Friday, November 19, 2010

The Girls' Puffy Quilts

These quilts were a long time coming. Last fall I started to have the my-girls-should-have-matching-bedding itch, but we couldn't find any fabric that both of them wanted. The 10 year old likes brown and green geometrics or homespuns and the 6 year old still likes florals and pinks. I thought of using the Timber or Modern Meadow lines of fabric in the green and pink color ways, but none of the LQS carried either one. I couldn't bring myself to order that much fabric online, at full price, sight unseen, so we waited.

One day in the early spring we were in Hobby Lobby and the girls saw a piece of fabric they both liked (miracle, cue heavenly music). A coral with a floral and green paisley design. We got a large chunk of it and picked out coordinating browns, greens and burgundies for the 10 year old and pinks and lighter colors for the 6 year old then and there. While my husband was out of town on a trip, I left the sewing machine up in the kitchen and pieced the fronts using Amanda Jean's zig-zag (for the 6 year old) and ragged squares quilt (10 year old) tutorials.


For the back of the zig-zag quilt I used the left over strips to form a center panel. I really like it. Other left overs were used to make 2 large square in square blocks to mimic the ragged squares front.

Then they sat...and sat...and sat...until this month. (Have I ever mentioned that I don't like basting quilts?) But it couldn't be put off any longer if the girls were going to have winter quilts. I basted the quilts with 4 (!) layers of fluffy polyester batting, machine tied them and finished the binding with a serpentine stitch.



What a process...but now we and our quilts can just sit and relax for a second on the front porch.

Cheater Binding

I really like the look of a hand finished binding. I just don't like doing it. Especially on quilts I am not crazy about or ones that are going to get a lot of wear and tear. I kept telling myself that if I pinned well and went slow I could machine bind my quilts but it NEVER worked for me. I would get so mad that the quilt I had put so much work into had a crummy binding.

Then I remembered Miss Mary. For a few months before we moved, I was part of a sewing group that met Monday mornings and sewed baby blankets for the NICU (I was the youngest member of the group by a good 30 years). Miss Mary would sew on all the bindings. She used what I think is called a serpentine stitch. It looked great, was easy and, best of all, impossible to mess up.


This is what the stitch looks like. Look for a wavy dotted line on your machine - I only have 7 stitches on my old Bernina and I have it so you will too. :) I set my stitch width to 4 and length to 2.

I sew my binding onto the front as usual, fold the binding to the back and start the serpentine stitching. Keep the foot centered on the binding and it should stay centered on the front of the binding too.

I peek on the underside of the quilt from time to time to make sure everything is in order - the great thing is that it always is!

I take the corner like usual. There is always some sort of funny pattern at the corner, but I don't mind that at all.

This method isn't for everyone or for every quilt but it I love using it for baby quilts. It adds a fun decorative touch, plus I can move on to piecing my next quilt that much quicker! I finished my daughters puffy quilts and the Baby Tree quilt this way but the Big Tree Quilt will be finished by hand.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Tying A Quilt By Machine

Tying a quilt - I know sooo 1980's, but I wanted the quilts I am making for my girls this winter to be super warm and comfy. A quilt is nice, but snuggling under a poofy comforter at night is The Best. I used 4, yes 4, layers of polyester batting in their quilts and with that amount of thickness machine quilting is not really an option so I decided to "tie" it.

To tie a quilt by machine baste the quilt as usual and mark where you want your ties. I was going to "tie" at the corners so I didn't mark. Set the sewing machine on zig-zag with the maximum width and an almost 0 length -

Zig-zag back and forth 15 to 20 times moving forward and back just a bit.

Then lift your presser foot and move to your next tie.

When you are done machine tying, clip your threads on the front and back.

Simple, fast and comfy. I have done this on other quilts and they hold up great. That is the secret for how I got the second quilt quilted so fast. :)

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

The Ultimate Work In Progress

Lee at Freshly Pieced is hosting a WIP Wednesday. Great idea! I can't wait to see what other people are working on and hopefully this will get some of my WIPs done at a faster pace. You have to have something to show on Wednesday after all. :)
This project started last October when I went to the AQS Quilt Show in Des Moines. The great ladies from Paper Pieces had a booth and showed me how to English paper piece.

I was hooked.

I messed around for a few months making hexagons out of scraps, but then I got a really good deal on 1930's reproduction fabric - 25 FQs for $25 - and my hexagon journey began in earnest.

I remember taking this picture last February. I was sooo proud of those 5 hexagon flowers.

By April I had made over 30 and was starting to sew them together.

Now I have 63 joined in two large sections and 29 waiting to be sewn together. Most of my hand work happens after the kids go to bed. After saying, "Pajamas, teeth, toilet!" ten million times I am ready for a break. I turn on Hulu and start stitching. I can get one flower done in 1 1/2 hours while watching TV - it only takes 45 minutes with no TV - but what fun is that? :)
I would love to finish the top by February - I'll keep you posted.

What are you working on?