Hello everyone
I am contemplating making a double wedding ring quilt using the quiltsmart method (the previous attempt using another method (can't remember its name right now)), was not a resounding success. But I like this pattern so much! Has anyone used this method? any opinions tips or pitfalls I should be aware of? Would anyone have the fabric requirements handy for different size quilts?
thanks for the input
Claudia
I made a queen size using the quiltsmart method. It worked OK but took time and the finished quilt was very heavy. I did not piece the arches but made them from about five colors. The result looked a little like Olympic rings but was what my friend wanted.
My friend has MS. She has no use of her legs and little use of her hands. She really wanted to make her son a quilt for his wedding gift. She quilted before the MS started limiting the use of her hands. For several years we had been working together to make gifts, especially baby quilts. I knew I would have to do most of the work but agreed to help her make a wedding quilt. When I asked what pattern she said that the a Double Wedding Ring would be the traditional gift. I remembered seeing the Quiltsmart method but said I would only do whole arches, not pieced. She was OK with that. We designed the quilt on the computer and then had a fun shopping trip to purchase the fabric.
I sewed the arches which is rather mindless sewing. She turned them right side out which would not be too much trouble for the average person but with her disabilities took a long time. I finger pressed the arches and got them ready to iron in place. This is what takes time and steady nerves. You must have the arches nicely formed and the iron-on interfacing finger pressed under before you start to iron in place. Once the arches were formed my friend came for the day and we arranged the quilt on the design board. Seeing her enjoy this day made the entire project worthwhile for me.
The other time consuming aspect is top stitching all the arches in place. I was running out of time and actually had to hire someone else to finish the top stitching while I went on vacation. I had a straight outer edge to save time on the binding. It was custom quilted on a long arm machine.
The expense of the fabric and quilting was my gift to the couple. The expense of hiring someone to topstitch part of the rings was my gift to myself. My friend never knew how much it cost to have it quilted. I am sure if the young couple knew how much I had spent on the quilt they would rather have had the money. But my friend was thrilled to present the quilt at the rehearsal dinner.
Sorry I can't help with sizes. I knew I would never make another DWR quilt using Quiltsmart so gave away my quilt.
I would recommend Marti Michell's tempate set. It is very acturate and has the centers and 1/4 marked.
Susan Price
Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:37:09 -0700 (PDT), claudia wrote:
Susan: Thanks for giving an account of working with Quiltsmart foundations. Some of us may go ahead and use the Quiltsmart, and some may choose templates instead. In any case, reports such as yours will help us to make informed decisions when we are contemplating projects. There are so many interesting products available, it is nice to have a review. I am so glad to read that you were able to make the quilt and include your friend in the project.
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.