to Z is for Zebra. Each animal helps to form the shape of their letter. Each of these letters was originally embroidered for our Alphabet quilt. Stephanie first created the quilt as a special keepsake that would be cherished by families and loved for years.

 “I wanted to make a keepsake quilt that was also educational, so I drew each letter of the alphabet to be in the shape of the letter that particular animal begins with.” Stephanie also described it as a “super fun design challenge,” and she learned a lot along the way. Some letters proved harder to illustrate than others. Did you check out the letter Q? It’s for Quetzal, the striking bird native to Central America!

Above are a few of Stephanie’s original drawings for the quilt. 

Many steps go into creating our beloved Alphabet Quilt. Ever letter is individually embroidered at separate times. Once the stitching is complete, each embroidery is hand cut into a square and then stitched together in rows. The border of the quilt is also embroidered and then sewn to the stitched together alphabet. Once the front of the quilt is completed the back is sewn on and the quilt is stuffed. The final step is quilting and topstitching. The entire process can take up to twenty hours from start to finish.

For our ABC book, an Alphabet letter design appears fully on the page. Some spreads are accompanied by a Coral & Tusk scene featuring the animal, or they include the alphabet text with an embroidered pattern. We are so excited about this special book and hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did making it!