I put a lot of miles on my sewing machine last week working on many projects since we weren't making hay. This week's posts were written last Saturday and are highlighting what I worked on.
At the Jane Stickle Retreat in April, I pieced 3 crib quilts. I didn't talk about them when I showed what I sewed at the retreat. I decided to wait and display them when they were completed.
When I returned home, I pinned basted them, then set them aside, ready to be quilted whenever I had time. Last week they were quilted, bound and washed.
Three quilts (same pattern) quilted 3 different ways.
My favorite way to quilt crib quilts now is with spiral quilting. I just like the way the spiral compliments the straight edges of the blocks.
The dotted yellow fabric makes this quilt come alive.
For the back of these quilts, I used flannel. I needed to add pieces to the red.
Spiral quilting is easiest if you just line up your foot next to the quilting and just keep on going.
Unfortunately I didn't have enough dotted yellow fabric for the next 2 quilts and substituted the stripped fabric. It didn't look the greatest, but it was what I had on hand. It does look better now since the quilts are quilted.
The 2nd quilt was quilted with straight line quilting. I just did it trying to go straight. The lines are anywhere from 3/4" to 1/4" apart.
And the back of the quilt.
The first two quilts were quilted with my Elna Excellence 720 sewing machine.
The thread I used on all 3 quilts was Gutermann 100% polyester thread. The spool hold 1094 yards of thread. This thread was also used in the bobbin. I find white thread works well with most quilts.
The 3rd quilt was quilted on my Baby Lock Melody machine. I wanted wavy lines on this quilt. My Elna does have a curved line decorative stitch but I can't elongate it like I can on my Melody.
Wavy line quilting.
And the back of the wavy line quilt.
The pattern for these quilts came from the Jan/Feb 2013 issue of Quiltmaker magazine. In all their 2013 issues, they took a block from one of the quilts in that month's issue, and enlarged it to crib quilt size. The name of this pattern is "Go Baby, a big block baby quilt".
What changes would I make? Next time I would add a border to the quilt. Supposedly this quilt is 40" square when finished but after washing, they measured 38" square. I personally feel that is too small but they are what they are. They will join the pile of charity quilts that are accumulating for donation in the fall.
29 comments:
I love these! So fun to see the same quilt quilted three different ways.
This little trio of quilts turned out so lovely - and wouldn't it be sweet if they ended up with a set of triplets? I love the spiral quilting, must try that sometime soon. Did you use a cotton batting for these?
I enjoy doing the spiral quilting too. I do it on my cot quilts. Gives a great finish
I used polyester batting because I normally use polyester batting for charity quilts. Cotton takes longer to dry and I think it shrinks more in a dryer. Since these are charity quilts, I doubt that whoever receives them has a clothesline to let them dry on. That would be something to end up with triplets.
Hi Gretchen, I like the idea of taking a block and enlarging it to make a baby quilt. I will try this, and will add a border if I want it a little bigger. Great post!
I had not heard of wet baling before--we stored our bales in a barn, and feared fire. Wrapping and leaving them in the field must produce something akin to silage. How do you feed it?
Beautiful quilt.
The wet bales are called balege. The cows love it. Yes, it is fermented hay but baled and wrapped. On my parents farm, we chopped wet hay, blew it in the silo and that was called haylege. My husband removes the bales one at a time. He has a bale punch that fits on the skidloader. He lifts the bale over the side of the hay feeder, drops it in the feeder then cuts the strings.
Really enjoyed your detailed post. Nice looking quilts. You should be proud. I also went on to look at the hay bailing. It's good that hay can be used for different animals so you don't lose anything if it does have to be bailed wet. I get tired thinking about all of that!
Beautiful quilts, I love your different quilting styles! Thanks for linking up!
I like the striped fabric as much as the polka dots. Three super cute little quilts!
Lovely cute little quilts! It's nice to see the different versions! I'm making small quilts at present, new babies happening soon over here in NZ!
Also, thanks for linking up to 'sew stitch snap SHARE'
It's always fun to see the same quilt pattern quilted differently. Thanks for sharing!!
I love your crib quilts! Pretty colors and quilting. They look like they are fairly quick to piece - what's the name of the pattern/block?
A very cute trio of Quilts. I assume you use a walking foot for the circle. I like the off center circle. When you use flannel back soes it make any difference how it behaves? Does that one also have poly filling? I have a really cute fairy flannel and have not used it before.
Love the look of your spiral quilted quilt, I've never thought of doing this kind of quilting but it looks straightforward and gives the quilt a nice modern feel.
I soaked the flannel in hot water before I used it. Flannel does shrink more than cotton fabric. It quilted just fine. All of the crib quilts have poly batting. And they're all pieced too. I figured if using pieced batting is good enough for my grandchildren, it's good enough for charity quilts. Crib quilts are a good way to use up leftover pieces of batting. And yes, the walking foot works wonderful for quilting the spiral quilting. I look forward to seeing how you use your flannel.
Thank you. Yes, they were very quick to piece. I did have the pieces cut ahead of time. The pattern is "Go Baby, a big block baby quilt" from the 2013 Jan/Feb Quiltmaker magazine.
Hi Gretchen,
What cute cuddly quilts that someone will just love. I really like the striped fabric - even better than the yellow myself. That it is from your stash is even better! I am new to the spiral quilting arena, but it is my favorite to do as well. I also use Gutermann thread all the time. I recently tried a wavy stitch on a Finding Nemo baby quilt and it worked out well for a sea theme. You really got a lot completed in a week. ~smile~
Roseanne
Your quilts are so happy, they will be treasured and loved I am sure!
Wonderful quilts! The red just pops! Someone is going to be very happy.
All three are amazing! I love that you quilted each differently too! The perfect charity quilts that will certainly be loved by someone!
You are definitely on a roll! I like the quilts!
Three wonderful quilts. I quilt mine on a Juki TL2010Q. Isn't it nice to be able to do them yourself.
Your quilts are beautiful. Substituting one or two fabrics in each quilt shows how colors can change the quilt dramatically. Love your quilting. I find those concentric circles very difficult to quilt, but you absolutely have it figured out!
Your quilts all look great! Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!
Love seeing the same quilt quilted three different ways! I just made a 36" square quilt and thought it was too big for a baby quilt! Funny how we all perceive things differently! Thanks for linking up with TGIFF!
Your quilting looks great on all three quilts. I am always looking for great design ideas for baby quilts and I love this one - thank you!
Thank you for sharing how you are quilting your sweet little quilts. I am doing straight quilting with the walking foot and now will try the spiral. Happy Stitching!
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