Porter is thrilled with the finished quilt, check out part one here. We have a plan of where it will be gifted and will update you once we deliver the quilt. He loved contributing and creating something.
He’s pretty happy with the results
Once the top was done, P and I raided my fabric cabinet. We found this pink, orange, and white plaid I picked up at Crimson Tate.
He also picked out this floral print for the binding. Too bad I didn’t have just a bit more, so we improvised with orange solid.
Here is the finished quilt in all it’s glory. Quilting is all over loops. Yes, again.
Right before Christmas break a friend requested a quilt for a little boy that loves giraffes. I had planned to work on it while in San Francisco, but ultimately decided to not take my machine with me. Once we got back I dove right in. Since I keep my scraps sorted by size, it doesn’t take long to pull the right colors and have enough to make a quilt. I did have to cut some scraps to add some variety.
Making the Top
I made stacks of white/neutral, gray, brown, green, aqua, navy, yellow, orange, and multi. Then I randomly started chain piecing following my process. The top size was to be 20 squares by 24 squares.
The top was finished over a weekend and I was ready to back it with some stash fabrics. However, I found this adorable print on Instagram from @organicfabriccompany. Shipping was fast and their packaging was a repurposed paper grocery bag. As someone that tries to recycle and repurpose as much as I can, that touch was truly appreciated. So glad I went with this fabric and added more of what the little guy likes.
Finished Product
A scrappy postage stamp quilt is one of my favorites to make. So much so, that I’ve been working a video to help you whip up one in no time. That’s coming soon along with a stretch goal that I’m not quite ready to share. Back to this scrappy goodness.
I opted to quilt with cross hatch that creates a secondary larger diamond pattern.
Do you notice the last little tiny scraps of Neptune I had in my scrap tub? I hate to see them go, but they will be used an loved. The backing fabric was perfect for this quilt and the binding is a leftovers from a recent project.
If you follow me on Instagram, you may seen this picture. My husband took it of me while I hand stitched the binding. Yes, I hand stitched this binding since I had the time. Rarely am I in front of the camera while sewing, but I love that he captured me perfectly. Look close enough and you can see a sneak peek of what’s next.
I wrapped up the quilt for gift giving and it’s on the way to it’s new home.
Every baby deserves a quilt and I love creating that special gift for others.
This quilt is full of firsts. First time I have made a Wonky Stars quilt. Also, the first time I’ve used my fat quarter bundle of Oh Deer! by Moda. The fabric has been in my stash for years and was starting to feel neglected. Maybe I was just waiting for the right project.
Design
The quilt was inspired by woodland creatures and more boy colors. I had recently finished the Woodland Strings Quilt so I wanted to change my design up a bit. I knew this fat quarter bundle was stashed away and had some animals on it. My client wanted the green, blue, orange and yellow colors for a boy quilt. I pulled those out and started to think about the best way to highlight the fabrics.
Wonky Stars! Something I’ve not done, but could be a fun way to show off the fabrics. My client was on board with the idea so it was time to prep for the blocks. I cut my background fabric, which is a print I picked up at Joann’s. It’s a white with little yellow polka dots.
Blocks
Making wonky stars goes quickly. I was able to whip up 12 blocks within a couple of days after work. There were coordinating solids added in as well.
Quilt Top
Laying out the quilt may have took longer than making the blocks. I could not decide which layout I liked best. Ultimately, this won.
Backing
The prints below were in my stash. I think I picked them up from a neighborhood swap group I’m in for FREE! The tub included some gorgeous Birch fabrics that you can see below.
Finished Quilt
For quilting I went with an all over loopy free motion pattern. Want to know a secret? It took 40 minutes to quilt. Happy dance.
I can’t wait to make this quilt again with some of the other prints in the Oh Deer! bundle. Next time, I will make them smaller. I think smaller will help the blocks be wonkier. That’s a word, right?
The response to the Indie Folk King Sized Patchwork quilt has been great. If you love the fabrics, there will be more quilts made with the remaining fabrics. There should be at least two more, maybe a third if I can swing it.
Can I be honest for a minute? Great. This quilt was massive and I wanted to get it out before we left for San Francisco over Christmas. The weather in Indy turned to shit right as I finished this quilt. It was too big to just hang on my fence without getting on the rain-soaked ground. I’m heartbroken I didn’t get better pictures of the finished quilt, see way down below. However, I did film the making of this quilt and I’m working on a how to video.
Let’s move on to finishing this beast of a quilt.
Basting the quilt
After the kid went to bed, it was time to baste. I had removed the dining room table and swept the room to prepare. I learned something that night. My dining room is not big enough to baste a king-sized quilt without working in sections. We had been contemplating buying a new house in 2018 and now a new requirement will be space to baste a big quilt.
Basting took about three hours to complete. I was a tad bit sore after and almost couldn’t get off the floor. Not joking, I sent a text to my husband to come get me off the floor. This was a huge accomplishment.
Quilting choice
To quilt this I went with straight lines on the diagonal. On Instagram, a commenter asked why on the diagonal. Great question. I did an Insta-story response, but thought I would share here as well.
Since I have been quilting straight lines on the diagonal for some time, I’m pretty good at it. Plus, with a quilt this size, it allows me to move it all around. Spreading the bulk around is much easier on my body and sewing space. Keeping a quilt rolled up and bulk all on one side would be too much for me. Each square has an X in it for quilting. The white thread I chose blended in nicely.
Quilting this required several breaks to keep my shoulders and back from getting too stiff.
Backing and binding
I was able to score a soft green sheet in the perfect color off one my local swap groups. It wasn’t quite big enough so I added some of the gray print.
In finding coordinating solids I struggled to find a navy blue that worked. It makes a good binding choice to balance out the colors.
Machine binding won based on the time I had left to meet my deadline.
Finished Quilt
Below are the best pictures I could get of this quilt without getting it on the ground. Notice that light dusting of snow in the background and on the quilt?
The quilt is safely in its new home and enjoying lots of snuggles. Click on the links below for the other posts related to this quilt project.
Pillow covers are a great way to spruce up your living room. In August I shared some of the Holiday fabrics I had picked up in hopes of making pillow covers. Happy to report the Winter and Christmas versions are finished before Christmas.
I had some other fabrics that coordinate in my stash from a giveaway I had won like two years ago. This has been on my to-do list for a while. Using a simple envelope pillow cover I was able to create these in an hour with help from P. He did a great job handling the machine.
The big pillow is surprisingly comfy and is a form from Jo-Anns. The softness is comparable to the Ikea goose feather pillow. Not sure how it will hold up over time.
The backing a red sheet I had been stashing away. I was able to make all the pillow backings using this twin sized sheet. When at Goodwill or thrift stores, I will always check for sheets I can use while sewing.
Real Life
I would be lying if I told you these were all lined up beautifully on my couch and not scattered across the living room. My Plott Hound immediately stole one and I found her snoozing away on it. P decided to she needed to be covered up too and it was the perfect photo opportunity. Yes, she is this ridiculous.
Indie Folk designed by Pat Bravo for Art Gallery fabrics is stunning. My customer was torn between this line and one other. She made the right choice. Yes, this is a commissioned king sized quilt. A bonus as I’m working on this quilt, I am creating a video highlighting my process. Can’t wait to share with you that process.
Fabric
Lots of prep work goes into making a king sized quilt. Half yard bundles of the fabric line were necessary and Fat Quarter Shop had the full line and great pricing.
For a patchwork quilt I prefer to incorporate coordinating solids. No one near me sells Art Gallery solids and I really struggled to find them online, especially at a price I liked. Crimson Tate stocks FreeSpirit solids and they coordinated well with Indie Folk’s colors.
Cutting
To maximize the fabric I cut 4.5 inch squares. That means ALOT of squares for a king sized quilt. My customer wants patchwork and this delivers that design element. This step was probably the longest out of all of them since I needed around 700 squares.
Even the scrappy strips and snippets are delightful.
Sorting
Cleaning my sewing area after cutting was imperative. This project will take over all my workspace for the next few weeks. Having it organized and ready to work at all times is a huge time saver. Taking the 10 minutes to clean was well worth it.
When prepping for a big project, this is a great time to check your machine as well. I prepped three bobbins, cleaned and oiled my machine before starting any piecing. Also, I put in a fresh needle for piecing.
The last step for preparation is sorting my fabrics. This project I sorted by the print or solid. Some projects I will sort by color, especially if a scrappy quilt. You need some space to make a sort effective. Using an extra cutting mat or folding table is helpful.
Next week I hope to share my portion on piecing the top. Any guesses how many rows I need for this quilt?
