Hi there! You've made it to The Fold. Grab yourself a hot cuppa, and pull up a chair. There's always room at this table.

For new friends: Welcome! I'm so glad you're visiting. The Fold is a place where I talk about quilting and adjacent art forms, cool words, weird dreams, good books, tasty foods, and whatever has captured my attention lately. It's a mix of my own work and others'. If it sounds vague, that's on purpose.

Feel free to make yourself comfortable. If this isn't your cup of tea, no worries!

Baby, Baby, Baby

Above: Boho Baby, 50 x 46 inches, machine and hand quilted by Sarah Atlee, 2025.

Detail of Boho Baby, 50 x 46 inches, machine and hand quilted by Sarah Atlee, 2025.

I've spent the summer making quilts for new babies. Baby quilts are the best because you know who doesn't care about little flaws or unexpected color combinations? BABIES. They're just the best audience.

Above: California Baby, 39 x 41 inches, machine pieced and hand quilted by Sarah Atlee, 2025.

Above: Detail of California Baby, 39 x 41 inches, machine pieced and hand quilted by Sarah Atlee, 2025.

I always wash a baby quilt before sending it to its new home. I make them with the intention of being safe for a typical washer and dryer. New parents don't need extra complications, right? Ease is better.

Above: Detail of back of California Baby, showing where I made a little repair.

I typically include a letter to the new tiny human explaining what this quilt is and what it can do. It's definitely for keeping warm and sleeping soundly. It can also be used as a tent, superhero cape, picnic blanket, fort, road map, ball gown, ghost costume, pet hammock, car companion, monster shield, invisibility cloak, whatever. It's okay if it gets dirty or wears out over time. Using it is the point.

Above: Wisconsin Baby, 40 x 40 inches, machine pieced and hand quilted by Sarah Atlee, 2025.

Above: Detail of Wisconsin Baby.

For my commission clients, I create a "swatch legend" with bits of all the fabrics I used in their quilt. I use regular quilting cottons most of the time. But I also love using upcycled garment fabrics, former bed sheets, and the occasional linen or silk. For me, the joy of quilting is in using fabric from lots of different sources. On the off chance that someday, someone wants to know more about the materials I used, the swatch legend is a starting point.

I'd love to make a custom quilt for you! Click here to learn more.​

A beautiful sweat bee visiting my garden, sporting this season's pollen pants.

Lately I'm enjoying:

The cooler weather. Rain and sub-80s temperatures in August? Bliss.

Listening: The Hope Is A Verb podcast from Fix The News. This show is the antidote to The Horrors. Available on any podcast platform.

Re-reading: The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. The plots of books 2 and 3 are actually kind of challenging for me to keep up with, but this time through I made use of fan-generated wikis. The lesson: It's never wrong to ask for help!

Watching: Murderbot. This is a Murderbot stan account now.

Sipping: Watermelon Mojito smoothies from Tropical Smoothie Cafe. It's a seasonal item, so get yours now! If you're reading this in the fall, winter, or spring, time to plan ahead.

A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

Boldness IS all.

xoxo Sarah