Baby quilt top is done

 I have been busy sewing the baby quilt top. 

After looking for a suitable backing I just went with what I had at home. I couldn’t find anything at spotlight suitable. This is what was from the kit. My daughter has lost one of the blocks so I had to make it up with the leftovers. This fabric wasn’t quite right but it will do. After all it is 17 years later since the quilt was started.

All the appliqué is ironed on. My daughter hand stitched the first block but I will do the rest by machine.

Here the top is finished. My daughter had only started sewing and her seams weren’t quite straight. I had to trim the blocks down by a bit to get them square so the borders had to be altered as well. I just made the corners different to fit. She hasn’t sewn since.

Not a good light in the shade

Or in the sun

You can see the difference in the background fabric but it is what it is. And a finished quilt is better than it ending up in the rubbish.

I have since basted it ready for quilting.

Another find. Kristy’s baby quilt

 My daughter started making this baby quilt in 2007/8. It was bought as a kit.

She made all 4 log cabin blocks. The seam allowance isn’t very accurate but it was her first go. These can be trimmed down to size. Or I can add an extra round to make it up to the size required.

The first appliqué block was stitched. She was good at blanket stitching.

She fell pregnant and found out it was a boy. So the sewing stopped because she said she wouldn’t use it as it was more of a girl colour/style. Into the back of the cupboard it went. She has shifted many times over the years. Eventually all her sewing supplies came to me. So I got it all out to see what I needed to do. I know she had started another block but that was nowhere to be found. There was 3 background fabrics left. I traced out all the blocks.

Ironed them on to the background fabric.

These are very cute. I was careful with all the fabric as I needed to make the last block up out of the scraps so the fabrics were the same.

Here they are together. There is 2 different background fabrics. I need to buy another fabric. It will be one from spotlight. It is only a thin tone on tone in a pale cream. I have. White one but it is too noticeable. Off shopping I will go. I have prepared the appliqué to be ironed on when I have bought some new fabric.

It’s not a very big quilt so shouldn’t take too long to make. I won’t be doing it by hand and will machine blanket stitch the appliqué blocks. All the eyes are little buttons but I think I might stitch them on. Once together I just have to find some binding that will match. That shouldn’t be too hard. Then it will be put away for her first grandchild/daughter as a surprise.

A girls baby quilt done.

 I found another bag of baby girl scraps left over from a quilt I made years ago.  

What can I make from these?

Layout the pieces that were already sewn. Then cut some filler blocks

All pieced together

I found a piece nearly big enough for backing and binding

With the little pieces I had to join them to get a strip as wide as the backing. 

It needed a little bit of length to be perfect.

I quilted approx 1/4” (foot width) either side of the sashing strips

Added a label 

And spent my Sunday relaxing with some hand stitching.

Completed… measures. 34” * 45”

The strip added on the back looks good.

The label is on the side covering a little mark that wouldn’t come out.

Linking up with Slow Stitching Sunday

Machine quilting, patching the binding and hand stitching binding.

 After such a great effort day with this baby quilt I was excited to get it finished.

All quilted, now time for the binding.

Some people lose the bobbin race. I lost the binding race by THIS much.

Into the crumb scrap bin.

Sewed some pieces together.

I had to straight stitch them together to get them to fit. 

The way I finish my binding I measure the strip. It fits perfectly.

It doesn’t stand out too much.

All ready to sit and relax to hand stitch down.

Here is the back. It doesn’t look bad.

Linking up with SLOW STITCHING SUNDAY

IT’S FINISHED  32” * 48”

A baby quilt on the way

 Working with scraps. What can I make??

Well I do need a baby quilt for a close friend. They are expecting a new grand baby.

Into my scraps I go. I found a bag of leftover pieces from a previously made baby quilt. Some strips were already joined.

Cut some more pieces, join some more and then trim to the same size.

Add some sashings. I didn’t have enough for complete strips so I added cornerstones. Some even had to be pieced. The cornerstones were only 2” cut. I got there.

Start sewing together. I used the webbing method so I didn’t get the blocks mixed up or turned upside down.

I looked for a backing and wadding. I had a scrap piece of wadding the exact width I needed. I found this pretty green fabric. It too was the exact width but not length. 

That’s okay. I added a strip of white across it.

I’ve had enough for today so I’ll get back to it soon. That was a lot of brain power.

Linking up with Soscrappy.

Kiwis have a new home. It’s finished and delivered.

 Last months CHOOKSHED challenge is finished and has been delivered to its new home. I have loved doing this big stitch quilting. I can see more in the future. 

I know why Linda . Koshka2quilts makes smaller quilts and hand quilts most of them. They are so manageable. Thanks Linda for the inspiration to give it a go.

It only measure 36” * 39” and used a lot of scraps.

The striped binding works so well.

I used chenille on the back for the first time. It was so soft and fluffy.

When it was washed it came out very different. Maybe needs a real windy day to fluff it up. A lot of the fluff came off and balled up on to the front blocks.

Anyway, here is the difference before washing and after.

Thanks Louise for the Kiwi pattern

Linking up with Anja Quilts

My weekend of sewing = my kiwis

 I have been playing around making my KIWIs

I decided, with the help of the zoom ladies, what size my baby quilt will be. Also, the design has all been thought out now. This is where I started.

Blocks coming together laid out to work out the size

Enough blocks have been made. I am going to sash with scraps of pink - docket stitched sashings. A small white border.

Appliqué the name on a block for in the corner

I am using the soft, cuddly chenille as the backing.

And have chosen this stripe as the binding. 

Once the design was chosen I was so excited. I just kept sewing all weekend.

Layouts changed

Receipt strips sewn into sashings

Lots of thinking, measuring and calculating.

Until I got this far and it was midnight. 

Bedtime

I think I will be big stitch quilting this with some of mums crochet cotton.

Have a look HERE over at Angela’s for more pink work for the RSC May month.