Monday, January 23, 2012

A Tale of Two Quilts: Part I

I told you I'd be back today ;) When I checked in after the holidays, I mentioned that I had sewn two quilts as Christmas gifts for my girls. These quilts were a long time coming. I bought the Sherbet Pips fabric for them way back in March of last year, intending to get them done right away. When December rolled around, I finally used Christmas to motivate me to get them started. I am so happy with the results. Today I'm going to share one of the quilts, the quilt that I made for my four year old...


I used Rae's Storytime Squares quilt pattern, slightly modified. I had to change things a little because I was working with a charm pack (5" squares) instead of the 5.5" squares that the pattern calls for. I went with wider sashing around the outer edges of the quilt and traditional binding. I used Kaufman's Quilter's Linen for the sashing. This was my first experience with this fabric, and I really like it. It has a nice weight to it. The finished quilt is 43" square.


Here's the back...


I really like the way the back turned out. I was afraid it was going to end up crooked. This is only the third quilt I've ever made, and this was the first time I used more than one fabric on the back of a quilt. I added a little Pearl Bracelet in red (from Lizzy House Outfoxed) and solid gray to the Sherbet Pips for the pieced column.


I incorporated the label into the quilt itself instead of sewing it on the quilt at the end...


I got the idea for this label design here.

My daughters were thrilled when they opened their quilts on Christmas morning. They knew they were getting them, and they saw the quilts as I was working on them, but I didn't let them see the finished product until they unwrapped them. Santa brought them little red armchairs this year, and these quilts hang on the back of their chairs in the living room. I love finding the girls curled up in their chairs under their quilts reading books or seeing them build a fort by flipping their chairs over and covering them with the quilts.

I don't think I have ever been more proud of a project that I have done. There is something so satisfying about completing a quilt. And it's even more satisfying to give that quilt to someone you love. I believe I may have been bitten by the quilting bug :)

I'll be sharing the second Sherbet Pips quilt next week. Tomorrow I have an awesome giveaway for you guys, so make sure you stop by. It feels good to be back!



I'm linking up over at {Sew} Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations and Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story.

13 comments:

Danielle Bartran said...

Gwen, great job! Love the fabrics and your quilting looks awesome...I always love the back of a quilt. And I need to check out that quilters linen fabric, I love the look of it!!

Tricia said...

I love the quilt. I've had some fabric in my sewing stash for over a year, but I just can't bring myself to start a quilt yet. Thanks for the motivation. Love the label.

Jennifer Salter said...

So pretty! Pinned this for future inspiration :)

chris said...

WELL DONE! I love the color combinations...the sashing was a perfect choice. I can understand why they're so happy them! So proud of you!

Claire Jain said...

That is so great! I love the back, too. How perfect :-)

Darcy said...

Only three quilts? I never would have guessed from how lovely your work turned out! And a nice idea for some of those charm packs I have no idea what to do with :-)

rachael {imagine gnats} said...

simply lovely!

Amy at Ameroonie Designs said...

It turned out beautifully. I love it. :) I'm glad the girls do too. :)
xoxo

Kris from Duke Says Sew What said...

You did a wonderful job! I love the pattern.

Dee said...

What an awesome post to read before starting the day! The quilt is special in so many ways...you've done an incredible job on the piecing and quilting!

Tasha said...

Love love love!! I am trying to decide what pattern to use my Ruby charm packs with (I have 6 of them and want to make something to use in my family room when we cuddle on the couch). I am loving this idea...

Granite said...

I know that you posted this years ago, but do you by chance remember the alterations you made to Rae's pattern to make it work with 5" squares? I'm about to start one of these for myself but don't know how wide the binding should be.

Gwen @ Gwenny Penny said...

@Granite - I just did some measuring. The borders around the inner square and the middle square are 2" wide as sewn. This quilt has been washed several times, and I did not pre-shrink the fabric, so I would guess that they were originally cut at either 2.75" or 3" wide for piecing. The outer border is 5" wide as sewn, so I would guess it was cut at 5.5" for piecing. Hope this helps!

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