We don't have a particular theme. The point is to make a child's "I Spy" quilt. It's a game you play with little ones. A three-year-old is about the perfect age to play the game. Generally, an adult and a child play. (At least, this is how we played when the grands were small.) The adult says, "I spy with my little eye a horse." The child has to find the horse. Of course, they are delighted to look for the horse as they are getting your undivided attention. One of my late husband's great-grands would jump on the object when she found it. As they get older, you can find objects that are harder to find on the quilt. They generally outgrow them by the age of 5 or so, but they seem to keep them just for "old times sake". My grand-nephew is 12, but still uses his for a snuggle quilt. I gave one to one of the now grown up kids who worked for me when his son was a toddler. The child has some learning difficulties, and they used his I Spy quilt to help him with work on forming words.
I guess the theme is a 5" square with a clearly identifiable object printed on it that child would recognize. I posted some of the I spy quilts I made on the pictures thread. You can get an idea of what to do. I like to sash my quilts, but most other people don't.
bkay