When you quilt, especially the way I do, which is to walk up to people and tell them how much you like the print of their skirt and would they give it to you when they are done with it or preferably sooner, people often give you bits of fabric.
Maybe they are nervous you will sneak in at night and steal their clothes, and are just preempting your move, trying to protect their other stuff. Like propitiating gods with sacrifices….
My kids joke that they are worried that they will open up a drawer one day and find only little scraps of material where the shirts used to be.
Therese gave me this rose fabric because she knows I love fabric. She's lived lots of places and in one of her homes this was what was used to make the drapes. Her husband told her that she couldn't take the drapes with her when she left because they went with the house, and for whatever reason she didn't argue with him.
I am sure I would have!
Men get funny ideas.
Anyway, she was in that mode of purging her stores of extraneous matter, and felt she must part with this. “I'll never do anything with it. You take it.” It was an act of pure friendship and detachment.
Knowing how much she loves it, I stashed it away with the thought that maybe I'd make her something some day. But what? Here are some ideas I had for what is about a yard of fabric:
An apron
A laundry sack
Napkins
A couple of pillows
Nothing grabbed me. Another birthday of hers was about to go by without closure on this piece of fabric, and I decided to commit to a small lap quilt that would be her very own memento of this part of her personal history.
No cutting (other than truing up the edges). No piecing, which I think this particular print would not survive — it's more of an over-all effect, don't you think?
The green watercolor is from my stash also, almost the right size, but I have no issue with hacking up a piece of fabric and piecing it again to make it fit the project. So yes, there was cutting, but do you do this? Just a tiny snip and then RIP — much easier. Something a little too narrow and long is quickly made into the right size and shape.
And just very easy large quilting stitch using pearl embroidery thread, although the problem with that, in all honesty, is that the knot is a bear to pull through the fabric. I keep thinking I'm going to rip a hole right through.
Yikes.
I should have taken a photo of it all folded up. It's really not big at all. But I think having your own little lap quilt could be comforting.
Anyway, she loved it, so I'm happy. It's a good thing to make something that your friend will think is beautiful (I got to cheat, since I knew she loved the fabric), even if it's ridiculously easy to do. I probably spent less time making it than I would have had I shopped for something, and it cost me nothing. Yet making something with our hands is priceless, isn't it? It doesn't have to be hard! If I can do this, you certainly can!
You can find a tutorial here at Purlbee, although I encourage you not to stress out if you want to try this. It's basically making a pillowcase only with the batting in there too. (It's quite similar to the quick baby blanket, only with batting and a little quilting.)
I used 80% cotton batting. If you are going to quilt, use something good for the batting — don't waste your precious time on all poly batting. I've learned that the hard way. But with a project like this with not much quilting to hold things together, a little poly will prevent bunching.
I placed the batting the bottom of the fabric “sandwich” so that my sewing foot wouldn't drag it (although I do have a walking foot, but I think it's tricky anyway). So, fabric right sides together, with batting underneath. Sew all around, leaving about 10 inches open on a short end. Turn right side out and sew up opening with invisible stitches.
Press.
Quilt.
I followed the trellis pattern on the print, which goes on the diagonal — I like just using the pattern to guide me so I don't have to mark my quilting, a job I hate.
Does quilting seem overwhelming to you? This project is nice because there's no piecing and no binding. The quilting is minimal but cute. What do you think?
Lisa G. says
This is lovely! I love these whole cloth quilts – I've done one, and got a friend to make one. Almost instant gratification.
Margo says
I think you've made quilting very approachable! Kudos to you (from a beginning quilter). I'm eager to try my hand with perl cotton, but hadn't thought about that big knot. hm.
My dad has orders to give me several of his madras plaid shirts – I got one already. I adore plaid, of all the prints, I think.
_Leila says
A quilt made with madras shirt scraps ~sigh~ That would be fantastic.
Cary says
Beautiful! I have sewn for most of my life and am teaching my daughter, but I have not done made quilts, other than rag quilts and am wanting to start using the many scraps of fabric we have. So, I have a question: You said, “..don't waste your precious time on all poly batting. I've learned that the hard way.” Why? What does the poly batting do, or not do for that matter?
Thanks,
Cary
_Leila says
Cary, the poly batting gives a good look of lofty warmth at first. But after washing and some years of wear, it's as if the quilt has no batting at all! It just flattens out.
If you are going to go to the trouble of making something to keep someone warm, it should last! And be warm! Even a (poly) fleece blanket is a better batting than what's sold as batting that's 100% polyester.
Best is all cotton batting, but of course, that takes more quilting. Wool and silk are wonderful. You can use an old thin blanket or even strips of something lofty. Just piece them together — no one will know!
Cary says
Thank you! This now makes sense why blanket quilts that my grandmother had made, just mish-mosh scraps into a blanket, were so heavy and kept us so very warm. I do remember that they lasted all while I was growing up and through many younger siblings and still kept their shape. I am pretty sure her “middle” was old blankets of wool.
Susan says
Sweet. I'm not much of a sewer but my mom used to make us clothes and she had a fabulous dress pattern when I was growing up. She made me my eighth grade graduation dress from that exact print. Wonder what happened to the dress?
BLD_in_MT says
What a thoughtful gift. I am sure your friend was just thrilled to receive it. There is no gift more special than that which was lovingly made just for you. Excellent work.
Flying Squirrel says
Speaking of batting (I'm so glad the conversation moved to batting!) an old wool blanket shrunk in the wash is my very favourite—it's all one piece, and it's WARM, and with every washing it shrivels up a little more making those lovely puckers all around your quilting. I made a few quilt “sandwiches” with wool blankets between old sheets, and they've become some of our favourites: so light and so warm!
Lisa G. says
I'm getting some good ideas from reading these comments! But, Leila – you're in Massachusetts, and I'm in Connecticut. It gets cold! I love cotton for all my clothing, but it's not a good insulator! Cotton sweaters don't keep you warm – so, why – aside from the naturalness of it? Does it really make for a warm quilt?
_Leila says
Lisa, I know what you mean. I remember as a kid at the “beach” (I really don't consider these Northern shorelines beaches!), huddled under a towel, realizing that it offered no insulation at all! But I think a quilt is different because it traps the air and it's the air that keeps you warm.
Obviously other fibers are warmer. Wool, as Flying Squirrel says, is fantastic — an old, thin wool blanket with the bindings removed is great. And there is wool batting, although it's expensive. As I said, I've used fleece blankets and that's excellent. Our foremothers used old quilts and even diapers!
Polyester batting is warm at first. But after washings, it loses all its loft and is so disappointing! Cotton batting is lovely, really.
Pippajo says
So do you take orders from scatterbrained women who are hopelessly helpless at things like sewing? I would LOVE to send Redheaded Snippet off to college with her very own quilt but that will NEVER happen!
Sigh. I would so like to be that kind of mom…
_Leila says
Haha, Pippajo, um, NO. Do you have any idea how backed up I am on quilts? But if *I, aka World's Slowest Quilter, can toss this off in a day, YOU can do it for the RhS! It won't take you long! Try it!
Pippajo says
OH, and I hope you understand from my last comment that I thought that quilt was absolutely gorgeous!
Ann Marie says
I think that might be the lovliest gift I've seen in a long time. Tho I'm not usually a floral print fan, it is simply beautiful. And alas, I have no inclination for sewing beyond a button or an easy tear along a seam that can afford to be haphazardly stitched. I'm happy to admire your talent tho. 🙂
Natasha says
OK. This could be my entry into quilting… my neighbor downstairs has a machine…. Well done! I love it.