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Archive for the ‘Quilts’ Category

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Hand Applique

In Quilts on May 1, 2013 at 6:00 am

The quilt top is assembled, but it is not finished.

The Dresden plates are only basted onto the quilt top. To tack the edges down, I am using a hand applique technique. Although I found instructions for the technique in the Complete Guide to Quilting book, an online tutorial can be found here.


If you squint, you should be able to see my stitches in red. I used red thread because if I am going to hand sew, I want my stitches to visible. Plus, I thought it might look nice against the red wheel fabric.

Why hand applique, you ask.

It’s a good question. Surely, a sewing machine would be faster. It’s not like I lack for sewing machines. I own 3 now.

There are several reasons why I chose to attach the Dresden plates by hand.

One, I plan to quilt this Dresden throw by hand, so it just goes with the theme of things.
Two, I like to hand stitch things.
Three, a sewing machine must be used in the sewing room after hours and away from family. Hand stitching can be done almost anytime and anywhere.
Four, I can watch TV while hand stitching. There are no TVs in the sewing room.
Five, did I mention that I really enjoy the repetition of sewing by hand? It’s like knitting; it relaxes me.

Right now I am watching Vanity Fair. It’s so nice to get a break from Go, Diego, Go and the Green Lantern, also known as the Justice League.

And for those wondering why Elly watches the Justice League, well obviously Dan had a hand in it. About a month ago, Elly won a stuffed super hero from the claw machine inside our local grocery store. She asked me what his name was. I had no idea. Of course, Dan knew and not only told her his name, Green Lantern, but also introduced her to comic books with the Green Lantern in it and cartoons with the Green Lantern in it. Now the whole family knows Green Lantern’s name and has watched far too many Justice League cartoon shows. Although I shouldn’t complain because the Justice League is far better than Diego or Bob the Builder or Timmy Time.

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Not Enough Fabric

In Quilts on April 22, 2013 at 6:00 am

Actually, it depends on who you ask as to whether or not I have enough fabric.

Elly will tell you that I have the perfect amount of fabric.

It is just the right amount to snuggle in with 2 baby dolls.

It is not the right amount to back the Dresden quilt with. When I bought the fabric, I based it off the fact that the squares to which the Dresden plates would be appliqued to were to be 25″. Yet, I bought extra fabric to cut the squares out of. There was enough to make 26.5″ squares. Since bigger is better, I cut the maximum square allowed out. It never occurred to me that the backing fabric would not be enough to cover the backside of the enlarged quilt.

But, all is not lost. Plan B was concocted last night. It involves piecing the back together out of the backing fabric, the sashing fabric and some grey fabric I had in my stash. It might even look better than Plan A when finished.

Here’s hoping.

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Quilt Blocks on the Floor

In Quilts on April 10, 2013 at 6:00 am

Typically, I would stack my quilt blocks on a table, but these quilt blocks are gigantic. They measure 26.5 inches square. It is far easier to piece them together on the floor.

Dan is not a fan. He has been sick and has graciously relegated himself to the guest bed so as not to get the rest of us sick. Thus, he has had to weave his way around the blocks to get in and out of bed.

Hopefully, I can finish pinning the sashing to the quilt blocks in the next day or so. Then at least they will be off the floor.

The plus side of the gigantic quilt blocks is that it will be quicker to piece the quilt top together, since there are fewer pieces to sew. Which in turns means that I can hurry up and get to the part I love: hand quilting.

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Dresden Quilt Progress

In Quilts on March 22, 2013 at 6:00 am

The Dresden plates are being appliqued to the awesome wheel fabric I found at my local quilt shop. Have I mentioned how much I love Generations Quilt Shop lately? Their fabric selection is unbelievable. Seriously, if you live in the Pottstown area, you have to visit.

I’m not sure if you can see in that photo, but I am hand basting the plates down, since they are so huge and I did not want to leave a million pins in the plates during the assembly of the quilt top.

In addition to the wheel fabric, I bought fabric for the sashing and for the backing.

The polka dot fabric will be used for the sashing and perhaps the binding. The circle fabric will be used for the backing and maybe the border. I haven’t decided yet.

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A Quilt for Me

In Quilts on March 18, 2013 at 6:00 am

Every single quilt I have ever made has been given away as a gift, mostly to expectant moms or to my own daughter.

This time, I am keeping a quilt for me. It is to hang in our bedroom once Dan nails a short board to our wall.

The quilt started as a cloth calendar that I purchased because I loved the picture.

Not needing a calendar of 1978, I cut the calendar section off and went about saving the picture. Two borders that highlighted the blue and orange color scheme of the picture, which happens to be the color scheme of our bedroom, were added.

Then, I hand quilted around the trees, clouds and shrubs. I learned that a good needle and a good leather thimble are worth their weight in gold.

Finally, I added a black border to make it blend in with the rest of the pictures hanging on our walls. The end result looks like this.

I sewed velcro on the back of the quilt as that is how the quilt will be adhered to the board on the bedroom wall.

 

Though Dan has never been a fan of the bright orange accents I like to add around our bedroom, he does like this quilt, which is a good thing because I’m giddy to see it hanging in our bedroom.

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Beginnings of a Dresden Plate Quilt

In Quilts on March 6, 2013 at 6:00 am

I love to quilt, but I hate to cut the fabric all up only to have to piece it all back together again. Plus, I have learned that I hate being relegated to my sewing room. I would rather be hanging out with my daughter, husband and dog.

So, when I ran across Dresden plates already pieced together, I bought them.

The fabrics are kitschy and fun.

Yet, the center fabric looked boring. So, I removed it.

From my stash, I found some fabric labeled “River Qui” on it. Though it doesn’t necessarily match the transportation theme of the Dresden plate, it is still fun.

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Quilting while Sick

In Quilts on February 6, 2013 at 8:07 am

Elly was sick the week before her birthday party. Two days after her birthday party, she was sick again. This time, I got sick with her. Misery does love company.

No progress has been made on my Fearless February project. I’m too sick to mount the energy required for it.

Instead I put together a mini quilt.

The winter picture is from an old 1978 calendar.

To turn it into a quilt, I just cut the picture out, tossed the calendar section in the trash and added two borders.

The fabrics were picked out from the huge selection at Generations Quilt Shop. Gosh, I love that store. The fabric is divided by color so it’s like walking into a rainbow. But the main reason I love the store is because they always have just what I want. I have never walked out empty handed.

But back to the quilt, I used fusible quilt batting to secure the quilt sandwich together. Then, I stitched in the ditch along the border seams. The rest of the quilting will be done by hand.

While watching the now memorized movie of Tinkerbell and Periwinkle, otherwise known as the Secret of the Wings, I squeeze in a little hand quilting while listening to Elly as she excitedly tells me what is going to happen before it does.

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Repairing a Quilt by Hand

In Quilts on February 4, 2013 at 6:00 am


(Machine embroidered quilt label purchased from CannStitch)

As mentioned in my last post, the Sue Bonnet quilt has been repaired with two days to spare. To do so, the entire top row of Sue Bonnet girls was cut off. Out of the 4 girls, only two could be saved. The saved appliques now adorn a matching pillow.

Rather than rip out all the quilting stitches, I cut around the Sue Bonnet appliques, leaving the batting and backing attached. Then, I bound the edges with bias tape. Finally, I attached the Sue Bonnet mini quilts to a remnant of machine quilted fabric with a simple running stitch. For good measure, I quilted around the Sue Bonnets dresses to make sure the appliques stayed in place.

The pillow was made in the regular fashion though I did insert a zipper first. I am after all giving this to a 3-year-old who will almost certainly get it dirty. Being able to just wash the pillow cover will make my job easier in the laundry room.

The quilt was much easier to fix. The hardest part was picking out a fabric to bind the edges with. At first, I was going to use yellow, but I couldn’t get an exact match to the original yellow. In the end, I chose a vintage looking fabric that complemented the flowery fabrics used in the doll’s dresses. The fabric is also similar to the pillow fabric without it being too matchy matchy.

Cutting the top line of Sue Bonnet girls did make the quilt too short for Elly’s twin size bed, but I’m OK with that.

The original quilting did require a touch up here and there where the stitches had fallen out. Reworking the stitches reminded me how much I enjoy quilting by hand. I already have my next 3 quilts planned in my head.

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A Tradition Made

In Blankets, Knitting, Quilts on February 1, 2013 at 2:48 pm

Without planning it, I have started a tradition that I’m not entirely sure I can continue.

It seems that I have made Elly a quilt or a blanket for every year of her life plus an extra year.

The quilt I made for her birth

The blanket I knit for her 1st birthday

Look at that chub! I miss it.

The quilt I made for her 2nd birthday.

And now the quilt I repaired for her 3rd birthday.

The odds are good that she will get yet another quilt for her 4th birthday, since I have one in the works for her.

It should be mentioned that she doesn’t lack for quilts and blankets. Her great aunt hand stitched her a Winnie the Pooh quilt for her birth. Her Gram has crocheted her 4 blankets plus made her 1 quilt. I have actually put away all the store-bought blanket I received at my baby shower, since handmade blankets are far superior in my book.

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A Broken Quilt

In Quilts on January 14, 2013 at 10:21 am

My aunt may have more faith in my sewing skills than I do.

At Christmas time, she gifted me a vintage quilt. I love it.

It is the Sunbonnet Sue pattern. The entire quilt from applique to embroidery to quilting to binding was done by hand. The tiny stitches are amazing; it must have taken quite a while to finish.

Yet, there is a fault with it. The quilt looks like it has been mauled by a mouse or another small animal.

The entire top right hand corner has quite a few holes. Even if I could find fabric to match the original fabric, I don’t know that I could patch the holes in such a way that it didn’t look like the quilt had a bunch of patches on it.

When I encounter sewing problems, I visit my 93-year-old neighbor who was a seamstress in her day. She agreed with me. The quilt is darling. What can be saved; should be saved. So, together we concocted a plan.

The plan involves a sharp pair of scissors. The entire top row of Sue Bonnets will be cut off. The first two appliques that are heavily damaged will be thrown in the trash. The last two appliques will be reused in a pillow. Then, the original binding that is also fraying will be picked open and the edges trimmed. Then, a new binding will be attached. At that point, the quilt will be completely repaired. It’s a simple plan. I do feel terrible for hacking up a vintage quilt, but it was the only way my neighbor and I could think to save it. It does mean that the quilt will be too short for a twin bed, but I’m OK with that.

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