When you are designing a quilt, there are several parts of the process. The main body of the quilt is one part. Borders are another part to design. I often wait until the main part of the quilt is done before I decide on a border. Sometimes, I like to add more to the design than a simple border.
Tag: quilting Page 1 of 2
Everything related to quilting – design, technique, organization, photos, etc.
Over my Christmas break, I had the flu. I wasn’t feeling well enough to do much of anything, but I did wander up to the studio towards the end of the week. I had a pile of scraps sitting by my sewing table and decided to stitch them together and see what happened.
It’s the start of a new year and many people use a time like this to make resolutions to change something in their lives. And I do use the time to consider things, but I don’t really make resolutions in the traditional way anymore.
The first baby quilt I made in flannel was a jungle themed quilt. I was making it for a co-worker. She was doing a jungle theme for the nursery, so I did my best to come up with a fun quilt. This was another quilt where I didn’t have a pattern, just some sketches of jungle animals.
I have made many kid quilts over the years as gifts for friends, family, and coworkers. Only once have I made a quilt that was a commission. I had made a quilt for a co-worker and they loved it so much they had me make one for their older child.
Sometimes when you start on a project you have an idea of what the finished product will look like but end up with something entirely different. Several years ago, I was planning a spinning stars quilt from a block I had seen. I had chosen some fun and funky fabrics. I packed them up and headed off to a quilt retreat. It was January, and it was the year that the Indianapolis Colts won the Superbowl.
I have only made one large quilt in the past. Most of my projects are wall hangings or throw quilts or baby quilts. When I started working on a quilt for our bed, I knew it was going to be a bit of a project to keep it all organized.
Just one section has over 100 pieces pieces! So it was a lot to keep it straight as I worked. Fortunately, the pattern was very good at helping keep it together during the cutting and initial sewing.
Sometimes you have some odds and ends left over from a project. This can be something you cooked or something you made. Here is an example of using the cut off parts of a quilt I made a few years ago for a cousin’s grandbaby.
After Walt did his tour of the shop in this post, I thought I should take a trip around a my sewing studio. It’s not as neat as his shop was in the pictures.
As you walk into the room, the first thing you see is the lower half of my mother-in-law’s old secretary. It moved into the studio while I was working from home last year as a place to keep my work computer and supplies. Next to it is an old spring rocker that my parents had when I was little. I have recovered it once and it is due for another.
I am using an old broom handle to hang one of my favorite quilts under a shelf with some mementos on it. My mother made the scarecrow quilt for me.
Next comes the wall of fabric. I use the colors of the tubs to help keep everything organized. The gray handles have upholstery and outdoor fabrics. The purple ones are apparel and costume fabrics. The blue are quilting fabrics. The smaller tubs have a wide variety of things in them, sorted by type.
In my post about the challenge quilt Snow Goose, I mentioned paper piecing. There are plenty of tutorials about it out there, but I thought I would show you how I do it.
