calling all quilters
and sewers, and crafty ladies, and pretty much anyone else that wants to throw in their opinion. i have decided to embark on my first journey into the world of quilting. although what i want to make might not necessarily count as a quilt. here is the deal. i bought some fabric for collette that i have been coveting for quite some time. my plan is to make a lightweight quilt or coverlet for a twin size bed. im thinking ahead here, since she is only ten months old and will be in a crib until she can climb out or we buy a bigger house. its debatable which will come first. but that is another story. so my dilemmas are such:
a. i have never quilted anything before
b. im a novice with the sewing machine
c. i am scared to bejesus of batting, have no idea how it works or what to buy
e. im not super crazy about really intricate quilts, not yet anyway
d. i love the fabric so much that i dont want it to be cut into little bits and loose the visual of the design.
here is a picture of my fabric... i love it...
here is a close up of the green fabric, its called 2-D zoo, i first fell in love with it on repro depot a year ago. being the bad mother that i am, i fell in love with some outerspace fabric for eliot FOUR years ago and ordered it, and STILL have not done anything with it. and im making collettes blanket first... sorry ellie-bell!
so ladies, please, please, please, any input will be greatly appreciated!
posted by hannah at 3/17/2005 08:47:00 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
how-that is AMAZING fabric!! I love the back too-don't be afraid! you can do this and it will be awesome. You don't have to machine quilt, you can tie it off-and you can just do a super simple pattern-I'm going to e-mail you a photo of a really simple quilt grammie did for sadie and it's just one big piece w/ a border because the fabric was too cute to cut up-look for it this weekend-I think you will really like it-and don't be afraid of batting! grammie will help you!
hi hannah - being a busy body (and I have a large head, so what can I say, I don't fit the rule).... I saw your post on angry chicken and had to come see what you were working on... I love the zoo fabric. Amazing. I agree with Amy, you might want to consider just keeping the fabric in one peice for the top and using the contrasting fabric to frame the front and line the back of the quilt. I also agree that just tying the fabric off with embroidery floss or some cute thin ribbon would be great (silk embroidery ribbon works pretty well). you could also think about hand quilting the outline of some of the animals in a contrasting thread color to give them a 3-d quality. I always use "Warm and Natural" batting. It's 100% cotton and it is pretty thin and easy to work with (it doesn't give you that puffy over-stuffed quilt look, your finished quilt will be lighter weight and have a more vintage look) and as long as your quilting stitches or ties are 8 - 10 inches apart or closer, you will be fine. A rule of thumb test that I use when when I am all done quilting is to spread out your fingers on one hand and run it across your quilt. If you can touch at least two quilting lines or ties, you are just fine. Good luck... I am sure it will be beautiful.
Oh I love those fabrics! I can't wait to see your finished product. (Sorry I don't have any advice but I'm enjoying all the tips you're getting).
Hey, Hannah. This is a very rich print, and I agree it could work really well as a whole cloth with whimsical ties, especially for a first quilt. Pre wash everything, and do look for Warm and Natural batting for tieing because it's sturdy, yet soft. Before you tie your knots, safety pin the back, batt and top together every 4 inches. If you put on a classic binding (with that cute dotted fabric), it's a good idea to cut the back and batt a couple inches larger than the top. (Put the batt in the dryer with a damp towel to get the wrinkles out.) Spread out the back, wrong side up, the batt, and then the top, right side up. Then tie those surgeon's knots. Amy knows the nifty 2-inch strip binding method when you get that far.
If you're in a hurry, you can sew and turn like a pillow case. If you do that method, spread out the back right side up, then the batt, then the top wrong side up, sew leaving a 10-inch opening, trim to .5 inch, turn inside out. Then smooth out really well, pin every 4 inches and tie.
Go girl. It's fine when you get started!
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ooh, I love that zoo fabric. I have it on my wishlist.
lots of great advice here! Can't wait to see how it turns out. happy quilting :)
-Hillary
Hey I came across this looking for the 2-d zoo fabric (they don't make it anymore) if you have any left over I'll buy it from you! jimmykdesigns@yahoo.com
thanks :-)
thank you so much everyone for all your great advice. even though i still dont understand half of what you said, i am going to give it a shot! i checked out some books from the library yesterday... watch out!
I'm late to the party but happened upon your site and LOVE the fabric!!! Found a tonal version at http://www.craftyplanet.com/store.php under the Fabrics>>Kids.
I know how you feel about quilting/blanket making--been there! I'm with the others, the big piece w/ border is the easiest and nicest for your great fabric. Good luck!
If I can quilt - you can! Don't worry - it's really fun once you get started!
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