I want a quilt. A pretty, old school style patchwork number, with lots of different colours that will go with anything.
I don’t really want to make it.
I don’t want to be someone who quilts. A quilter. I just don’t think that’s me. And it seems hard… like a pain in the ass, to be quite frank… and… and… and… well I just don’t want to. I’ll suck at quilting. I know I will. I suck at all those traditional crafts – knitting, crochet, embroidery… I am not your heritage crafter. I’m a slap dash “it’ll do” move on to something else type of crafter…
However.
I might have to give it a go. Pretty, old school style patchwork quilts are EXPENSIVE. I am cheap.
There may only be one solution, and although my… “creation” won’t look anything like these beauties, I need to get revved up about the idea. Somehow.
All hints & tips re: cheaters quilts will be greatly appreciated!
ooo...I heart quilts...I would love to make my own once but I don't think I could be a quilter either...I don't think I have enough patience to complete one =)
ReplyDeleteIt's awful isn't it eleise...?! To have such a desire to own one, yet not have the funds to make one or the desire to make one... well, I sort of have the desire to make one, if desire is the same as wishing I could fast forward through the whole process & end up paing & tear free at a pretty quilt like the ones in the pictures.... ;)
ReplyDeleteI m a slap-dash maker too, wack it together I say!
ReplyDeleteI think the pain in the ass aspect of quitling is the actual QUILTING part, like the bit where you do the backing and sew over the top in a very precise manner. How about you tell that bit to get stuffed (no pun intended!) and make a pretty, patchworky throw style thingamy, I did and it took an arvo... I didn't even measure just cut out bits n pieces and whacked it together! Muchos fun!
Doily.
Oh truly you're a girl after my own heart :) I want a quilt too! I've been meaning to make another one forever. I've made 3...out of scraps, cause that's the way I like my quilts. They have to be scrappy. Soooo, I'll make one if you will? How's about just a little one for Le'Punk? In fact, if you're interested, I'll do a blog post about it later and we can do a challenge together. Whaddya think?
ReplyDeleteI've been saving my pennies to get the fabric I want to make a quilt. I've already made a small dolls quilt (on my blog), and will now move up to a lap quilt, then onto a bed quilt.
ReplyDeleteMy advice is to start small, make Punk a funky dolls quilt.
I'm guessing you will want to just quilt it with straight lines, so make sure you have a walking foot, if you don't have one, find someone who has and borrow it. Trust me I am speaking from experience here, there was ALOT of unpicking and bad words said in my sewing cave when I tried to quilt the dolls quilt with out one. A friend lent me her walking foot and it was SO much easier.
Good luck
P.S Check out this blog http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/ there are some fantastic tutorials
I'm not much of a quilter, but why don't you use big squares. Less sewing, straight sewing and the quilt will grow pretty quickly...
ReplyDeleteOk you! easy peasy really. Just collect pretty bits from your garage sales and op shops, old clothes of cotton that you like the fabric of. Cut into 6" squares, lots and lots of 6" squares, keep adding to the pile of squares, keep them in a nifty suitcase until you have amassed a goodly collection, until you think you have more than you need then add some more. Now lay them out in rows till you like the look of 'em. Sew those squares together into rows, sew the rows together into a quilt. Find an old blanket to use as batting (the middle bit) use an old groovy sheet as the backing. Once you have sewn it all together and turned it right side out, closed up the hole etc. Take some yarn or floss and thread through at the squares corners to tie off. and voila! Cheap, slap dash, a little time consuming maybe but oh so good!
ReplyDeleteIf you can stitch a straight line -you're set! You can even buy the fabric in kits so that all those bolts of fabric don't completely overwhelm you. -moda have some lurverly fabrics.
ReplyDeleteI too am afraid of the "Quilter" stigma....but then, I knit, crochet and sew. I have a theory. If you go really really deep into dagy -you come out the other side into cool.
Quilting is awesome, the sewing part anyway....the pinning the wadding part sucks. -Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. They lie.
Doily - no measuring even...?! You ARE my type of crafter....! Sounds like what I did to make Le Punks xmas stocking at the last minute last year... that wasn't that bad... well, it was, but that was prolly 'caue it was 1am on xmas eve...
ReplyDeleteSD - I am crappity crap at challenges my dear - in fact - the quickest way to ensure I never make a quilt is to accept a challenge to make one!
Jo - I am too lazy to start small. I know it's sound advice, I do, but since when do I listen to sound advice...?! Much better... or at least, much more like me, to bound head first into something I know nothing about, full scale. I fear if I were to start small I'd be over the whole thing much too early and have nothing but a piddly little quilt to show for it... ;) Thanks for the linky dink, I shall go, I shall look!
Renee - you may very well be onto something there...
LOLA. Lola, Lola, Lola. You make it sound so easy. Soooooooo easy. It can't be that easy. I need to procrastinate, fear, worry, consider, procrastinate some more & then dread. What you describe doesn't sound worthy of all of that at all. And, well.... where is the fun, and the whinging, in that...?! I do like the idea of slowly collecting squares in a suitcase though....
Bianca - "If you go really really deep into dagy -you come out the other side into cool." ...that. Is GOLD!
I've made some quilts, and it's not as hard as it looks. My one tip that I think is THE MOST important thing is to make sure your fabric pieces are cut as straight and perfect as possible, otherwise your quilt might turn out a little wonky :)
ReplyDeleteThe patchwork part of those type of quilts (like your pics) is pretty easy. Just straight lines on the machine.
ReplyDeleteHardest part is sorting out your fabrics!
You don't HAVE to bother with the whole quilting part... but if you do you can just do really basic straight lines to hold it together.
Oh, I am in the same boat, but I have the ANSWER. Have you seen my cheat quilt? IT'S A DOONA COVER. I bought it from Bed, Bath & Table or something like that... http://georgielove.blogspot.com/2009/08/sally-did-bad-bad-thing-well-actually-3.html
ReplyDeleteyep, ditto to Lola.
ReplyDeleteGo & buy a bunch of vintage sheets & pillow cases etc that you would like in your quilt. Cut them into 6 inch squares. Or bigger... or smaller. Depends on how big, etc you want quilt to be & so on.
Can you use a sewing machine? Can you sew a straight line with it? Most people can manage that part even if the rest of a machine is completely foreign to them. Grab a pair of squares. Sew them. Before you get to the end of the line grab another pair. Leave a little tail at the end of the first pair & run your next pair under the machine... & then sew it & put another pair under it at the end. You will have a string of pairs then. Keep going till you are all paired out...
Cut them apart & then put a pair with a pair. Sew another straight line... do a bunch of pairs together so you have a 4 block. At some stage you then make rows together & then put your rows together.
& ditto to Lola again... Get an old blanket & a big old sheet or something cheap you can back it with.
Lay your lovely sewn up quilt top bad side up down. Place blanket on top & backing sheet on top. Grab a bunch of safety pins & pin all the layers together.
NOw do you like ribbons? Do you have a stash of embroidery cotton or something to use? Like Lola said in the corners of the squares or whereever you like, sew a thread or ribbon through all layers & tie it with a knot on the top. One of the quilts in your pics had this sort of thing on it! Too easy. Can't go wrong. YOu can even use buttons if you wanted, though they aren't quite so cuddly.
For the edges, either get some more fabric & make a bias kind of strip & sew it on around the sides. It can be pinned on all around & sewn through all layers to complete if you wanted.
Voila, one thrifted but pretty quilt that you can proudly say you made & saved on! Yay!
Hmm... now I think I need to hunt down some vintage sheets & do one for myself!
I wouldn't have thought you would be one to say you couldn't do it. I am sure you can. Don't think about the whole process just yet. Start of with just accumulating your fabric & cutting it up. Once you have done that bit think about the next bit. Don't everwhelm yourself with the whole thing at once.
Have fun fabric shopping, & I would be interested to know what you spend on it in the end! lol
I'm with you, I'm trying to get myself motivated to attempt quiting, they always look fabulous & I always want one when I see them. I've decided to start small, with a little picnic throw...we'll see how it goes.
ReplyDeleteJump on ebay and look up "american Jane" patchwork squares. They are all ready cut so you just whip them up. AND CHEAP!! Her patterns are vintage 1950-60 you'll LOVE them!!
ReplyDeleteOh I really really want one too. I want it to take in the caravan...
ReplyDeleteSome great & inspiring comments here!
VIC... do you want a fellow quilting virgin who wants the same thing to give it a go with you???
I would really really love a vintage sheet one... really
my thoughts exactly vic. i was thinking i would make it real simple - jut large squares. for me its about the mix of fabrics not the actual pattern made by crazy shapes. simpler is always better i reckon :)
ReplyDelete*wheeze*
ReplyDelete*wheeze*
I'm starting to hyperventelate over here!
I just wanted to say "Ooooh... pretty quilts... I want a pretty quilt..."
...but now I feel I MUST make one, and I'm terrified... no matter what y'all say!
Capow - I don't mind a little wonky... I'm more than a little wonky myself, but it's sound advice, I'm sure.
Melissa - 'tis good to know. All I really want is the patchwork-y-ness, not really the quilt-y-ness... ;)
Georgie Love - *blushes* What does it say about my finances when even a faux quilty doona cover thingy is out of my reach...?! Thank you though - wow it's pretty!
Mandy - Thank. You. That really doesn't sound that bad, you know. I like the idea of having a stack of little 4 square squares at least... I will coming back to take notes on your comment, I think.
LTC - I do belive Ms Pip did a picnic throw on her blog a while back... might be worth a look? Good luck!
Leonie, Will have a look-see chicky, thank you!
Claire, Damnit woman, you know I can't commit... ;)
Isis - same here, I like just plane patchwork old school style, not weird windmill shapes or anything... I want to snuggle up under it, not stick in on the wall....
I'm a bit iffy about making a full sized quilt myself. It just seems like a huge undertaking and I know I will probably lose interest right in the middle of it.
ReplyDeleteBut my friend, Jodi, at the Jolly Bee makes some wonderful patchwork quilts out of vintage sheets. Because of how cheap they are at thrift stores I've been thinking about doing this myself!
I love all those quilts, I'm sure you could have a go and come up with something smashing - I reckon it's mostly about the fabric anyway, good fabric = good quilt.
ReplyDeleteVic, i hear ya! I don't consider myself a quilter, but I'd love something like you have in those photos. I remember looking at quilts in the US ages ago and thinking that I couldn't afford it. And now that I probably could afford it, I won't spend the money because I know I am capable of it. I'm just not sure that I have the attention span! LOL
ReplyDeletehello chicken!
ReplyDeleteQUILTING. I hated making my first one maybe 10 years ago. it is gross and still unfinished. I decided to try again last year and I followed through (those words always bring up another meaning and now i sit here and giggle like a school kid), persisted and finished not one but two.
For the single bed sized one I used 'favourite' fabrics, some vintage handed to me from my crafty Oma who now has arthritis and can no longer sew, some were thrifted, and some were new from Aunty Cookie.
http://thriftnestsew.blogspot.com/2009/10/quilt-in-making.html
it was a challenge to complete, I will be honest. It took me months (most of which was the hand binding.. eeeghhh). But I felt SO proud of myself once it was finished. I would tell everyone who can sew a straight line on a machine to give it a go.
x Trace
Good Luck!!
ps: YouTube videos helped me a lot.. in fact probably at every step, definatly search there if you have any problems - from choosing fabric, ironing, which marker to use, what type of batting to use, spray adhesive, "sandwiching", how and which direction to iron seams etc.
pps: I'd love to make another one - from vintage pillowcase fabrics i have been collecting. I would be soo keen to join in on a quilt-along if your up for it? :))))
I am a pretty inpaitent sewer, so like finish something pretty quickly but have made a few quilts, NOT by had, on the machine and NOT very neat or straight but I love thema and do get really nice comments ( thank goodness nobody looks close!). You will be fine, my tips are - choose the fabrics you want, then on one day cut them ALL out, it makes you feel good! Then place them out all over the floor and sew up rows. I have sewn sections onto wadding then joined them together which makes it a bit easier.....Just have fun!!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Lola. That way you get to stash purty things in all those lovely suitcases that you are stockpiling, even if you never get around to making the darn thing up. And it also means that when you are lurking around people's houses, suitcases in hand, your suitcases wont be empty....OK, yes, you are right... I can't see how that would make you look any less suspicious lurking than if you did it with empty suitcases... I'll shut up now.
ReplyDeleteOhhhh Vic, I know why you don't do challenges (I don't do them either!!) but I'm in a bit of a funk at the moment and need a distraction so I'm gonna go ahead and make one anyway. You know where to find me if you want to join in ;) Right, I'm off to blog my intentions so I can't chicken out LOL
ReplyDeleteI have never made a quilt before, but I can sew straight lines. So one night I vaguely followed the instructions for the 'Easy Lap Quilt' in Amy Karol's "Bend the Rules Sewing" book and used some fabrics that I'd bought online ages ago (before I even had little girls) and just did it. Hardly measured, rarely worried, sewed and didn't worry about the puckery bits, and before I went to bed that night, all the machine sewing was done. I'd even made my own binding and sewn it on. Just last week I finally did the handstitching needed to finish the binding and I'm stupidly happy with myself. I'm actually feeling the urge to make another one (that one was barely cot sized) and I'm going to let it happen one day soon (have to work down the priorities list). So go forth, just start piecing things, I even googled 'log cabin' and tried a few squares like that because I actually really enjoyed ironing the seams... wierd. But stop worrying - off you go!
ReplyDeleteI'll make you if you like! Seriously... I love making quilts. (I know you can do it yourself, but getting one is so great)
ReplyDeleteDeb - super sweet & super silly - NO! I could not, would not get you to make one, but you are a doll for offering.
ReplyDeleteThis way, well... I'll just have to do it. Eventually. Or die trying (in an avalanche of quilting squares...).
Keep your blocks big, your colours pastel-lee and a glass of wine by your sewing machine and you should be just fine. I LOVE to quilt. So if all else fails, word me up and perhaps we can work out a little cheap-o-deal :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not a quilter either but I really like the concept of the ticker tape quilt. no precise measurements but a totally cool result. I think you would be great at this too.
ReplyDeletehave a look here:
http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2009/09/ticker-tape.html
cheers,
Helen