quilting

Well, it didn’t take long but its done!  YAY.  I spent most of last weekend sandwiching the quilt together.  Since it’s a smaller quilt it didn’t take as long as I thought it would and with the right tools it was a piece of cake.

Quilting in progress

Sandwiching is the process of sewing the top, the soft batting in the middle and the backing all together at once.  Depending on the batting, it can get quite thick so I purchased a recommended walking foot for this project as it really does what the name implies. I was able to purchase one on Ebay from a local seller and it was worth every penny!

My favorite part…the quilt backing

I got some great advice from the women at a local quilt shop called The Quilted Fox

• Room 6 film

.  They were very helpful when selecting the right batting and offering different ways in which to stitch the whole thing together.

Close up of quilt trim also known as binding

In addition to the local advice I found many online resources to help me complete the project but the most helpful was this binding tutorial. I think it could be useful on many projects and not just quilting.

Completed Quilt

All in all, I’m really happy with the results.  As with any project that’s craft related or not, it comes down to doing a little research, following directions, making sure you have the right tools and taking your time.

I’m sure the quilt will come in handy this winter during late night feedings when its time to snuggle up!

Back in July I did some research on modern quilting.  There are so many great blogs and books dedicated to this specific craft that it was a little overwhelming so I decided to start out with a simple crib quilt using charm squares. The pattern is appropriately named Due Date by Bean Counter Quilts.

I have worked with charm squares in the past and the precut 5 inch squares really do save some time in the cutting process. I went with the Arcadia fabric line because I loved the color combinations and the modern style of the fabric.  I also like the fact that it doesn’t scream baby quilt!

Bourne Supremacy, The movie download

Most of last Sunday was spent piecing the quilt top together.  I probably spend way too much time working on it, but I wanted to get it right.  All that’s left to do is sew the border and then assembling the batting/backing and lastly attached the binding.  There’s where I don’t have a clue! I’m hoping my local library has all kinds of quilting resources so I can figure out the basics.

If you’re a quilter and have any advice or favorite reference books I’d love to hear from you.

This weekend I will be on a plane headed for England and since its an overnight flight I’m hoping to get a little rest.  An eye mask is the closest thing I can get to a do-not-disturb sign without handling an actual door tag from the end of my nose. I figure this would look a little more attractive.

My original idea for this pattern was to cut it out on felt and make it reversible.  A fun fuzzy creature on one side and a simple quilted pattern on the other.  I’m half way there!  It could made for a fun tutorial?  I’d love to hear your thoughts or suggestions.

• The Real McCoy movie download

Hawk the Slayer buy

Extract movie download
This weekend I decided to give the Quilted List-Taker pattern by Jennifer Casa a try. The pattern suggests a quilting process known as “stitch in the ditch.”  After consulting several reference books I decided to give it a try.  Since I don’t have the recommended walking foot for my machine, I used my regular sewing foot. I’m hoping I can make do till I have a real need for one.  In the meantime, does this looks right?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! D