I wanted to make something special for him that made a personal statement.
I decided on an old fashioned style quilt, using his own discarded dress shirts.
Yes! You read right, I used dress shirts.
My Grandmother used to make quilts out of old clothing and various fabric scraps.
We sure could learn a lot from the older generation,....they really knew how to recycle.
Not only is this a gift from the heart to my love, but I also wish to pay homage to my Grandmother.
I love you Grandma!
Here is a photo of the first fabric selection.
NOTE: I have edited the final selection.
I have omitted the solid sage green and the dark green/navy check and added a blue toned stripe.
Now that I have found inspiration through my fabric selection, I draw out a basic design to follow.
I redraw the template later so it is neater and easier to follow.
Now I cut all of fabric pieces out.
This step is a lot easier when you have a quilting ruler, mat and a rotary blade,...I unfortunately do not own any of these wonderful tools so I had the pleasure of spending 3 days cutting and pressing.
I literally thought my hands would fall off.
Here are the photos of the new template and the fabric pieces I am sewing together.
NOTE: I used blue highlighter to mark the squares that I had completed.
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| This SINGER sewing machine was given to me by my wonderful Mother-in-law Barb |
Once all the squares have been sewn, I press all of the seams open. This step is VERY IMPORTANT, if you do not take the time to do this your finished quilt will look lumpy.
Here are some photos of that process.
I decide at this late stage to add a border to all the quilt squares that contain triangles.
I did place the border on all sides, I just forgot to take a photo of that stage.
I lay all the squares on the floor to test my design, testing out various combinations.
If any changes in the layout are to be made, NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT.
My quilt is five squares across by six squares down.
I now sew my first row of six squares together, repeating this process 5 times.
Then I pin row 1 to row 2 and sew, then I pin row 2 to row 3 and sew, and so on until all the rows have been sewn together.
Most quilts today have a batting layer between the top of the quilt and the backing, I have not used batting.
I found a double sized sheet for my backing.
A very inexpensive solution when you consider that buying fabric from a fabric store can cost anywhere from $6 to $20 per meter depending on the fabric mix.
For a cotton/polyester blend it is less expensive than a 100% cotton. (When I worked at a craft/fabric store in Ontario, most quilters used the 100% cotton fabrics)
I placed my quilt top over the sheet (right sides together)and pinned the perimeter, leaving an opening of about 12-16 inches wide to turn the quilt right side out after it has been sewn.
Once the perimeter has been sewn, I turn it right side out and sew the 16 inch opening closed.
Then PRESS the entire quilt on both sides.
I then turn down the top edge of the quilt about 2 inches and press, then I sew it in place to creating a band of the backing material at the top.
I repeat this step at the bottom to create a symmetrical overall look.
NOTE: This is a great thing to do when trying to conceal an edge that is not quite perfect.
The final step is to use either yarn, or in my case I used a heavy gauge 100% cotton cord to affix the quilt layers together.
Using a large needle I make 1 angled stitch at the corner of each of the quilt blocks. This is a simple and old fashioned way of attaching the layers of a quilt together.
Here is the finished product.
The squares aren't perfect, but that's O.K., it adds to the vintage look.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed this post, I know my husband loves his present.
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So, the next time you sort through your closet just imagine all of the beautiful things you can make out of the fabrics rather than throwing it all away.
See you next time.
