I Created A Quilt

I actually finished a quilt! I actually finished it a few weeks ago, but this is the first time I have gotten to blog about it. It was horrendous, but awesome at the same time! Definitely a learning process! I am really not that good at sewing (but getting better!). But I figure it's like singing in the shower, you do it because you like to do it, not because you're necessarily good at it (and while we're at it, we should add taking photos to that list).

Windy

Windy and Snowy

Yes, it fell in the snow. But it's Canada, everything has snow on it.

I decided to come up with my own design. I was much more excited about the design on paper than how it actually came out. I wanted to use, or thought I could use, a couple charm packs I picked up. But upon reflection, I think it would have looked much more dynamic (or even good) if I would have used just solids instead of prints. 

Design wall evolution

Oh well, live and learn.

When I started the quilt, it was just a quilt that I was making for fun sake. When I started to think about what I was going to do with the quilt, I realized that it would be perfect to give it to a friend who was headed into the hospital for a fairly serious surgery. I hate hospital blankets. Honestly, they are so thin. And they give you the heated ones and the heat lasts like a minute. Which means you need another blanket. Then you have about hundred blankets littering the room and bed, none of which are warm or useful. So the quilt was hurriedly done so she could take it with her. 

I used straight line and free motion quilting. It was only my second time quilting and I still have a lot to learn and improve on. My straight lines pulled the fabric askew in a few places and my free motion got a little (OK.. a lot) wonky. 

And we won't even go into the binding, but I will, because you know I will. I used a conglomeration of about a hundred tutorials online to help me and even then the stitching was soooo uneven. The edge of the binding kept getting caught in the middle opening of my walking foot. Plus I was attempting to have my stitches catch both the front and back edges of the binding. It worked OK, but not great. Next time maybe I'll be better, or find someone else to do it (which means my mom, who also does most buttonholes and zippers for me as well).

Back of quilt

But I have a feeling it won't matter. I also quilted her name into the quilt. I told her whilst she she bored recovering she could while away the hours looking for it.

Linked up to: crazy mom quilts