I think I’m possessed. What else can possibly explain the fact that I’m laying in bed at 12:52 and thinking these totally-foreign-for-me words: “I’m so excited about my quilt I can hardly sleep.” Seriously. The only explanation is some sort of unbeknownst-to-me lobotomy. I’m the girl who loves to use iron-on hem tape to make curtains and crib skirts (here, here, and here). I’m the girl who whined for about 2,000 words about just how cursed I am when it comes to sewing (here). Can I really be the girl who can’t sleep because of a quilt? Insanity.
But I am. Here’s what I’ve been up to. And it is by no means the right way to do this. I went rogue for sure. I don’t know proper form or correct terms and didn’t even take a class or read a book about quilting. I just took it one this-might-work step at a time and held my breath a lot. So to all of you fancy quilting experts, please don’t snort too loudly with laughter when you see how it all went down for me. I just made it with love. And a bit of wonkyness for good measure. You know, just so it’s obvious that it wasn’t made in a factory. Haha. It’s perfectly imperfect and then some. But I love it so much I can’t sleep. Total shocker. Anyway, on to the crazy feel-my-way-along-as-I-go process. It all started when I came across this gorgeous quilt and was immediately inspired.
I’ve always wanted to use all of the mixed and matched fabrics from Clara’s weekly photo project to create some sort of crazy birthday quilt…
… but I knew it had to be pretty darn simple for me to even have a prayer of pulling off my own wonky version of it. But the un-lined-up corners and white stripes interspersed with different textures and prints had me at hello. This I could do. Maybe. And if not it might not kill me to try, just to learn that it’s not quite within my skill level yet. So I trecked out to JoAnn Fabric and used one of those 50% coupons I always get in the mail to get two yards of white quilt-ish fabric for just $8 (the kind with a quilted cotton front and some thin batting already sewn into it on the back). I figured it would work as the white striped fabric between each strip of textured and printed fabric from Clara’s weekly shots and also as the backing for the entire quilt.
Then I washed all of the weekly fabric along with the new white quilted fabric so it was all nice and soft (and pre-shrunk). Then I had to iron a bunch of it because it was all ganked up from the washing process. Boo. That took a while but you know I did it in front of the TV at night after putting Clara to bed, right? Then I parked my butt on the sectional and cut out three inch by twelve inch strips of each of Clara’s weekly backdrops (except for some which weren’t fabric at all like the yellow rug, the shower curtain, the moving box, and a few other non-fabric items we tossed in there). When it came to the three inch width, I wasn’t exact with that since I liked the not-all-the-same-or-lined-up-look of my inspiration quilt from Pinterest). And I left out some of the crazier fabrics that I knew wouldn’t work that well so I was left with 27 different strips of around 3″ x 12″ fabric (I ditched things like the crunchy gold New Years fabric since I knew it wouldn’t be soft and cuddly like the rest of the blanket). And nobody loves a scratchy blanket. Especially the bean.
Then I cut out 30 three-inch-wide-by-12-inch-long strips of my white fabric. Those 30 strips left me with about two thirds of my yardage of white fabric to use for the backing, which was a pretty happy accident. Then I kept my arse firmly planted on the sofa and just started pinning away (one white strip got pinned to one printed strip, which got pinned to another white strip, and so on – for a striped look).
Nineteen strips made up each row (nine patterned ones alternated between 10 white ones)…
… which I would then sew together (using straight invisible seams from the back of the fabric, which I learned are the easiest kind from making my Sue pillows).
After creating three super long strips that were each about a foot wide and three feet long, I then laid all three of those super long rows next to each other to create this three foot by three foot square that looked pretty reminiscent of my inspiration quilt. I was shocked. It was kind of coming together. This is when I started entertaining the idea that my brain had been switched with a stranger’s.
Note: I originally considered straggering the printed strips like some of the rows on the inspiration quilt (theirs line up sometimes and don’t other times) but I laid it out on the floor the staggered way first and it looked too busy for my liking since my stripes were thicker and most of them had large-scale patterns so it looked kinda cluttered. I then laid them out in the above long stripes (instead of staggering them) and liked the clean and simple look a lot better. So that’s how the front pattern came to be.
This is the point at which I stood and stared at that giant not-perfect-but-pretty-great striped patchwork-ish square of baby blanket happiness for about an hour. I was in total shock that I hadn’t sew-cried or screamed into a pillow yet. Next it was time to iron down all of my seams on the back since I’ve heard that after stitching fabrics together a huge part of making non-bunchy quilts is to iron the back seams so they lay flat (because once those back seams are covered with quilt backing, it’s not exactly easy to iron them flat).
Then after each row was ironed so the back seams laid flat, I pinned one row to another row (with the ugly side out, so once it was stitched the seam would be invisible from the front)…
… and after a quick pass through Oh Brother (my trusty sewing machine) I was left with this:
And may I just say that my sewing machine is so great (it’s a Brother XL2600I that I found on Amazon for $89 with great reviews that I affectionately call Oh Brother). It was all totally user error that was tripping me up in the beginning and I would definitely recommend it. So far at least. It might revolt on me next week. You never know…
Then I repeated that process and added another row (which I again pinned from the back and stitched so the seam was invisible from the front).
That big smile above is what proud looks like. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t a) sewn my finger, b) created a giant nest of string like I did during my first sewing attempt, and c) thrown a maimed quilt on the floor and stormed out of the room. Holy bananas. My plan was actually working. And I wasn’t even cursing.
Here’s the back-view (also note that Burger is kindly showing you a chihuahua back-view):
After I ironed those new back seams that I had just created by joining those three long rows, I took the backing and the front of my quilt and faced the good sides towards each other on top of each other (so it was like a sandwich with the good stuff in the middle). Then I pinned around three of the four edges and I used my sewing machine to stich around them while keeping it all inside out like this. Yup, I basically made a giant pillow sham just like I did here with my Sue pillows. I even stitched a bit of the fourth side closed on each end (leaving just the middle portion open so I could flip things right-side out again.
Then I flipped it right-side-out and hand stitched the unsewn middle of the last edge closed (with my butt parked on the sofa in front of the TV of course):
It was definitely starting to look quilt-like, but it was sort of like a pillowcase that had been stitched closed with nothing in it. If you pulled on the backing with one hand and the quilted front with another hand, you could balloon the whole thing out since nothing was holding them together except for the stitching around the edges. So here’s where I actually started to feel like I was quilting. I also started to sweat profusely because I was about to dive into seams that show on both sides of the quilt. No more hidden seams done from the inside. I actually had to stitch down from the top of each white row of strips to the bottom, and the little white seam would definitely be exposed, so any ganked up thread or knotted nests of string would ruin the whole effect in a hot minute. And I would probably have had a full blown meltdown after all that work if things suddenly went south. So I gritted my teeth, held my breath, crossed my fingers, decided I needed them and uncrossed them, and tried to take it slow and steady.
Lo and behold, I was left with this.
And I was also left wondering who the heck took over my body and made a friggin quilt. Insane. It’s definitely not perfect, but a week ago I would have bet you a million dollars that I couldn’t ever sew two strips of fabric together, much less make a quilt (albeit an imperfect one). And I actually love it in all of its not-quite-perfect glory. Hopefully that will remind Clara that it was one of my first attempts at sewing, which she brought out in me (because before she was born you couldn’t pay me to use a sewing machine- let alone convince me to buy one and attempt a friggin quilt, but for some reason she made me want to make her something meaningful with all of her weekly fabrics). In case I’m not hitting this hard enough, I am shocked that I actually made a quilt. Seriously, almost speechless.
Oh and in the spirit of Burger sharing his hindquarters above, here’s the finished back-view:
Now I get to give it to Beaner for her b-day and I hope that she’ll always have it and know that her entirely undomestic mom (you think I’m kidding, but John does the cooking and the laundry around here) was possessed by some other-worldy being and whipped up a quilt to commemorate her big one year birthday. I’m not gonna lie, there were some victory laps around the house. And yes, John sang the rocky song while I ran around waving my quilt in the air.
In summation: Word to Oh Brother (yes, I just hit you with a word to your mother slash Brother sewing machine joke). Booyah.
Psst- My jazz hands even excitedly created a new category called “Sew Excited” a la Jesse Spano (get that reference here). So you can see the whopping three posts in there by clicking the Topics tab up near our search bar and scrolling down to find it.
Psssssst- We went Nursery Crashing over on BabyCenter this morning. Get in on the fun here.
stephanie says
Oh! it’s wonderful! I love making “quilts” like that. a lot scarier than they are :) You’re going to be hooked. Good luck!
Susan says
Sherry, you rock! Very impressive! I’m not sure I would have had the patience to sew all this little strips. Clara is going to be sleeping with this quilt when she is 42…she’ll love it that much!
Jessica says
How lovely! Maybe there’s hope for me, too… perhaps I’ll wipe the dust off of my own “Oh Brother”, lol.
Wendy says
It’s Awesome Sherry! I love it!
I have been wanting to do a quilt using some of our old college t-shirts for husband’s manly office (there is only so much school spirit the living room can handle). You made it look so easy that I may just have to tackle it this weekend! If it turns out, I’ll do one for an upcoming baby shower. We don’t know the sex, but we know it’s a Tarheel!
Barbara says
Congratulations! It turned out so wonderfully (:
Jamie says
It’s so beautiful! A quilt in that style is definitely on my to-do list now!
Shirley says
When you become a mommy, you tend to amaze yourself at the things you yearn to make for your little one. Your quilt turned out great. What an inspiration!
Jody says
I have to laugh because just the other day I decided I wanted to make a quilt and was googling basic how-tos (I can’t sew to save my life but wanted a hands-busy project). Your post has shown me that it’s something I totally can (and should!) do, so I aim to do it this weekend. Thanks for the inspiration, and it looks beautiful!
Karen says
So cute! See, you can sew! Glad “Oh, Brother” is behaving! Make sure you put your name and the date on the quilt so Clara and generations after her know who made it and when! That is SO important. I have a quilt from my family with no name, and I would LOVE to know who made it!
I try to keep my machine set up somewhere permanently so that I remember to use it! I too find that when my machine is put away, I NEVER pull it out to make anything! BTW, I sew on my grandmother’s 1951 Singer! Sews as good as the day she bought it!
threadbndr says
I have my mom’s c1950 Singer, too. The little portable one. They are just about perfect for piecing quilts as the standard foot is right at a quarter inch wide.
They sure knew how to make things last back then, eh?
Jenni says
Yay! I’m so excited for you! Your quilt has turned out so cute. Clara is going to love it!
I will send this post to my mom. Every time her puppies get a hair cut, they get a cute little fabric scarf. She has been saving them to make a quilt!
You’ve inspired me as well. My mother-in-law has lent me her old sewing machine, but every time I’ve used it I want to scream. I have read the manual over and over, but I know that I have used machines in the past that are much easier to use. I’ll try again but if I still have trouble, I might look into the Brother–I have a feeling that they are more user-friendly (and I’m a mac girl-what can I say?)
Hanna says
Once you start down the quilting path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
Ruth says
Congratulations on your quilt! It looks really great. :)
For your next quilt (mwahaha – I figure you are hooked if you are sitting awake at midnight thinking about your sewing accomplishments) you should check out the first Old Red Barn Quilt Along. A blogger posted a series of detailed instructions for beginners to make a fairly simple quilt, including every step, and it became really huge. I know several people who learned to quilt by following along, and since it’s a blog, you can still go back and do it. Plus, there is still a group on Flickr where you can ask questions and get help, plus browse all the things that the hundreds of beginners already asked. The other thing is that they all are youngsters using cool modern fabric, so it’s easy to get inspired looking at their quilts.
Here’s the first post so you can take a look: http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/2009/05/quilt-along-week-1.html
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks! Off to check it out!
xo,
s
Ruth says
Is it ridiculous that I’m spazzing out because blog super-star Sherry SPOKE TO ME (on the internet).
But while I’m confessing, one time when I didn’t want to get out of bed and go to work, I thought “well if I go to work, maybe there will be a new Young House Love post…” and that had me leaping out of bed to get ready.
So keep up the awesome. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw Ruth, you’re making me blush over here. Thanks for the sweetness!
xo,
s
Amy Jo says
Sherry,
GREAT JOB! Your daughter will indeed cherish this beautiful quilt, not only bacause you made it for her, but because is was you FIRST! I literally felt proud of you, when I saw these pictures (I truly don’t mean to sound condecending, I really was proud!)
One little tip that might help a tiny bit: when you pin your seams together, turn your pins perPINdicualr (HA!) to your edge, and then you can just sew right over them. Some say dont do this, but I alllways do and neeever have a problem!
Anyhoo… Love your blog! Keep it coming guys!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! You’re among a few others who recommend the same thing! So good to know.
xo,
s
Leslie says
What a way to jump into sewing. You are inspiring. I will now have to finish the quilt I started almost 13.5 years ago. It was suppose to be a wedding gift to my husband.
Caroline says
Sherry, you go girl! My husband gave me the exact same sewing machine last year for my bday (after major hinting) and of course it sat in the box for 8 mos. until I got up the courage to sew some curtains for my son’s room. (read as, “I ran out of hem tape!”)
So you are not the only gal living in the year 2011 with a fear of a machine with needles..so scary! But now I’d say, give us a porch, rocking chair and a sock to darn…we may just have a revolution here!
Kyle says
A. I.Love.This.
B. I TOTALLY saw you guys on Fox 5 News last night! WORRRRDDDDD!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh we’re posting about that this afternoon. I’m nuts.
xo,
s
Jams says
The Amish ( famous for their quilting) always make one “mistake” on each quilt b/c no one is as perfect as god. I have used that excuse ever since with any sewing project, and I’m not religious.
Your quilt is beautiful!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha I love it! There are definitely some mistakes worked in there!
xo,
s
Laureen says
GREAT work…I love the quilt and its such a GREAT pattern for beggining sewing too! One tip for next time, if you want the stripes to match up a bit better (makes it easier to piece together at the end) just use the hem markers on the seweing machine. There should be a ruler type inscription right by your needle and foot on the sewing machine. If you follow that as you feed the fabric through it will keep the strips sewn at the same width adn then the piece will match up wonderfully and make it easier to piece together for you. I am by no means an advanced sewer, but have made a few quilts and that tip made a WORLD of difference for my quilt making adventures……I think you have inspired me to get all my scrap fabric together and make another quilt, for some reason I haven’t made my own girl a quilt…..
Good luck with your future quilting :D
Amanda H says
Lookatchoooo!!!!! This is so great! What a great idea and a very special first birthday present to your bean from her Mama. Love it!
Joy Franks says
Fantastic!
Monika says
Congrats on completing your beautiful quilt! I’m so proud, you did a fantastic job.
I learned to quilt by just making it up as I went along too. I found it was more fun that way because I could play by my own rules and make changes if things didn’t go exactly as planned.
Welcome to the sewing club! :)
Adira says
Mazal tov! What an inspiration to try something new!
Kristen says
I am so jealous that you are sewing now!!! I am way too scared to ever ever ever get a machine and try it : ( I just started getting into iron on hem tape, thats as adventurous as I will get with fabric!!!
Jamie Rae says
How sweet is that! I am proud of you for tackling the project despite fear (because I would be so scared). Clara will no doubt cherish it forever. Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie says
The quilt is too cute! If you ever get a chance, read the book “The Undomestic Goddess” by Madeline Wickham, hilarious!
Kristin says
This is such a fabulous treasure for Clara and you did great for your first try! Right before I was born my grandmother HAND SEWED me a quilt because she didnt have a sewing machine at the time. I slept with that thing every night, but it never left my bed. Just remember that if she starts taking it with her everywhere it will probably get tattered and eventually break down.
Andrea says
I sew all the time and can tell you, you did a GREAT job. Sometimes the only way to learn is to jump right in. I’d put your initials and a date (even if it’s just the year) on a corner. This is something she will treasure forever. Way to go!! :)
Katie J. says
That is so awesome! You are definitely an inspiration! I’m a long way from having children, but I am going to remember all of these projects. Thanks!
BTW, is it weird that I sometimes dream about this blog?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha not at all. You’d be surprised how often we worm our way into people’s dreams. We’re sneaky.
xo,
s
Jessica says
Nope, definitely not weird. I know of three different dreams I’ve had involving this blog. In two of them I was actually carrying on a conversation with Sherry.
Crazzzzy! I know my husband thinks so anyway. LOL!
KathyG says
AWE-SOME!
About all I can put together is 3-1/2 straight lines for a pillow cover. But I haven’t master the nice close that you have. You ‘worded’ it one time when someone asked, but I still don’t get it. Any chance you have time to do a quick vid? Otherwise, I’ll just keep putting that side of my sad little pillows down with their innards hanging out. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s a video for you as for how to do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj19RMT3UQQ (I just do that by hand instead of with the machine). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Mia says
Sherry, that is gorgeous. I’m very impressed, great work!
Katie says
Congratulations Sherry! I know that’s such a wonderful feeling! I made my first quilt this summer, and I basically thought it was the most beautiful quilt anyone had ever made (otherwise it would’ve been sad how long I spent making it!) I have no doubt that Clara will treasure it forever. And great idea using the white pre-quilted fabric.
Keri says
AW! LOVE! Congratulations on your first big project! I’m sure your head is swirling with all the possibilities for future projects now. I wonder what you’ll do next. The dining room chairs, perhaps? (Sorry, I’m just dying to see those.) Since you love sewing for Clara so much, it would be ridiculously easy to use up the rest of that fabric on some bean-sized skirts and dresses.
Ursula says
It’s very cute…and why do I have the feeling you are pregnant?
YoungHouseLove says
Nope! Can’t get prego for another full year. Doc’s orders. More here.
xo,
s
Katie says
You did SEW great!! And, trust me, Clara will love it…because I have a quilt from my Nana made out of my PawPaw’s and Dad’s jeans and old flannel shirts. It’s soooo warm and soft because all of the materials are so worn down. I mostly love it because it was made with so much love.
Jenny says
Wow Sherry, congratulations!!! What an awesome great job! It looks gorgeous! I love quilting and sewing and there are lots of folks out there who go years before trying something without a pattern. Congrats on diving in, you rock!
Have you checked out the blog Crazy Mom Quilts? Her favorite colors are bright fabric together with white — I think you’d like her stuff.
Well done!!
YoungHouseLove says
I haven’t really gotten into sewing blogs yet but I’ll have to check it out!
xo,
s
Lisa in Seattle says
*\o/* Congratulations! What a great present (for both of you, really). I hope someday we’ll see a photo of Burger and Clara snoozing together on her woobie. We are all so proud of you out here in Readerland!
Andrea says
Sherry!! Clara’s quilt is absolutely beautiful!!! I am so impressed that you just ‘figured it out’! I am an amateur quilter, and I know that your quilt will always be Clara’s fave! I got interested in quilting in the first place because I read some history about them, and decided to give it a shot. That being said, may I suggest that you sign your quilt to Clara? All of the books I have read on quilting emphasize the importance of this, but it’s a personal choice. You could think of it as a note to Clara for her birthday that she will get to read for the rest of her life!
Again, I really am impressed and keep up the great work on your house! I LOVE your blog!
Andrea
Ashley says
Fantastic looking quilt you have there! Congratulations, Sherry!
Rachelle says
Welcome to the club. Euphoria is how I describe it. Which is why projects are hung on walls, spread over beds, or wrapped around babies. Congrats.
Serina Shook says
Amazing, LOVE it!! You and John make such a wonderful team, I can’t help but think that you pushed yourself with this project inpart to how he has with all the patio work. Go Team YHL GO!
Barbara says
I have to say – I am one of those people who fall into the category of “watching this video at work with no sound,” when I am reading your blog. Something happened last week where now I can’t get the pictures, just the red X, so I have to wait until I get home to read the blog/see the pictures. Boo. Although I can still read the blog. It’s just much more fun getting to see the pictures as I go. Anyway, am excited to see the quilt pictures! :-)
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry! We think some people’s work has started blocking our photos (but not our blog as a whole, which is so strange) because nothing has changed on our end when it comes to pics. So sorry about them not loading for you though! Maybe try viewing the site in another browser just to make sure that’s what’s happening (in Firefox instead of Explorer for example).
xo,
s
Hilary @ My So-Called Home says
Yay you conquered your beast, you should be very proud. I’m still crackin up about the Jessie Spano reference since my sisters and I say it all the time. We definitely grew up in the Saved By The Bell era as well.
Amanda H says
Haha- same here. “I’m so excited… I’m sooo… scaaaared” ;-) Oh, Saved By the Bell.
Val says
I told ya you’d be good at it–top props!
- Sarah :-) says
Great job, Sherry – it looks awesome! And might I jsut say that quilts are SUPER intimidating, because you can see if any little piece is out of place? You actually picked a rather scary first project, but it really does look awesome. Nice job!! :-)
haley says
Love the quilt! I too got the “I have no idea where this came from sewing bug” after I had my little boy. I took a beginner sewing class to make a jon jon. So cute- but the other girls in the class who had little girls – thier dresses were SO much easier – you totally need to make your sweet girl some dresses!
Shauna says
Sherry that is amazing! It looks perfect! I made my best friends daughters (my god daughters) quilts when they were born and they are OBSESSED with them now at ages 3 and 5. They sleep with them every night, use them when hanging out on the couch watching TV, it’s just nice for them to have their own special blanket that they don’t have to share. It also has meaning to them, I mean I know they don’t quite get the sentiment that went into making that thing (I was also really sew-challenged, like you were!) but they know I made them for them and they love that. Clara is going to love that thing for years to come! Can’t wait to see what you do next!
Robin @ our semi organic life says
I spy green painters tape on one of the kitchen’s walls! Are we planning demo any time soon?
YoungHouseLove says
That’s where we taped off the future doorway. We did it about five months ago, just so we can live with it a while and make sure we like it there. Haha. Can’t be too careful about making sure you want a doorway somewhere before you actually dive in and get one.
xo,
s
Heather says
That quilt is beyond adorable, good job making it. I love that because of all the prints it will go with whatever color bedroom Clara wants.
I am officially addicted to your blog, as evidenced by my reaction to seeing Wallflowers in the wild. They were on the shelf at Urban Outfitters and my internal monologue included “don’t freak out, they’re only wallflowers, don’t let the whole store know you’re crazy.” Thanks for throwing in the nursery crashing link so I could experience the wallflower-celebrity-crush-adrenaline-rush all over again.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you’re cracking me up over here. Hilarious. I too have a hard time holding it together. More on that this afternoon.
xo,
s
Emily says
It’s so pretty!! You did a great job!! I love this keepsake you made for her! Good job with the ironing. :) I just finished my first quilt for my daughter but I was less ambitious- I practiced with white muslin on the front and the back and quilted it with different color threads. :)
Melody says
Great job, Sherry! I’m so glad that you experienced a sewing victory! One day, I hope to do the same. :)