I've been working on this quilt for about a month now and it's finally, finally done! This is the first time I've finished a quilt that is, in my mind, a "real" quilt - has real binding and a real pattern and a real batting inside, lol. I learned how to hand sew the binding on, and that's the first time I have ever sewn anything by hand, anything at all. So, I am really proud of this quilt!
Also, it's a project that I made with my mother in law in mind and close to my heart. She is currently suffering from complications of lung cancer and the surgeries and treatments to get rid of it, so it has been very hard on her to stay hopeful and upbeat. She is the one who taught me how to craft and much of the fabrics used in this quilt are scraps left from other projects the two of us did together, so this is in her honor. I would give it to her, but she said she has too much stuff in her house and wants to know that my dd will be snuggled up under this thing, so it's staying with us!
Technical stuff - the method I used (yes, there is a method to the madness) was the basic string quilt method. I sewed each scrap of fabric to a piece of computer paper, starting with a white scrap in the middle and building up from there. Then I trimmed each square to the size of the paper, after pressing it, and ripped the paper off and ironed again.
The batting came from Walmart. I got a queen size package because that's all they had that day. I have some left over, but not a lot, so I don't think the full would have been enough. Oh, and the quilt is roughly twin sized, I didn't measure it to be a specific size, just didn't want it too huge and wanted it to cover my feet.
The backing is a sheet I have had for about a year now. It has been washed enough that I am pretty sure it's done shrinking. I don't really know what it's made out of though - it's not flannel, and it's not t-shirt material. Maybe cotton? I don't remember. The binding is cut from the leftovers of the sheet after I cut it down for the backing.
I didn't want much quilting in this baby, so I only did a line in between each color. It was fun.
Things I learned - I LOVE hand stitching! Even though I resisted it at every turn - which is why it took so long to get this quilt done, the top only took about a week of sewing here and there - it turned out to be my most favorite part if the whole process. I used a ladder stitch and you can barely see it, even though I only had dark green thread that didn't match the back and really should have shown up.
Also, it is possible to finish a quilt without ever using your walking foot. I have one but I am not very comfortable using it so I skipped it. Everything worked just fine.
And finally, next time I will use a thicker binding strip. I cut these a bit too thin, at just over 1.5 inches, and it was a bear in places. The hand stitching made the skinnier binding work, but next time I will save myself the aggravation.
Okay, enough talking! Here are the pics!
Just for a size reference.
She is trying to claim this as hers, and her way of doing that is wrapping up in it at ever opportunity!
The backing, where you can see the quilting lines.
Taken before the binding was added, but this one really is the truest to the real color.
Hope you guys like it, and C & C always appreciated!
