Both Ruth and Kate have blogged in the last few days about quilts, so I thought I’d drag myself, creaking onto the bandwagon.
I’m in awe of the amazing quilts that some people produce, and once upon a time, imagined a future when I’d have the patience to sit and cut up teensy little hexagons from old clothes and handsew something glorious.
Then I woke up.
I can get the idea of the heirloom quilt, I love the idea of making things out of other things…BUT.
- I like sewing things to wear. [keep that ruddy bunting away from me]
- I’m impatient. Very impatient.
- I’m slapdash, no precision corners for me.
- I don’t get this business of buying miles of lovely stuff, to cut it into teensy scraps, then sew it all back together again.
My quilting story, such as it is: A couple of Christmasses back, being very strapped for cash after daughter’s wedding, and with ours impending, I decided to make as many Xmas pressies as humanly possible. It was quite fun, and as much as possible I tried to make it a stash busting project. I had to visit the markets once to get some pink fabrics for my older daughter’s pressie, as I don’t make a fat lot of pink stuff, and scraps were in short supply. This is what I made:
#1 Jumpers for the grandkids. They had squeakers in…not very stash busting, I don’t keep THAT much wool as I don’t really like knitting very much.
#2 a load of crazy patchwork squares, all from stash [apart from the pink]
These got made up into 2 lap quilts for the parents, a set of burgundy cushions for my younger daughter, and a cushion each for my daughter and her fiancé-of-the-time.
Lap quilt #1, crazy squares from stash, backed and bordered in an old orange duvet cover. The black sashing I had to buy. I also wadded it which was a major error. It’s rather wonky, to say the least.
Lap quilt #2, back and bordered in a length of old curtain (?) fabric which OH used to use as a bed throw. As before, wonky as hell, but the bright colours distract!
Doc-daughter also got an outrageously frilly pink apron, as near to the one she wanted as I could stomach. Yuck.
Everyone else got cakes. Lots of cakes..oh yes, and home made truffles made from all the trimmings from DD’s wedding cakes. Waste not want not!
As I said, I really enjoyed making the patchwork squares…but the quilting, and all the assembly and binding- vile. And they were just small quilts. But I’m itching to make more stash busting squares, quite therapeutic in their randomness. [Hmm maybe I should make them and offload them onto other people to assemble, in exchange for…what?]
Are you quilty-guilty? Do you ‘get it’? Or is it only me?
thedementedfairy 
I’ve got quite an embarrassing stash of quilting fabrics, (they’re so pretty! ), but lack imagination, skill and time to actually use them.
I’ve made a couple of small, simple quilts….they turned out ok…and a couple of cushion covers, but in my head I aspire to make many more.
(Saying that, I also have an embarrassing stash of vintage sewing patterns which I’d like to make up some day….)
If I lived to be 200 years old I still wouldn’t have enough time to make all the things I’d like to.
I like your crazy quilt!
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I recommend the crazy quilt/stash busting approach. Flip and stitch patchwork on pre cut squares of sheeting or the like…and eventually you may join them up to make something else, who knows?
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OK, you’ve just gotta stop right there! Cakes, knitting, sewing, patchworking and quilting – STOP. That’s just not fair on the rest of us…….and as I’ve learned recently…only you see the faults in quilts, everyone else sees – A quilt!
I like your patchwork style and you match fabrics much better than I do
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I keep my scraps in colour coded bags that’s all…no idea why, it made sense at the time! Ah but the cakes, the cakes are calling. Banananananana I think. [Like Nanny Ogg, I can spell banana but can’t STOP spelling it]
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Sorry, still don’t get it? I’m like pre-quiltgate fairy and don’t see any point to cutting lots of fabric up to sew it back together. I do admire the skill and imagination that goes into producing these works of art though, but I’m just not that arty. Give me a dress to make any day, and I’ll be happy, but who knows? Never say never! I might get tempted to try it one day…….. in the very distant future.
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Ah but I could only do it using scraps, like you say, the idea of cutting up good stuff just to sew it all back together again…*shudder*
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You have a point there, right at the end. There are lots of people who make charity quilts by collecting squares, joining and doing the bit you hate. Then you get the pleasure, the pat on the back for being good and some little baby or child gets a nice warm huggy quilt.
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I’ll have to hunt some out…
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Ok so I didn’t really get it until a few years ago when I was going through a bad time. I wanted to sew but didn’t need clothes or have the concentration. I’d done a few cheater panels as pressies but then decided to start a project. The result was a black and white quilt and I got the bug. Recently a friend gave me a whole stash of patchwork fabric (5 bagfuls, I kept about 3), I will never get through it all because I also have my own stash and so many projects that I want to do. So what am I doing here when I should be sewing? Love your scrappy squares DF, I think that’s the way I need to go.
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Oh bugger! I knew when I bought a load of beautiful quilting fabrics that I would start seeing quilting write ups everywhere. I used to patchwork when I was younger but I just can’t seem to find the time for beautiful, but fiddly stuff, now. I’ve become too slapdash also.
You are indeed a very talented fairy! 🙂
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Dunno about that, I just barge in and blunder on!
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Don’t forget your wassisname Koors bags ~ all scrappy & quilty & lush. Need to visit to finish mine & eat cake!!
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Ah but not quilty, just patchy…and I followed a pattern. Yep, cake will be supplied when you come for your next bagging sesh. Mwah!
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I used to be a “proper” quilter but having now got about , ooo, 20 boxes full of quilt fabric and having made more quilts than you can shake a stick at, I’ve now totally lost the mojo for it. As it was I really enjoyed the design bit and even the piecing bit but how I hated the quilting – did the bare minimum to keep it all together. And you can only use so many quilts of whatever size, can’t you? As for using up scraps – I got sick of the sight of them so gaily into the bin they go – lots of bunting sized bits though – any takers?????
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ick
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Well you and your opinionated commentators have put me right off. Probably a good thing.
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hahaha I do know some feisty folks lol! Seriously though, the idea of quilting is way better than the actual experience. I think that if you’re a garment person, that’s what you should stick with by and large. Now I’m off to make a quilt…
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