Thursday 11 June 2015

A Patchwork Blanket



This is my patchwork blanket. It's taken me awhile but here it is
finally all quilted and finished!


It was back in February when I started piecing together my fabric squares. I used two Moda charm packs called 'Marmalade' by Bonnie
and Camille. This was the part that I enjoyed most. It was easy and
relaxing to do and it didn't take me long to stitch them all together.


The next step was basting the quilt top, batting and backing material together. I used normal safety pins for this and didn't have much
trouble doing it. Now I can start hand-quilting but this stage didn't
go as smoothly and as problem-free as the previous two.


Quilting is basically just running stitch worked through all three
layers to keep them together. But even with a no.9 quilting needle,
the longest in the set of six that I got, I really struggled to do this.
I thought the batting, which was leftover from other projects, was
perfectly all right to use. I didn't expect that it would be a little too
thick for quilting. I didn't want to change it though so I had to find
 an alternative to the (useless) quilting needle.


I tried a curved one. It went through the layers easily but it was very awkward to hold, making it difficult to make even and straight stitches.
I gave up on this too. Then at the suggestion of a lovely old lady who
 runs a haberdashery in Whitby I decided to use an embroidery needle.
It's as thin and as sharp as the ones for quilting but it is longer so can
 be held easily while working through the layers. This time it worked! Finally I was able to make progress with the quilting. Hallelujah!

 My stitches are not small, even and perfectly straight as quilting
 stitches are supposed to be but they are neat and effective enough.
And after all that kerffuffle I was just relieved that finally I managed
to get the quilting done.


When it came to adding the binding, I found I didn't have enough
blue bias binding to go round the blanket. It was Markie's brilliant
idea to use two colours instead: dark pink and blue. Well, why not?
It's a bit unusual but again it worked. One of the many things I've
learned from this project is that sometimes you have to think outside
the box or in this case, outside the square!


Despite the quilting hiccups, I'm still glad I kept going and didn't
give up on this blanket. It's actually not very big but just perfect
for covering my lap or both girls' laps when they're watching tv.
The backing material is vintage brushed cotton. It is super soft
and cozy, I'm very sure this blanket will be very popular around
here when the colder months come.

 One other thing that pleases me about this project is that once again
 I made something from materials I already have. It is always so
satisfying to be able to do this. Plus the fabrics are just gorgeous.
I'm actually really happy with this blanket. I love it!


13 comments:

  1. That is absolutely gorgeous Marion! And certainly worth all the effort, the fabrics are so pretty. It will be lovely to see the girls snuggling under it in the colder months.
    Caz xx

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  2. It's beautiful!!! I love the two colors for the binding, Markie's idea was brilliant! You seem to have the most gorgeous stash of fabric! Small is perfect for little laps - Mia has adopted a crocheted blanket I started, then didn't end up caring for. She just loves it, so better put an edging on it for her, haha. A flannel backing is a lovely choice, it doesn't take long to warm up under!

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  3. What a beautiful quilt. You should be delighted. Your perseverance definitely paid off. Bee xx

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  4. This quilt is absolutely divine, I love the colours and the stitching looks perfect to me. Its great that you managed to use materials from your stash, always satisfying :)

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  5. Oh how beautiful! The colours are so vibrant. This is destined to become a firm favourite in the colder months! Well done! X

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  6. It is beautiful!!!! I love the colours, the binding, the backing fabric! All of it!!!! You did a wonderful job!! xx

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  7. Marion, you did a really good job with this quilt. You should be very proud of yourself. It's beautiful.

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  8. oh my goodness! Its gorgeous marion!!! You clever thing! Where will it live ??! x

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  9. Absolutely gorgeous Marion! I'm glad you kept going with this as its so beautiful. And clever Markie! The edging is perfect.
    Marianne x

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  10. What a journey! And such a beautiful end result :) I bet it will be much loved and cherished for many years to come :) It's stunning x

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  11. Hello Marion, Oh wow what an amazing blanket, it's gorgeous and you are so clever.
    I absolutely love the fabric and colours, they are so bright and vibrant. What a brilliant idea
    to have a two tone border it's just perfect. Definately a blanket to treasure, and what memories
    it holds.

    luv
    irene
    xxxx

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  12. Oh well done Marion! It looks so pretty, I am glad you persevered and finished it. What a good idea of Markie's to use a different binding too! xx

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  13. You've done a fantastic job on that quilt! What a great idea to use two type of binding! You should be really proud of yourself - fab! Xx

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