Monster heads and patchwork quilts
This afternoon Amelia made a playdough “Roz” – her favourite monster from Monsters Inc.
As you can see, she looks pretty scary – kind of like an alien head. Mum and Dad have just set off for a walk with Amelia in the pram who insisted on taking Roz with her in an old ice-cream bucket so that Roz wouldn’t miss out on any of the fun. Do you think she is possibly crying out for a sibling?
I am so inspired by all the quilts that are popping up on fellow craft blogger’s sites. SO inspired. One of my new year’s challenges was to make a quilt for Amelia this year and I have been looking at a couple of fabric sites online that will ship internationally. I have no idea how to even start really – I guess it’s a matter of working out the colour scheme, working out a design and then collecting the fabrics before starting. Right? Maybe I will just spend the first six months collecting fabrics. That bit I can do.
Apparently I have some odd perception problem, because when I first saw that picture I thought that the baby foot in the photo was a real baby foot and the first thing that came to mind was, “MY GOD! How much Playdough do you own?!!” It took me a couple minutes to figure out what was up. Now it’s definitely more adorable than scary.
Just finished a baby quilt for my pregnant best friend. I usually like to start with one piece of fabric that I absolutely can’t live without, and then build the other fabrics around it. I have to start posting pics of my quilts. Have fun! Quilting is awesome; that is, until everyone asks you for one.
Creative just like her mama!
And if you ever need anyone in the states to buy and ship to you, just say the word!
Clearly, Amelia has inherited your genes for creativity!! I’m so impressed by her sculpture!
I’m not really any good at patchwork (embroidery is more my thing and I can just about sew a straight seam on my little machine). But I’ve hit on a really simple idea that came out of a lying-on-the-floor-mat for my newborn niece – get six or seven fabrics – some plains and checks/ginghams among them – and cut out twenty or thirty cm squares – four or six of each. Lay them out and then sew them into strips and then join the strips into a quilt (nice big pieces = quick and less margin for error). Then get a nice plain white for the other side – I embroidered a wreath of flowers and Beatrice’s name and DOB; but for the two older nieces it will be stars and butterflies and flowers scattered hither and yon. Quick and simple. Then you could work your way up to a more complicated one.
I’ve been wanting to make a quilt like crazy too. Are you going to do the whole nine yards – batting and everything? Someone I know forgot the batting but just lined the bottom with velvet. I bet it was so warm and soft!
Either working out a design or looking to traditional patterns. I rather like traditional patterns – they have a nice historical aspect. I’ve been a hand quilter for years -whether machine or hand, you will love it! (So will Amelia!) Its a very very easy process and there is nothing like knowing the family is safe and sound sleeping beneath your quilt!
Claire,could you list the fabric sites that ship internationally? I’m very interested. Thank you! 🙂
…and you’re right, Roz is truly scary. 😉
Quilts aren’t my thing either. However my cuz makes lots of quilts. She uses old flannel sheets as batting. Saves heaps of time and you don’t have struggle with wadding and too much movement. She picks them up cheap from second-hand shops.
I am with you on the collecting fabric for 6 months part. I am really really good at that. And then, after it arrives, I take it out of it’s packaging and lay it all out on my bed and just admire, rearrange, admire, feel, rearrange, admire…gosh, is that the time? Why is that child screaming? My Amy Butler Ginger Bliss fabric has been washed and after much deliberation, I am just going for the straight out pattern of 10 X 10 blocks. Just because it is such gorgeous fabric with awesome patterns and to cut it all up into tiny little pieces felt like such sacrilege. I have made one quilt before for my daughter Beth, which I hand quilted with hearts, but I am having this one for our bed machine quilted and I have to have it made mid-March so I need to get moving. I have used cabbagerosequilting.com in Texas before and they were great. Best range, good prices, cheap and reliable postage. There is another site that I look at from time to time called borntoquilt.com and they have a good range of fabric too. For inspiration, have a look at Douglas & Hopes quilts – really beautiful fabric and basic patterns (but close your eyes when you look at the prices) And, I see Amy Butler’s new range is out next month – I think it was called “Charm”. Hmmmmm…. Good luck.
Yes… I too have been looking at the Amy Butler fabrics. So beautiful! I am looking forward to her new range and might wait before I make any major decisions. The douglas and hope quilts are lovely – quite inspiring with their random block sizes.
Roz is cool – how cute that she took her out for a walk, I love stories like that!
I’m with you on the quilt. Inspired by everyone and I have a whole bag full of Amy Butler fabric that I bring out and play with but I’m no closer to knowing what I’m going to do with it all. So far I haven’t got any further than pram / cot sized simple pieces but I’m longing to get into something more complicated.
Paradoxically, quilting turned out to be the very worst way for me to use fabrics I treasured. Because having made the frankly stupid decision to hand-piece my double-bed sized quilt, (made of vintage aprons I’d amassed) I STILL have not finished the top…NINE YEARS LATER!!! How pathetic is that! Far, far better to cut up fabric you love, & enjoy using it, than let it languish in the stash for years on end. After all, you can always buy more…
And I forgot. When in doubt, just go for a combination of dark, medium and light colours or even the one colourway, with large and small patterns. Variety gives the most interest. The best piece of advice I was given when I was trying to find that last elusive piece for my quilt was that it doesnt have to match, it just has to “go”.
ooh I just went and blew a tonne of cash on some Amy Butler prints. Not even sure if that’s the way I want to go but they are all so lush…
Hello Claire,mmm….all the fabrics are delightful..I still have a pile sitting in my closet…not sure what I want to make of them….but later today I will download a picture to my site of the quilt the fabulous Miss A of hello yarn made for lucy ella when she was born…it is sweet, easy and makes me smile everytime I see it
wow! i think it’s wonderful how amelia has inherited your creative genes! that roz is FABULOUS! i absolutely love it.
Amy Butler prints are luscious. As are Robyn Pandolph’s (I just ordered her entire collection from last year!).
I sometimes find that the best way to get started on a quilt (patchwork, at least) is to figure out what size you want your quilt to be before you do any designing or fabric picking. Otherwise you run the risk of not having enough fabric. As far as design goes, I tend to try to design the pattern first, and pick out fabric later, whether it’s from my stash or from an actual shop.
Good luck! Looking forward to seeing the finished product.
I’ve been learning to quilt this year and have learned alot and found lots of ideas from other quilt bloggers. I’d love to add some more sites to my list. What are some of the blogs that you’ve been inspired from?
Several years ago I got it into my head to make a t-shirt quilt of my old sorority tees. My mom (a humble, but nonetheless talented, Martha Stewart facsimile / sewing goddess) said to me “Are you crazy?” It actually turned out great! I’m now on to my first “real” quilt and feeling very proud. Best of luck and keep us posted.And yes, fabric prices can be staggering.
Ah, but it’s not like fabric goes bad. If you don’t use it for Amelia’s quilt, you could use it for something else!
It’d be super fun to do a quilt-along someday. Kinda like the knit-alongs everyone loves. Can’t wait to see your Amy Butler goodies!
I recently bought a quilt for my bed and it is so gorgeous I have been inspired to make myself one too and don’t have a clue where to get started either.I did some research and the pattern of my quilt is the wedding ring design. I would like to make a similar pattern and use the quilt for the guest bedroom. It has to have a unisex feel to it. I have just found new fabric that coordinates with the quilt for my bedroom and plan to make curtains to match. If you learn of a great place to start…please post it, as I have no idea where to start either. By the way, I like the teeny foot in the left corner of the Roz photo. Thanks Claire.
The distortion on the perspective of this photo makes it look like Roz is the same size as Amelia – and that makes me giggle thinking of her walking down the street with a life size playdo figure by her side!
I recommend starting by reading some more recent quilting books. They have an incredible number of shortcuts, really ingeneous ones, which save a ton of time.
I got a Rowan/Westminster quilting book, #4 and have made two quilts–baby quilt and toddler quilt–in very short order.
Check out my blog, I’ve posted pictures there.
I used lots of Kaffe Fassett fabric and the pattern is from him.
Either way, you have more talent in your little finger than I have in my whole body, so you’ll figure it out.
You’re right! She DOES need a sibling.
One of usssss…. one of ussss….
http://www.equilter.com is the BEST for selection and service in the U.S. They add 300-400 new items to their selection each week. I’m sure they ship worldwide. Check them out!!
worth a look clairehttp://www.stargazey.com/home/index.htm
Start the quilting adventure by making something small and simple.
I’d suggest placemats, a table runner, or a small lap quilt in either a nine patch or rail fence pattern.
I will second the suggestion for e-quilter. (If nothing else sign up for their weekly e-newsletter.)
The Amy Butler fabric is wonderful. I’m working on a quilt using Temple Flowers fabrics right now.
Valori Wells also has something interesting techniques (and fabrics).