Let’s talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be.
Let’s talk about…
Sorry. Got carried away there. (Some of you totally get what I was singing…others, well… just let it go).
Not many years ago, I was a bonafide quilt hater.
I thought they were ugly and grandma-esque and dorky and for sure, certifiably tacky. They even looked like they smelled a little weird. Like mothballs and macademia nuts.
And why were they all pastel?! Blech.
Until.
Until I realized that you know what? Fabric is REALLY cute nowadays. And if you take a whole BUNCH of cute fabric and put it all together…it’s like cute on steroids.
As in, I just want millions of crinkly quilts in every cupboard and drawer of my house. I want all the dumb, boring, plain blankets from Kohl’s that my family uses on the couch to be replaced with happy happy quilts.
In fact, I want to MAKE a quilt.
I know, I know.
Next I’ll be churning my own butter and calling Andy Paw-Paw.
(We did cancel cable last month, so we’re totally one step closer to being Amish as it is. Nothing against Amish folks, but it’s pretty safe to say they aren’t reading my blog…right?)
I need a project to work on. Not something that takes a few hours, but a real project that takes some time.
So, I want to make a quilt.
Which I realize is the dumbest thing I may have ever typed in this here blog space because y’all know I also hate sewing…and cutting…and ironing. So, you know, wanting to make a quilt is pretty much a disaster waiting to happen.
But you know what? I wanna try. And you know what else? My mother in law is a rockstar sewer. I figure I give her obnoxiously cute grandkids…maybe we can trade for sewing distaster clean up services in return? (Right, MK?)
Not convinced that quilts are actually insanely delicious and fantastic? Here are a few of my favorites:
Source: flickr.com via Jeannett on Pinterest
Source: aquiltisnice.blogspot.com via Jeannett on Pinterest
Source: redpepperquilts.com via Jeannett on Pinterest
Source: flickr.com via Jeannett on Pinterest
That rainbow pinwheel one makes me irrationally giddy. But I’m gonna pretty much be super honest with myself and admit that pinwheels are probably not the best choice for a first time quilt.
Do you love quilts? Or are you a recent convert? Got any other happy quilt links you’d like to share for me to check out?
(Real quick: pop over and enter to win one of two Lisa Leonard gift cards if you haven’t already. Winner picked tomorrow.)
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All sewing disasters will cheerfully (mostly) be cleaned up :). You’re right – don’t try pinwheels for the first quilt. Stick to squares and work on lining up the seams. Wish I lived closer – both for obnoxiously cute kids and to sew with you.
http://roselandfamily.blogspot.com/2012/03/faux-chenille-minky-blanket.html
it is labeled a blanket-but i have seen it called a quilt before?! not sure which one to call it?!
i am a recent convert to the old quilt too – my mom used to drag me to antique stores – she was a collector – but never of the bright colorful ones. they were always pretty…just not my taste. i love the ones you chose and hope to get brave too. the one i linked with is very tedious but perfect for a beginner who can sew a semi straight line. the nice thing about it is that it is very forgiving to mistakes!
happy quilt making! can’t wait to see what you come up with!
jenni´s last blog post ..Faux Chenille & Minky Blanket
yeah, i am appreciating quilts but have no desire to make one. to cut up fabric into smaller pieces and then sew them back together? still trying to understand that one. but, like i said, i am appreciating quilts and would love someone to make me one. i might be turning the corner as well, j, since i really, really want some crocheted granny square pillows in my living room. i might have to learn to crochet first. yay! for a quilt. are you going to have learn some new words for that project? ;)
I started quilting about 4 years ago – the bug bit me when I saw all the awesome quilts popping up in blogs and on flickr. If you can sew a straight line – you can quilt! You will learn so much as you go. I inspired my sister, too – now she quilts and sews clothes – and she was the one growing up who didn’t “take” to the sewing machine!
Still on the fence with quilts….. the striped one you posted was cute though….. also we canceled cable about 6 months ago…. it was hard…. no more kardashian, hgtv etc but I survived….. and am surviving!!!;)
At the ripe old age of 23, I decided, out of the blue, that I HAD to learn to quilt. Had to. So I carted myself to a quilt guild meeting exactly one week after moving 17 time zones away from everyone & everything I knew & loved (except for my husband, who I wasn’t very crazy about at the moment – mostly because he had just moved me half-way around the world…but that’s another story) and I convinced one of the ladies there to teach me how to cut & piece & quilt (hey, at least I already knew how to sew! Kind of…well, at least I owned my own sewing machine & knew how to thread it & make some basic things).
And then, an obsession was born. Although, come to think of it, I’ve only made one quilt since my daughter was born…now I mostly sew clothes or bags. But my heart lies with quilts.
So yes, I think quilts are FABULOUS and not granny-ish at all. If I can learn to do it, so can you. Get on with your bad self. ;) (and I agree with MK above, start with squares…much easier than triangles)
And please forgive anything below this. My phone is being a pain & won’t let me scroll down in the comment box to delete it.
(and please forgive
So, yes, I think quilts are FABULOUS and not granny-like arty all
Heather H´s last blog post ..If You Give a Mom a Chance…
Hey you!!
I’m so glad you posted this … I was going to e-mail you when I saw all those quilts popping up on Pinterest ;).
You know that I love to sew, but my love of quilting only happened the last few years. I haven’t made a ton, but enough to know I’m hooked.
I’d say you want to start with an easier/more forgiving pattern to dip your toes into the water of quilting. It can be so frustrating working with tiny little cuts that get pushed down into your machine or trying to line up your rows perfectly or getting all your stitches uniform.
I like ‘string’ quilts which is where you sew full strips (WOF or Width of Fabric) of fabric in varying widths. You can turn that into a quilt (like I did on this tutorial, http://www.tipjunkie.com/quilt-tutorial/ ) or you can cut those larger pieces into skinny strips and separate them with a neutral like the 4th quilt above. One of the first quilts I made using that idea as the basis was this quilt (which Julie C. also made :D) from Old Red Barn Co, http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/2009/06/quilt-along-week-3-giveaway-too.html.
You can also get more inspiration on my Ideas to Quilt board, http://pinterest.com/knittybitties/ideas-to-quilt/.
And … last but not least, I have 3 fabric links I’m going to send you via Twitter DM … I have enough of all three to send you some for the back of your quilt. A little happy from me to you and full of wishes that you love quilting too.
Andrea@KnittyBitties´s last blog post ..Pinned it & Made it …
I love quilts. I made my first quilt when I was 18. I’m not sure why because I hated sewing but I did it anyway. Some (ahem) 20 years later and I still love to quilt. I also like sewing other things but my first love remains the quilt. I’ve never taken a quilting class so I pretty much figure it out as I go. With two young kids (one with special needs) I don’t sew as much as I’d like and I’ve given away every single quilt I’ve ever made. I’ve regained possesion of 2 of my quilts: the first one I made because I made it for my then boyfriend-now husband. And a lap quilt I made for my grandmother as a Christmas gift. My grandfather gave it back to me when she passed away. I sewing so much that last fall we opened an online fabric store. I’m in heaven when I walk into my sewing room and see the lovely bolts of fabric waiting for new homes.
I’ve always wanted to quilt — even when I was in my early 20s. I used to spend Saturdays knitting and watching PBS, the sewing ladies and the quilting lady in particular. Okay, and some This Old House.
I just bought a sewing machine over the weekend, so someday I’ll make a quilt, but I don’t know how I’ll get it *quilted* — I think you need a special kind of sewing machine for that step, or maybe you can take it somewhere to have it done. But it’s definitely on my list of things to do!
And I know the song… I was a teen in the 90s!
Kelly @ Creating a Family Home´s last blog post ..Favorite Things Friday: The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Kelly, you do not have to have a special sewing machine or have a professional shop to get your quilt quilted. (wow, that sounds weird) You just need a walking foot for your machine for straight quilting or an embroidery foot for free-motion quilting. The store where you bought your machine should be able to help you with the right feet (unless you bought it at WalMart or one of the other big box stores…and if you did, just carry your machine into a local quilt shop. Someone there should be able to help you or at least point you to another store or website that can help you!). Good luck!
Heather H´s last blog post ..If You Give a Mom a Chance…
I love quilts! I have saved every one of adam’s pajamas since birth so I can eventually make a quilt square out of each one of my favorites and make myself a “mama” quilt someday. (a friend of ours gives us hand me downs and I’ve saved all of her son’s pajamas as well) Trouble is, I can’t sew for CRAP. I have a brand new sewing machine my mother in law gave me and I keep tossing around the idea of taking a quilting class so I can finally learn.
That pinwheel one actually made me squeal….and how awesome would an amy butler quilt be? AAAAHHHHH!
Kirsten´s last blog post ..House stuff…
Also – THANKS ALOT….now I have that flippin song in my head! LOL
Kirsten´s last blog post ..House stuff…
Check out the Granny Square quilt along with this Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/oldredbarncoquiltalong2009/discuss/ It is a fantastic way to learn (and the pattern is all squares–easier). I did the ORBC #1 quilt along about 4 years ago and it was a wonderful experience. You might just find out you like sewing, cutting, ironing…:)
Oh Salt and Pepa!! Now I will be singing that song for the rest of the day . . . .
Love love love the rainbow quilt- almost makes me want to try and make one. At my current rate, I would buy all the totally adorable fabrics and then they would sit forever (even next to the sewing machine!) until I “found” the time.
oh jeannett, you know i LOVE quilting!! I’ve made 6 so far and i’m in the process of trying to think up one for Atticus. boy + quilt = ???? its hard to find a guy pattern. a good link that i visit weekly is http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/ . This lady is a quilting fiend! She has great ideas and, in fact, the reason I made Elizabeth’s spiderweb quilt was because of her inspiration! Enjoy her blog. Quilting is absolute fun and totally addicting! :)
I so totally decided the same thing…. My inspiration…. This baby right here:
http://pinterest.com/pin/26740191507000728/
Lovely…huh?
I grew up with my Grandma making quilts. I remember nights when my mom and 2 of her sisters would meet up at my Grandma’s. They would sit there for hrs quilting and chatting. It’s good memories. But to be honest, I didn’t really care for or about quilts. They just weren’t my thing. Then I got pregnant with my first son. At my baby shower my Grandma’s gift to me and my son was a quilt she made. That was the end of it for me. I love them now. When I got pregnant with my second, I begged her to make another one. Which she gladly obliged to.
I’m with you on wanting to make a quilt. I would love, love to one day. But me and sewing have a love/hate relationship. I would love to be able to sew, but it hates me. Just doesn’t work well for me. I’m willing to keep trying though.
i think the easiest quilt to begin with is a small lap/baby quilt with straight lines of fabric. don’t even worry about them all being the same width ~ one thin, one fat, one medium ~ will look less perfect. i found that the straight lines were the easy part; i always had trouble with the border and corners. heather bailey has nice tutorials on bindings. good luck!
sandi´s last blog post ..mommy moments i love
I taotally get what you were singing! The rainbow quilt with clouds is probably the most favorite quilt I have ever seen! And I have seen alot…my grandma quilts…and shows me all of them…
I may have to show her that one.
Bloom in the Details´s last blog post ..It’s Okay…
Thanks tons for including my quilt as on of your faves! Quilting rocks, and the fabric nowadays is so much better than grandmas! its a rad hobby that I totally adore. I hope you give it a whirl. Its super addicting!
My MIL is a rockstar quilter, popping those things out in no time flat. We love them and they literally ‘litter’ my house. She does theme quilts too; for example, she brought cloth hearts to our wedding. Guests wrote messages on them, and now they are all in our wedding quilt.
She did the same for our daughters onesies (which had drawings in puff paint from my work baby shower) and her receiving blankets. Talk about a wonderful keepsake!
I say, give it a whirl you nesting mama you. Try simple block quilts though….
Cheers,
Caryl
I love those quilts! I really want to learn how to quilt. I guess I need to get a sewing machine first, which is actually on my list to do!
Andrea Merrigan´s last blog post ..Weekend Wanderings 3.10.12