Monday, June 14, 2010

Baby's got a new blanket!

As promised, here is my first quilt I have ever made!  I swore to myself that I would never get into quilting.  I already have too many hobbies and creative things I enjoy so I told myself that quilting was something that I just wouldn't allow myself to get into.  Well, after searching a little for a pretty quilt for my baby girl I just didn't find anything I liked.  I found a Liberty of London scarf at Goodwill for $3 and thought it was the perfect pattern for a quilt.  So I paired it with some fabric from an old skirt of mine and a doily.  Baby girl's got herself a pretty quilt to play on!



There is something you should know about me when it comes to sewing.  I just kinda learn as I go.  My mom is amazing when it comes to sewing anything and everything and she has definitely taught me a few basics.  The truth is that I am an experiential learner, meaning I learn best by actually doing it myself.  I have perfectionistic tendencies but I am definitely NOT a perfectionist.  Therefore, this quilt is definitely not perfect but it is made with love and that is what matters to me.  


I would offer to show you a tutorial, but I think you would be much better off seeing the tutorials that I found help from.  Here are links to the tutorials that were most helpful for me:

Sewing square pieces together by Suzanne over at Notes from the Patch (this is technically not a quilting tutorial but she does a really good job showing you how to sew square pieces together).

Machine quilting tutorial over on Anyone Can Quilt

Quilt binding tutorial from The Little Red Hen (this was SO much easier than I thought it would be!)



The picture above shows you the back.  It is just solid in the Liberty of London print.






One big lesson I learned from this first quilting experience: DON'T GO CHEAP ON YOUR BATTING!!!  I got the cheapy stuff and it just isn't as cozy as I was wanting it to be.  That's okay because I really only intended this quilt to be for her to play on.  Anyone out there have any good advice for me about batting?

8 comments:

Elizabeth & Shea said...

Beautiful little girl and beautiful quilt!

Emily said...

I have zero advice about batting, I just made a rag quilt for my step-sister's new daughter and I made it out of flannel, and actually used a single layer of flannel instead of batting. It makes it super cozy :)

Sara said...

ADORABLE - the baby and the quilt!!

I actually learned basic quilting before I learned anything else. But I try to stay as far away as possible from it now because it's usually a bigger project than I can finish in just a couple hours. Your sweet quilt makes me miss it...just not quite enough. :)

I SO love your doily addition.

Amy J said...

That is a fabulous quilt you made! BRAVO! Can't believe that was your first... Love the fabrics.

Chelsea said...

she is so gorgeous. what awesome pictures, and I love the blanket!

Anonymous said...

Great quilt and what a little cutie pie on it!!
As for the batting, I have tried a few and ordered a big sample pack. Years ago I settled in on the Quilter's Dream Request Loft (the thinnest they make). I only use the 100 percent cotton of theirs. I love the drape of the finished quilt with that batting. It is very cuddly and washes and wears well.

Lynn (the little red hen)

Amy said...

Very cute! I'll have to check out the tutorials because I want to try to make a quilt!

Becky at VintageMixer said...

I love the lace you added to the blanket! Wish we could craft together :)