I hope every one of you had a great Easter break! It's been lovely and sunny here - a nice change from last year's snowed-in Easter weekend.
And now it's time for an update on the quilting project as it's progressing quicker than I thought!
You probably have guessed since I've told you my secret, that the quilt I'm making is going to be for the little one. I have been concentrating on finding nice vintage fabrics on my thrift rounds, so i could begin to assemble my quilt asap.
I imagined the overall look of the quilt gender-neutral, and somewhere between pastel and bright, fun but not too busy, vintage infused but modern enough, childlike but not too kitschy, and so on. All in all, I'd like to end up with something that is going to be used, and all of us (child, boyfriend and me) can live with it.
The other weekend I made a more exact plan based on my initial sketch. I drew straight lines on a checkered sheet and calculated centimetres and swatch quantities. This part went easier than I thought, and it got done during a comfy Saturday morning, while eating grapes for brunch.
Once I decided I had enough fabric to start cutting, I got my scissors out and put them to work.
A little tip: do test old fabrics for strength by giving them a little pull and a tug. One of mine turned out to be too frail. I felt a bit disappointed about not being able to use it as it was a very nice pattern but I'm glad I tested it. It could have potentially ruined the whole quilt, by sooner or later tearing apart and getting irreparable holes.
Once the good fabric squares were cut, counted and put in piles, the figuring out the puzzle of the panels could begin in earnest. I was a bit uncertain about how I'm going to make the different patterns and colours work together, but once I started piecing on our big coffee table, the process became rather straightforward and satisfying. Having an initial idea on paper was a helpful guide to go by.
So this is what a panel looks like after the piecing. Next step: on with the sewing - I need four of these!
Looks great, after much thought I think the white material with the coloured lines is my favourite:) Tough choice though, looking forward to seeing the finished product!
ReplyDeleteit's getting there slowly :) oh that fabric that looks a bit like big hundreds and thousands is a great one - i've been using it for many other projects already and there's still more of it. it came from a junk shop that was one of my favourites that last year is closed down...
DeleteAniko, that's beautiful!! I love the choice of fabrics and I think it will look amazing when it's all finished.
ReplyDeleteaw, thanks Helene (and sorry for the late reply - i get so tired these days)
DeleteI seem to get into doubtful moods about the quilt sometimes, but as i sew a bit more of it, i can see that it will work out well after all. so unnerving to do something new isn't it?
Looks really promising! I strugle with my denim quilt at the moment it has to rest until I got my drive back.
ReplyDeleteSteph
i'd imagine denim can be quite tough to sew especially when you get to have layers of seam allowance to stitch through. i hope you will get your groove back and finish it, it looked great! i have some nervousness about this one, hopefully everything will line up properly. to sew in the middle sections will be tricky.
DeleteYour quilt will be great.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful week.
Denise
thanks Denise - you sound experienced!
Deletelooks lovely already :)
ReplyDeleteand this little flower baby toy is so cute!!!!
thanks Evdokia - oh the little rattle is so sweet, i found it in the Red Cross shop with some of the fabrics above. it's an old one that came in the baby box newborns get from the finnish state since the 50's i think. i also am going to get a baby box full of baby goodies for my little one - i'll show what i mean when it's here :)
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