Category Archives: Quilting Projects

Quilt no. 2

I couldn’t help myself. The day after my last day at work, I started making another quilt. I have been looking around online at different quilts people have made, and when I stumbled across a pattern similar to this one, I knew it was one I could easily do.

   

This time around, I really tried to shop for fabrics that would “match.” I picked 3 colors – blue (light and dark), purple and coral. Together, I think the fabrics created a very cohesive quilt.

Quickly and easily, I created the squares that make up majority of the quilt. Each row was made up of 13 squares (26 triangles) with a total of 5 rows in the quilt. I laid out each square before stitching them together to make sure no 2 fabrics would be right next to each other.

With the rows of squares complete, I then attached the rows of purple fabric.

After choosing a back fabric (a grey, floral print), I attached the 3 layers (back fabric, batting and front fabric) and began the quilting process. I chose to simply quilt straight lines, along each row and outlining each triangle.

   

I created the binding using scraps from the triangles and simply sewed together a 2″x 276″ strip, attaching it with a 1/2 inch seam allowance on the front and top stitching on the back.

I purchased batting that was more plush than my previous quilt, and I think my cat very much approves of this decision.

Dimensions:

  • Quilt = 60 inches x 78 inches
  • Rows = 6.5 inches x 78 inches
  • Triangles = 6.5 inches –> 6.5 x 6.5 inch squares
  • Binding = 2 inch x 276 inch strip (with a 1/2 inch seam allowance)
  • 1/4 inch seam allowance
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Quilted American Flag

Weeks after making a quilt, I can’t help but want to make another one. And with leftover fabric from my patriotic napkins, I decided to make a small, yet very festive, decorative quilt.

Sorry, but I didn’t take any pictures as I made the flag since the project started out on a whim. But shoot, didn’t it turn out pretty adorable! (I love the embroidery detail. It really makes it look more hand-quilted, though it is definitely machine-quilted!)

  

Once I finished the flag, I dug up an abandoned canvas, grabbed a stapler and mounted it!

  

Which brings me to the finished product…

 

Finishing my Quilt

Wahoo! After 2 weeks of cutting and sewing, my quilt is finally finished!Finishing the quilt was a lot more simple than I first thought it would be. Once quilted, I simply cut off the access fabric around the edges and purchased a 5/8 yard cut of fabric for the binding.

With the fabric I bought, I initially cut 6 strips (for my 60×60 inch square quilt) 3 inches wide. But then I realized I didn’t want the binding to be that thick, so I recut them into 2.5 inch wide strips.

Once cut, I sewed the 6 strips together. Then taking my quilt and putting the right sides together, I sewed the strip to the edges of the quilt (using a 1/2 inch sewing allowance).

For the corners, I found this awesome blog that explains a super easy way to sew them down. (see here)

Next, with the edges sewn in place, flip the fabric over to the back side of the quilt. Use an iron to press the back edge in place (flipping the seam under to create a smooth edge). Then thread a needle and whip stitch the binding in place.

Knot off the thread, and you’re done!

Quilting Time

With the top layer of my quilt finally finished, it is time to move on to the next step – Quilting!My math was a little off, but somehow I managed to finish with a perfect 60 inch square for my top layer. It is not what I necessarily planned for, but it means I have plenty of batting and fabric for the back layer.

  

I purchased 3 1/2 yards of a 44″ light purple, striped fabric for the bottom layer. To make it work, I simply cut it in half (two 65 inch long pieces) and sewed them together to make a 65 x 88 inch rectangle.

After laying out my batting, I used a quilt basting spray to help baste the quilt together. I learned about the adhesive in my research, and it is actually pretty cool. The point of using it is to make sure the different layers don’t shift around as I quilt the whole thing together, but the instructions say that the adhesive dissolves after going through the wash.

I used the adhesive for both sides. Doing one at a time, I sprayed the adhesive outside, and then with the help of my Mom and Dad, I had one (sometimes two) people holding up the fabric while I smoothed it out on top of the batting.

(My mom took some action shots…)

When I had everything in place, I attached safety pins all around the quilt just to be sure that everything would stay in place.

Then let the quilting begin. I had big dreams about using an embroidery foot to quilt a swirling pattern, but the foot was never purchased so I’m stuck with straight lines. I decided to simply sew along the seams of the rectangle patchwork.

Stay tuned for the finished piece!!

I am making a quilt!

My roommate said it best when I texted her the good news. “Well, of course you are,” she said. It’s been a goal of mine to make a quilt since I was a senior in high school. The only problem was, I had no idea where to start.

So with a sewing machine finally in my procession, I told myself that this summer was going to be the season. No matter how many tests and trials it would take, I am going to make a quilt. But before I bought any batting, I did a lot of research. I got books from the library, watched YouTube videos, but it was a magazine my mom bought me that finally made everything click. I am a complete newbie to quilting, so I realized I needed to follow some sort of pattern. I found this brick style quilt in that magazine, and with a few alterations to their plan, I had one of my own in the making.

Quilt Making (Part 1): Picking and Cutting Fabric

I quickly learned that quilting can be expensive if you plan to purchase all your fabric. So I embraced the patchwork idea by using scraps I had leftover. Plus I went to 3 different fabric stores to dig through their scrap fabric bins. The only fabric I really spent money on was a couple fat squares of fabric (basically packaged scrap pieces, all measuring around 18×22 inches). Usually priced around $1.99, but I found a store that had them on sale for 99 cent.

None of my fabrics “match” but I chose subtle, muted prints to make sure that nothing clashes.

For my brick style quilt, I cut 4×8.5 inch rectangles. I started off measuring and cutting with a ruler, but it just took too long. So I got smart and made a template. It definitely sped the process along.

Once I had all the rectangles cut out, I began layout out the pieces and mapping out my quilt. (I did this 4 rows at a time. Mapping them out and then sewing it together.)

Sewing them together is simple. Simply use a straight stitch to sew together the rows and iron down the seams.

Once the row is established, you can start pinning and sewing the rows together (using a straight stitch) and start growing the quilt vertically.

And with that, you and I are off to a great start.