A Baby Quilt to Donate
My scraps are like rabbits. They have had offspring, and are on at least a third litter by the looks of it. I decided to squeeze one baby quilt for charity out of the lot of them before sorting.
These yellow and black charm squares were left over from a dog bed project I made in 2014 called Poor Freezing Fiona's New Dog Bed.
The gingham was a donation from a friend. Black Kona scraps made up the offset squares, a few of them pieced, and backing strips leftover from longarming made borders. I like the way the blacks are two different shades, and set the border apart.
A stripey binding finishes the edge of 'cow quilting'. It's a bit too loose to look like a regular meander, but does look like the markings on a Holstein cow to me. And now a quick little story about the actual quilting process.
Letting It All Hang Loose (Down)
I've watched how Angela Walters and another quilter allow the quilt top to hang loose instead of pinning it into the lower quilt leader. One less thing to pin sounded nice so I had to try it. A small, charity quilt was a good option. I found...
1. I worried the whole time I hadn't allowed enough backing length, and would run out. I actually used a bit more than I regularly would, yet it was close.
2. My batting seemed to shift under the hanging top as it was hanging also, as the batting is supposed to.
3. Holding the sides with the bungey clamps to create a taut top to quilt on was awkward, and both sides had to be pretty much identical to keep things straight.
4. I was glad when it was done, and thought, "Never again. I'll gladly pin."
A Pieced Gingham Back
It's not a work of art, but it took an afternoon from start to finish. I used up quite a bit of scrap including the batting that was pieced. It's a lightweight cotton/poly, and feels lovely. There's little weight at all to this approximately 45" x 55" quilt, and it's perfect to lay on a sleeping baby without waking him or her. Some little person somewhere will sleep better with just a few hours of my day. This will soon be heading to the Mennonite Christian Committee thrift store in Kidron, Ohio to be packed and sent to where ever it's needed most.
In the meantime in Kidron, they are busy getting ready for the main event of their summer. The Relief Sale is coming!
The Ohio MCC Relief Sale is about a month away, August 3 & 4, 2018. This year's quilts that are up for auction with be added to the site soon including this one I made called Giant Rose Star. Mark your calendar, and remember the Quilter's Corner takes place 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Tables will be heaped full of all kinds of quilting goodness, vintage fabrics, yardage, blocks, embroidered items, lace, and on and on. It's extraordinary, and goes fast!
Come on, Doxie girls.
Let's go sew.
Such a sophisticate quilt for a little one! Love the different blacks. I confess I am a floater. I use leader grips to hold my backing on and to clip the sides. I find clamps make fish eyes. I use a center tape and can always see where the quilt top and batting are centered. As I baste down the sides, I can get it exact. I like the adjustments I can make when it floats. The dealer I bought my machine from showed me how to do it and for me it is natural and works. I never mess with something when it is working! Wish I lived closer for the auction!
ReplyDeleteThis beautiful baby quilt makes quite a statement! I am always so inspired by your vision!
ReplyDeleteA very fun and pretty baby quilt. Hope it finds a very good home.
ReplyDeleteThe colors turned out so very harmoniously. Thank you for sharing. Blessings.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great baby quilt. I "float" my tops -- don't pin the bottom. It was how I was shown, so that's what I do.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting caught up on my blog reading so I'm just now seeing this. That is a darling quilt! So fun. The black/dark gray stripe you used for the binding really adds a lot.
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