I've just finished a quilt in time for the
Blogger's Quilt Festival 2011.
Our lovely friends Richard and Emily are expecting their first baby in August. I wanted to give them something handmade that could be used for a long time. Baby knits are lovely but babies grow too fast! I figured a quilt/playmat would fit the bill.
As usual I gave myself a headache with this project by buying the fabric before planning the quilt. One of these days I'll actually plan the quilt before the purchase (actually I probably won't!). I spent a couple of evenings mulling over how I was going to fashion my fabric into a usable item but I got there in the end. I think I prefer 'winging it' projects rather than following someone elses design really. I must do otherwise I wouldn't keep on doing it!
I took photos and made notes along the way so as and when I find the notes I'll blog the process. The fabric is 100% cotton with sashing made from 100% cotton sheeting (bought in Primark for a fraction of the cost of yardage in a fabric shop). The back is also plain white cotton sheeting. The batting is a cotton/bamboo mix with an eigth of an inch loft. The design is 'Farmyard Corne'r by Makower and I can't remember where I bought it (but it would have been an online, UK based, fabric supplier).
I can't get a walking foot for my machine so quilting is a bit tricky. For this quilt I just stiched 'squares' around the animal pictures. I'm not explaining that very well but you can see what I mean if you look closely at the photo. This way I didn't get any puckering.
I'm really pleased with how it turned out. It's not perfect but, to me, that's the beauty of handmade. I know it'll be loved as much as I loved making it.
Bloggers' Quilt Festival 2011 - Baby Quilt