“Canter…if you dare”

My wedding was on February 1, 2026, and one of the moments I hold closest from that morning is seeing Erica and Nina’s father, Mohsen, at my front door. He had just dropped Erica off, and it was bitterly cold - the coldest February 1st Boca Raton had seen in decades! Mohsen was still in his pajamas, not expecting to run into the bride. But he was his usual self: funny, warm, and effortlessly kind. His presence added a quiet joy to the start of my wedding day.

Only a couple of weeks later, Mohsen passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Erica and I had recently spoken about how our fathers felt like the “original girl dads,” and how grateful we were to be raised by them to be anything and everything we wanted to be in life. Needless to say, Erica, Nina, and those around them are heartbroken.

Now Nina is about to welcome her first child, Mohsen’s first grandchild. I love knowing that he learned he would become a grandfather before he passed. His house is just down the street from ours, and I was able to pick up one of his shirts to include in this quilt for Nina’s baby. It still carries his scent, and it was clearly well‑loved and often worn.

I created a variation of Purl Soho’s “Tiny Tile” quilt pattern so that his shirt could be woven throughout, honoring his memory alongside the joy of this new little life. Mohsen loved horses, so scattered among the triangles are small glimpses of horses and unicorns, nestled in with Liberty florals, wovens, hand‑dyed fabrics, and scraps from my collection.

I call this quilt “Canter…if you dare.” It harkens back to a sign that used to hang in the barn when I volunteered with horses in high school. I think about the daring of Mohsen and his brother Mehdi in starting a new life across the world together. I think about the daring of Nina and her husband Chad as they enter this new chapter of parenthood. The spirit of their loved ones is like the wind, always with them on this journey.

I hope this quilt feels like a soft place to land, and a tribute to Mohsen, a man I know would be absolutely delighted as Nina and Chad go full speed ahead into this next chapter.

The binding is hand-stitched.

This quilt measures 53 × 57.