Little E Wants a Blanket

A couple of weeks ago I had my two granddaughters for the night. In the morning, as they were finishing their breakfast, E and A saw me working on my Black & White quilt. In no time, A was asking for a rainbow quilt and E asked for a red blanket with flowers.

Pretty much as soon as they went home, I scavenged through my fabric stash and found red material that I could pair with a fun floral print. The print is pink and orange flowers on a black background and livened up with a sparkly glittery finish.

Choosing to keep the whole simple, I cut both fabrics in to strips that were then sewn together to make a roughly 44"x 56" quilt top. (You can still see the selvages on the edges of the quilt, right next my pup who was checking it out.)

I need to do the quilting still, and plan to add some pink and orange ric-rac to the red stripes just to liven them up. This will be a cuddly blankie for a little girl and a nice throw for her to keep as she grows. The rainbow quilt is going to be a bit more challenging but the design I have in mind will be worth it!

A potential UFO (but hopefully not)

One thing I love to work on in the summer months is embroidery. It is a lightweight craft that travels easily and can really be done almost anywhere. I've been really wanting a sampler embroidery type quilt for a while and have wanted to keep it a simple black and white.

So when I needed a quick project to take with me on a day trip I decided to whip up a block and see what I could do with it. I used my quilting stencils as my design and made the blocks rather large. Pictured is actually the second block that I've been working on. I finished the first one a while back and have been making steady progress on this one.

It is so easy and is a nice relaxing project to work on while sitting in the grass now that the days are getting warm enough for me to be outside. I have yet to decide how large this will end up being, but I'm kinda making it up as I go.

As for it's potential to be a UFO, that will come once the top is finished and I will have to work on actually quilting it. That's where a lot of my quilts go through a UFO phase. But someday it will get done, it's all a matter of when.

The Finished Product

So here is the final quilt. I showed it to my hubby and he "ooh, I get a new quilt!" I am pretty happy about how the whole thing came together. You can see in the second picture how much the denim frayed after one wash and two trips through the dryer.

A few lessons I learn:

I will be avoiding the light weight, stretchy denim the next time I make one. Even though the flannel has a tendency to grip whatever material, the stretchy fabric had a tendency to move.

One thing I didn't really think about was a seam around the outside edge. I will add it before the next wash. I'm not sure why I didn't think about it. I mean, what else will keep the fraying in check?

I didn't seem to have any issues with the fact that I didn't prewash the fabrics. There didn't seem to be any excessive shrinkage. I did notice that the colors of flannel seemed less vibrant. Also, I noticed the flannel picked up a lot of the little lint pills that came out of the dryer. Those are not always easy to get off.

If you are going to be washing this kind of blanket in your home washer and dryer, be prepared to pull a lot of lint out of both machines. And you will probably have to continue pulling tons of lint every time you wash it. Small price to pay though.

This blanket didn't turn out as heavy as I was expecting it to be. This is probably just because of the denim I used. I don't know that I will be jumping to make another of these in the immediate future. It's not that it was any more difficult than a regular quilt. I will say that personally, denim is not my favorite material to use. I will make another one but I will probably wait a couple of months before tackling another one of these. I have plenty of denim to work with!

So there is all that. It was an experience and one that was not as easy as I was hoping nor as difficult as I was expecting. But one I will be willing to try again.

I am going to taking the rest of this week off to focus on a big home improvement project and on family with Thanksgiving being just a few days away. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! I will be back next week to start preparing for the Christmas season... So many possible projects to work on!

Let the Sewing Begin...

 Now that all the squares are cut, it is time for me to get to work sewing everything together. Here you can see two of the blocks I have assembled. (One is flannel side up and the other is denim up.)

You can see the quilt pattern is a super simple checkerboard. I really like this because this quilt doesn't need to be extra difficult to put together, just warm when it's done.

From my research I learned that you don't really have to do any traditional quilting on these types of throws. I opted to sew an "X" through each 6.5" block before assembling my finished blocks. I did this pretty much just for looks, and to help me hold my material straight as I pieced the blocks together.

The second picture is a close up of the back of the block. As you can see, I wasn't stressed about getting everything lined up perfectly. I feel this type of project will be fairly forgiving, of course I won't know for sure until I am all the way done.

At any rate, I am piecing this as I would any other quilt, except I am using a roughly 1/2" seam allowance. All that extra allowance is what will be frayed and fuzzy looking in the finished project. So far, I am happy with how this is going together, but I will have to see how I feel after putting some of the blocks together. I am noticing that sometimes, just because of the thickness of the materials, these can be a little difficult to get through the sewing machine.

When all the blocks are done, it will be time to assemble the whole quilt. I will work on that part tomorrow. For now, I'll focus on getting my twenty blocks (made from 80 smaller blocks) finished. Then I'll start being happy that it is almost done!

Upcycling For Warmth

It has been getting cold out there. You can't deny it, winter is upon us. I try to clean out my house in the fall to make room for all the new toys and treats I will get over the holiday season. This year, the cleaning out includes a pile of jeans that have been either worn out or just don't fit anymore. The first thing that came to mind was a denim quilt. Of course I've also been itching to do a flannel quilt, so I compromised and am doing a denim and flannel rag quilt.

So this week is all about the process of making such a quilt. Kind of a week long tutorial based on my experience. Naturally, the first step is gather your materials. I have a ton of denim floating around the house, so I gathered up the lightweight pairs of jeans for this quilt. I really don't want it to be overly heavy. (Afterall, with the fireplace we have, we don't need super heavy blankets!)

You can see there are different shades of denim in the mix which I think will help create an interesting pattern in the finished quilt. In all, I used five pairs of jeans.

I lucked out on the flannel. I found four remnants, each just about a yard. I bought them when I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them but wanted to do something autumn-ish. At any rate, those are the colors I used. Fortunately, I won't have to worry about batting for this quilt, which I really like because it is one less expense. I didn't use all of the flannel, but I'm sure I will use the left overs for something else. In all, I believe I used a little less than three and a half yards.

For those of you playing along at home, on the first day you just need to find your supplies and wash and dry them. My research showed that nearly everyone says to wash it. I only saw one site (a fabric store) that didn't say to wash it. So I am going to skip the washing step and by the end of the week, we'll know if that was a mistake or not!

To recap, you need:

-multiple pairs of jeans (don't buy them, use what you have, if you have to buy them, get them from a thrift store!)
-roughly 3 1/2 yards of flannel - I am estimating for a 44"x55" finished quilt and 44-45" flannel material
-thread
-basic sewing supplies (sewing machine, rotary cutter, ruler, cutting mat, etc.)

Sewing Like Crazy (pt 3)

This last quilt top needs a little applique work done, so I guess technically, it's almost finished but close enough to share. The inspiration for this design came from wandering around Pinterest. I came across THIS PICTURE and knew it would be a perfect Christmas present for my brother's girlfriend. She collects foxes and I thought this might be a nice addition to that collection.

You can see mine is a bit different from the picture, just in some of the shapes and color tones.The reason for this is I had to figure out the pattern on my own. Afterall, all I had was a picture, no instructions or measurements. I used about a yard of the red, two fat quarters of the off-white beige color and about two yards of the black. The fox is made out of mostly 9" blocks. 

The red sashing was my brother's idea to dress up the empty black space around it. All in all, I'm very pleased with how this turned out and am even considering making another one for myself. If anyone would like a tutorial on how I made the fox, please leave a comment and I will get to work on it!

Sewing Like Crazy (part 2)

Yesterday I shared an almost finished king size quilt. Today, I go down one size and show you a completed queen size quilt. This one is a Christmas gift for a special young man in my life and I really hope he likes it.

The pattern for this blue and black quilt was adapted from a baby quilt that I shared back in August (and can be seen here). It was pretty simple to adapt the pattern, just a matter of doing some math. Personally, I'm very happy with how this quilt turned out, it is very bold in its shades of blue but still simple enough for a young man to enjoy.

 I used a total of sixteen fat quarters for the main part of the quilt, two of each fabric. Then I believe I used about two and a half yards each of the black and the light blue green used in the long bars and in the borders.

It was pretty simple to put this together, really just a matter of a straight seam, press it, add a straight seam. I think it took me about a day and a half worth of work to get this whole top completed.

Here you can see a little more detail of the fabrics I used. What I love about fat quarters is they aren't really that expensive and you can get some great variations in color and tone. Those variations are what really make this quilt stand out.

Plus, when using fat quarters, you can really mix and match your fabrics to get whatever look you like, without necessarily having to stick to a particular shade or tone.

Sewing Like Crazy Lately...

So, if you remember last week, I shared this Shining Quilt with you. It is a Christmas present that I got finished for a special person in my family. Well, all I can say is sewing is pretty addictive. I have since finished two more quilt tops, have one that is almost finished and one that is in the process of being made. Granted they are only tops right now, but tops generally take the longest time with all the piecing involved. 

This week, I want to share some of the sewing I have been doing. I'm going to start with the one that is almost finished. It will be for my king size bed when it's done. Right now all that is left is to figure out a border to go around it to get it up to the right size. My hubby loves the colors in this quilt and the very simple pattern that I used. 

 Sorry the first picture is sideways, but I still haven't quite gotten that figure out. Anyway, right now it is just about the right size for a queen bed, but as I said, I need a good border that will make it perfect for our king.

This one is not a high priority right now just because it is not a Christmas present - it might have been in the hubby didn't see already. But it will get done within the next month or two. I am even considering making it in to a cover for our down comforter, but haven't decided 100% yet.

Below is a close up of the fabrics I used. These have been in my stash for quite a while because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them. I was fortunate enough to find some more of the black with the swirly pattern at my local Joann's.

I also have an idea for the back of this quilt that will make it more of a reversible quilt, I just have to sit down and really plan it all out. But for right now, my sewing machine is calling me...

A Shining Quilt

It is roughly 85 days till Christmas. I can't believe it is October already! Everyone here has been so busy that I have no idea where this year has gone. I know I might be jumping the gun a little bringing up Christmas, but I needed to get an early start. (Hey, it's not like I have decorations up or anything! That happens after Thanksgiving!)

We are a single income family and my hubby just changed careers, so Christmas might be very lean this year if I didn't start thinking about it now. It's not that we have extravagant gifts or even mountains of them every year, but we have a large family. Even just getting one thing per person can get pricey - so I started early, picking up one gift here and there and deciding on what I would make for everyone.  And there will be a lot of handmade. The goal was to spread the expense over as many months as I could rather than try to come up with a lot of money and time in December. I don't know about you, but none of my bills can be put off in December, they still have to be paid regardless of the holiday.

So, this is the first hand made gift I've completed of the year. I showed you one block a couple of weeks ago, and thanks to a week of sewing like crazy, I have it finished! YAY! One down, only about four more quilts to finish! The recipient collects lighthouses and loves the coast, so I embroidered lighthouses on blocks and chose warm beachy browns and cool blues.

 

Getting those blocks framed and set was a pain, but worth it for the overall quilt. I finished it with some basic (crooked) straight line quilting. I don't know that I will do another one like this, layout at least, until I've forgotten how much a pain this was!

A quilt in progress...

So I am the only one planning for Christmas already? I hope not. With my husband retiring from the military and starting his second career, money is going to be tight and our already limited budget is about to get more limited. I want to give my family a nice Christmas, so I have started my shopping now and get a few things here and there as I can afford them.

My favorite gifts to give are always the handmade ones. This year I am making one person a quilt with hand stitched lighthouses at the center of each block. This is the first one I have almost finished. There are two more embroidery blocks to finish and then to start adding borders and piecing.

There will be a total of eight lighthouses, so I have to come up with something for the center of my nine block quilt. I'm actually kind of excited to see how this one turns out. It's been a while since I've done a quilt like this. It should be done before Christmas, and I am planning quilts for at least one other person, so lets see how this all turns out!

Baby Gift, pt 2

So yesterday I told you about a friend expecting a baby girl and I showed you have the gift that I made for her baby shower. Well, today I get to show you the last two things in the gift. Not a lot of blah, blah, blah today, just going to get straight to it.

First is the first receiving blanket I've ever made. Knowing that the parents were going for an Asian theme in the nursery made it difficult to shop for material. But when I spotted this red, black and white lantern flannel I got so excited I almost did a happy dance in the middle of Joann's!

Again, sorry for the horrible, rushed pictures. I found a beautiful, rich red flannel for the back of the blanket and couldn't be happier with how it turned out!

The biggest part of the gift was a baby quilt. I knew they would have a hard time finding something in the stores in the colors they choose. It was an obvious choice for me to make the quilt but the materials I chose were less obvious. I spent over an hour trying to pick just the right ones.

Inspiration for the design came from Pinterest. I am the first to admit I was not really digging the color choices for a baby nursery. Yet, as I chose the fabrics and really thought about it, I realized it was actually a pretty good choice of colors. This blanket is something Kaiya can take with her throughout her life. It doesn't look childish or babyish, so when she goes off to college she can take this (by then well worn) blanket with her for security and a feeling of home without having to explain having a baby blanket.

I really wish I had gotten a better picture of the quilt, all laid out would have been great. I think I may have to make another one just to show the simple beauty of the design. If you want a better view of the fabrics used, take a look at yesterday's post, I made the soft blocks out of leftover fabric from this quilt! I love when nothing gets wasted!

Another Crazy Quilt

This is the quilt that I made for my husband as a birthday present. I love this quilt myself - so snuggly and so easy. It is another design from the Crazy Short Cut Quilts book. He loves it because it actually covers him.

Next week I will post begin posting more information on how to make these quilts, so you can try one for yourself!

Happy Crafting All!

Hour Glass Block Tutorial

The Hour-Glass Block that is demostrated in this video from Missouri Star Quilt Co. can be used to create some very dramatic looking quilts. If you notice the quilt in the background on the video was made with Hour Glass and Nine-Patch blocks (which I posted the video about a couple of weeks ago). It is a very simple block that can be used to create very intricate looking designs and Jenny does a fabulous job of teaching how to make this block. Enjoy!



Happy Crafting All!

Half-Triangle Block

Triangles can be very intimidating if you are new to quilting. Cutting and piecing them seems so tricky when you start thinking about lining up the corners and points just right. Well, the ladies at the Missouri Star Quilt Co. have taken a lot of the mystery out of the Half-Triangle Block in this video. What a wonderful job Jenny does explaining the process and showing, step-by-step, how to make this traditional block as well as a couple of it's many uses.

Enjoy!



Happy Crafting All!

Four-Patch Quilt Block

Here is another wonderful video from the Missouri Star Quilt Co. I love their videos because they explain things so clearly and concisely - much better than I could! The Four-Patch Block is another basic block in quilting making and is very versatile. Have fun with it!



Happy Crafting All!

Quilting Supply Resource

In this current economy, it is always nice to find a reliable supply resource that offers wide selection of supplies. I have heard some great recommendations about Home Sew Inc. They have a huge variety of all kinds of crafting supplies, including a nice selection of material and patterns. Check them out here:

Home Sew Inc

Do you have a favorite quilting supply source? I would love to hear about it! Drop me a line or leave a comment with a link!

Happy Crafting All!

Simple Quilting Resource

I love when I can finish a throw quilt in a day or two. That is no easy feat, but this book makes it possible. Think traditional crazy quilts on a large scale. It is so easy and fairly quick because you don't really have to worry about precise cutting. I've made two quilts from this book and I'm planning on making a few more for Christmas gifts.

If you are new to quilting and wanting something that can offer some instant gratification, this is the book for you. I've already recommended it to several people and they love it. For more information, be sure to check out the authors website and blog at http://www.crazyshortcutquilts.com/ .

Happy Crafting All!

Make A Quilt With Me, Wk 6

We are in the home stretch. Everything for your beautiful baby quilt is done - except the binding, the very last step.

Attaching the binding can be a very frustrating process for new quilters. I have been quilting for a few years and it is still the only part of the quilting process I truly dread. Rather than drag this out, lets get to the instructions so you can finish up that quilt!

First, you will need to get out those four 2.5" strips of Fabric B that you set aside all those weeks ago. You are going arrange them with right sides facing, to create an 'L' shape. Then you will draw a diagonal line as shown in the picture below.

Join the two pieces by sewing on the line you marked. Then trim the triangle of excess fabric and press the piece open. Repeat this step until you have all four strips connected into one long strip. Where you connect the strips should look like the picture below. Trim the ends at a 45 degree angle.

Once you have all four connected and the ends trimmed, it is time to press your binding. Fold the binding in half as you press to create a strip of material that is double thickness with the right side facing out. (This is where you can see the reasoning for connecting the strips with an angled seam. Once the fabric is folded in half, the seam will not over lap which reduces the bulk that you will be sewing through when you attach the binding.)


I have been contemplating the best possible way to explain the final binding process. I have realized that I probably could not write instructions that would be clear enough to guide you through this very important step. So, when you have finished assembling your quilt binding, please watch the video below with Eleanor Burns showing you how to finish binding your quilt.




The very last step to any quilt is sign it. I use a fabric marker and will write my name, pattern name, date the quilt was made and who it was for on the back of the quilt, generally along the binding. I like to keep the signature subtle and small on the back.

Now that your quilt is completed, it is time to sit back and enjoy the efforts of your hard work. You should be proud of yourself. It can be frustrating, but hopefully you made it through the whole process and have a beautiful baby quilt for your own little one or to give a very special gift.

Congratulations on completing the quilt! I hope you had fun!

Happy Crafting All!

Make A Quilt With Me, Wk 5

We are in the home stretch now! Of course, this is also where the quilt making can get a little tricky and very frustrating. These last steps will require a lot of patience. By now you have you quilt top completed and pinned to the batting and backing in a 'quilt sandwich' and you are ready to start quilting through the center.

One of the easiest ways to do the actual quilting is what's called 'stitch in the ditch.' This basically means you will be stitching next to (in the ditch) your block seams. I personally love this method because I have a very inexpensive sewing machine and straight lines are easier to do than trying to do fancy curves and designs.


Unroll your quilt on one side, just to the center seam. I prefer to start stitching in the center of the quilt and work my way out. The rolled part will stay under the throat of the machine as you sew a straight line down the center seam.

The biggest key here is to go slow. You may want to drop your dog (feeder) feet so you can guide the quilt through the throat and past the needle. I found that it helped me to leave my feet up - they aided in moving the material through a little more smoothly with less effort on my part.

For this week, take your time and sew all the straight seams between each of the 36 blocks. On the back, you will notice a grid pattern take shape. Once you have all the vertical seams sewn, rotate the quilt one quarter turn. This will make the vertical stitching you just finished horizontal. Roll half of the quilt and repeat the process. Make sure you also do the seam connecting the border to the squares.

That's it for this week. Again, TAKE YOUR TIME! Keep a slow, steady pace as you move the quilt through the machine and before you know it, it will be done.

Now is when you should be getting really excited! Next week will be the final step and once you've completed it, you'll have a beautiful quilt you can be proud of. Until then....

Happy Crafting All!

Make A Quilt With Me, Wk 4

If you have been following along with me, by now you have sewn all your blocks together in the pattern of your choice. Hopefully it all came together fairly easily for you and you are ready for this weeks instructions. Now, because lasts weeks instructions were a little involved, this weeks homework will be fairly easily.

The first step this week is to out four strips of Fabric B which were set aside when we started. You will need to sew one strip to each side of the quilt, adding the only border to the quilt. Press the top to smooth it out. Once you have that done, the top of your quilt is finished! You should be proud of yourself! You are half way to having a completed quilt ready for your own little one or to give as a gift.

Now, get out your backing material (Fabric D), and your batting. It is time to make your quilt sandwich. You are going to need a fairly large area to work. I will generally lay everything out on the floor at this point, however if you have enough space on your dining room table, I would recommend using that surface.

First, you'll need to press your backing material flat. Lay it out on the work surface. Then open up your batting, unroll and unfold it, smoothing it over the backing material. Use your hand to smooth it over the entire backing material; it will sort of adhere to the back material and not slip too much. Next, lay your quilt top over the batting and smooth it down with your hand as you did the batting.
Once you have it all smoothed and flattened, grab your safety pins and start pinning through all three layers. I prefer to use safety pins for this step because, even though they are a little more work to get on and off, I don't have to worry about stabbing myself on a straight pin while I'm working.
As you can see, I put one safety pin in the center of each fence rail block and along the border. You really need to use a lot of pins so that your materials don't shift and move around as you are quilting. Nothing is more frustrating than working so hard to quilt the layers together only to find out it shifted and won't lay flat once it is done.
After you it is pinned, trim the backing and batting to 1.5" - 2" larger than the quilt top, all the way around. Then, starting from one side, start rolling the quilt like cinnamon rolls. Go ahead and roll the entire quilt and set it aside until next week. As I said, this week is pretty simple. It is very important though, that you roll the quilt from this point on. If you fold the quilt in half, you risk shifting the material or allowing the batting to bunch or crinkle. This can cause problems when you are quilting with your machine.
So that's it for this week. Now you have a good idea of what your quilt look and feel like. You can feel the actual weight and texture of finished quilt. Next week we will do the actual quilting through all three layers of your quilt sandwich! Until then...

Happy Crafting All!!