My daughter has been asking for several years for me to make her a quilt. She has a quilt that her Grandma made her when she was born, but you can't call that poor thing a blanket anymore. It is full of holes and I am pretty sure there isn't an ounce of batting left in that poor thing. It has been well loved.
So I pulled out my sewing machine and this is what I we made.
It turned out really cute and I can't wait to give it to her! (It is a Christmas present)
I got the idea from Mia Dolce Originals. This is is hers.
The quilt I made really was a group effort. I brought it to my Mom's house for a fun sewing day and got lots of help from my Mom and my SIL. We were able to knock it out really pretty quick.
The quilt took a total of 7 1/2 yards of fabric. 2 1/2 yards for each layer, the minky, flannel for batting, and the cotton fabric for the top.
I cut all of the fabric into 6 inch squares and then layered them so I could quickly grab them and sew them.
I sew an X, corner to corner in each square first. I just made a chain of squares and then cut them apart.
The minky fabric sheds like crazy when you are sewing and cutting it and the little fibers just float around the air. The pesky little fibers kept going up my Mom's nose and were really bothering her so she went and got a mask.
We all thought that was pretty funny!
After my mom had enough of those little fibers she passed the task on to my SIL and she helped me sew.
Once all the squares were sewed with the X I laid them out on the ground to get the pattern I wanted to make sure no duplicate squares were laying next to each other. Then my lovely SIL sewed the rows together and then I sewed those rows together.
Update: I have gotten lots of questions on how I got the "frayed look" and I really didn't explain that at all, so I apologize. When you sew all of your squares together you will have a side where the seams are ( the side with the different colored fabric blocks) and the flat side (which was my minky side). Then you take a pair of scissors to the side with the seams and make little cuts down to the stitch line. I cut about every 1/3 inch. Then when you wash it all of those raw edges fray in the washer & dryer.
Update: I have gotten lots of questions on how I got the "frayed look" and I really didn't explain that at all, so I apologize. When you sew all of your squares together you will have a side where the seams are ( the side with the different colored fabric blocks) and the flat side (which was my minky side). Then you take a pair of scissors to the side with the seams and make little cuts down to the stitch line. I cut about every 1/3 inch. Then when you wash it all of those raw edges fray in the washer & dryer.
I love how it turned out and it is so soft. I just know that my daughter is going to love it!
UPDATE: I have had a lot of questions about the sizing of my quilt. I used Jubilee Homespun Inspiration as a reference. On her post she has a table that will show you how many squares you will need for the size of quilt you are wanting to make. The quilt I made is the small size.
I love this!! Your fabric is adorable! Great job :)
ReplyDeleteI just made a raq quilt! Love this idea! I would love for you to link up to my new party, Monday Myriad Linky Party
ReplyDeleteAlso, do you button swap?
katieoallred@gmail.com
Turned out beautiful! I too sew the Mia Dolce one and loved it. So I pinned it...pinning yours too! Thanks for sharing:) Just one question, did you get the ends to create the ragged edges after you sewed all the rows together or before sewing?
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired me!
ReplyDeleteLovely job! She'll love it. Thanks for linking to Things I've Done Thursday!
ReplyDeleteMelanie
Sew Rugged @ bear rabbit bear
bearrabbitbear.blogspot.com
Hi Katie! Glad I could provide some inspiration! Yours turned out fantastic and I'm sure your daughter will absolutely love it :)
ReplyDeleteHi Katie, I will be featuring your daughter's minky tonight on Project Queen! I LOVE IT! Question: what do you mean that you sewed the squares in a chain in the took them apart. You lost me on that one ;-). I'd like to make one of these for my daughter. Thank you Katie!
ReplyDeleteMandy, what she means is that as she sewed diagonally across the squares, she went from one block to the next without cutting threads in between. Don't overlap the blocks--leave a tiny bit of space between them. Once you have finished sewing across lots of blocks, snip the threads that connect the squares and sew the other direction (for the x) and then piece them together!
ReplyDeleteThis lovely - what a great gift for your daughter :)
ReplyDeleteThank yous Susan, you are exactly right in answering Mandy's question.
ReplyDeleteHow did you create the "frayed" look?
ReplyDeletePut the squares together minky side together and stitch about 1/4-1/2 inch. probably 1/2 for this fabric. Continue to stitch together in this manner and all the squares have this frayed edge appearance. The other side of the quilt is smooth. Clear as mud?
ReplyDeleteThis is so stinkin' cute. You have inspired me to finally make one. I have been wanting to make a rag quilt for the longest time but just couldn't find the perfect idea...until now! I can't wait for this weekend to get started :) I'll post a picture once it's done.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THIS QUILT! However, I don't understand how you got the 'frayed' look. I saw it was explained earlier but I still don't quite understand how you were able to do that... can you explain? this quilt is definitely my next project =)
ReplyDeleteWhen you sew all of your squares together you will have a side where the seams are and the flat side (which was my minky side). Then you take a pair of scissors to the side with the seams (which is the side with the different colored fabric blocks) and make little cuts down to the stitch line. I cut about every 1/3 inch. Then when you wash it all of those raw edges fray in the washer & dryer.
DeleteI hope that helps. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask.
Thank you so much ! I bought my fabric the other day and I'm making my first quilting attempt =)
DeleteWish me luck!
Did you wash your fabric before cutting and sewing?
ReplyDeleteI would suggest yes. Otherwise the seams will pull away after several washings and will get holes.
Deletethank you :)
DeleteSince the top is 100% cotton? will it shrink if not washed before hand?
ReplyDeleteHow many squares across and how many down? Also, What are the measurements of this quilt? I love it and wanna make one.
ReplyDeletemy squares were 6 inches square and I did 8 squares by 11. The total size is about 32 x 44 inches. But it could easily be made bigger, just use more squares!
DeleteI featured your beautiful blanket today :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining JAQS Studio Linky Party!
http://www.jaqsstudio.com/2012/02/made-by-me-18-linky-party-and-features.html
You should do a quick You tube for those of us sewing challenged folks. I need to see the steps to retain it...
ReplyDelete