I am just moving right along! No sooner did I finish the basket (and by accident, an apron), than I picked the next project to tackle and it is a doozy!
It's actually pretty appropriate that my next project is to make our "wedding quilt" into a picnic blanket. My husband and I will be celebrating our 8th year of marriage next month, so it would be nice to have this done by then.
I only started quilting about nine years ago. After not finishing the first quilt I attempted (the procrastination runs strong with me), I decided I could totally handle making a queen size quilt. I saw the pattern for this quilt in American Patchwork and Quilting from August 2005 and immediately loved the 1930's reproduction fabric and-what looked like-the simplicity of the whole thing.
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| What's amazing is that after at least three moves, I still have the magazine! |
I was so excited to make this quilt for us, I even convinced my darling soon-to-be-husband to come to JoAnn's and help me pick out fabric. Frankly, I'm not sure what I was thinking when I picked out the fabric-it's so dark not happy bright colors like in the original quilt and I'm pretty sure that one of the fabrics in upholstery fabric.
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| I'm pretty sure you belong on a chair, buddy! |
Even though I had taken a quilting class by this point, I hadn't been taught how to properly cut fabric nor the importance of 1/4" seam allowances. Also, when I started piecing the quilt, I didn't even have a sewing machine and I was hand piecing it. Looking at it now, I do see a train wreck but I also can see how far I've grown as a quilter.
I'll be honest: I'm giving you tiny little pictures and writing a whole bunch because I am trying to save you from the ugliness that is this quilt.
It's just so ugly.
But, I never threw it away and last summer when we were spending so much time outside without a big enough blanket for all of us to laze about on, it dawned on me: why not make that ugly quilt into an awesome picnic blanket! I've got some great ideas that I will share with you as the project progresses on how to make this quilt a family picnic blanket.
Ok. The moment of truth. Here it is.
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| These are the borders that I added this afternoon. |
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| Pretty much how I've stored it for the last eight years. |
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| Someone wanted his picture taken! |
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| From far away, it doesn't look so bad. |
It actually looks much better in the pictures than it does when it's hitting you in the face. What's amazing is all the 9-patch blocks are 3" x 3" and the instructions had me cut out each block 1.5" x 1.5"! That sounds so ludicrous to me now.
Today's plan was to iron and add on the borders. Now the quilt top is complete. Now to get to the backing which I think is going to be pretty interesting!
What do you do when a project doesn't turn out the way you wanted? Toss it out or try and redeem it in a brand new way?
Happy Sewing!
Kate
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