nichepoetryandprose

One of the things I love to do as winter approaches is to make a quilt.  My quilts are not the beautiful, hand-stitched, carefully patterned quilts I admire.  My quilts are usually patchwork and often machine sewed, although some I quilt by hand, with long, uneven stitches.

a few of the quilts I’ve made, mostly lap-sized quilts for winter evenings

This fall, I am working on a quilt for our bed, in the theme of ferns and poppies.  I have used an old blanket covered in blue roses as the batting, given to me years ago by my uncle.  It has a large tea stain in one corner and is not as warm as our modern bedding, but I would like to keep it for sentimental reasons, so I am using it as the base for my new quilt.

For the fabric, I am using various bits and pieces I have collected over the years.  I can’t resist fabrics and when I visit the store, I often leave with a half meter of a fabric I love, even if I have no planned project.

I am planning to make the quilt entirely by machine, following a method my Dad told me his mother used.  She would take an old blanket and sew the patches on by hand, one at a time, covering the adjacent seams as she went.

First, I chose a width for the patches and cut a piece of sturdy cardboard for the template.  I marked the fabric with bands in the width of the template, to use as an inked guideline to keep my fabrics straight…

Then I cut my fabrics the width of the template and arrange them, right sides together and pin them to the blanket, making sure the edges of my fabric follow the inked guidelines…

Then I sew a seam…

When each piece is sewn, I open it to the right side to reveal a neatly attached patch…

Once I have worked my way around the blanket, attaching one row of patches, I will add another row, leaving one inked guideline row empty.

After I have finished the rows of patches, I will add long strips of fabric to fill in the empty rows and to cover the rough edges left by the first rows of patches.

I will have to pin and top-sew the other edge of this strip of fabric, to cover all the raw edges.

Then, when all the edges are hidden or turned in, I will top-quilt all of the patches with the machine.

The last step will be to select a fabric to cover the other side of the blanket.  I think I will attach this layer with ties, another old-fashioned method of making a quilt.

I’ll show you the quilt when it is completed, probably next year!!!

Do you make quilts and what is your method???

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2012