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Baby quilt

I started a new project because I haven't finished any of my UFOs yet (you know how it is!). And anyway, I found out my sister is pregnant again after trying for a long time, so I had to make a baby quilt.

DD (aged 3) told me in no uncertain terms that it had to be a heart quilt, so I picked out some blue and yellow fabrics from my stash and "freezer paper applique"ed some big hearts onto squares. Then I stack'n'slashed them into quarters, and switched them around. They're looking great, although not as distinct as they might be because some of the prints are a bit busy. I'm also a bit worried that when I've sewed 'em back together the "heart" shape might be a bit messed up because of the seam allowances.

But it's OK - I have a cunning plan. I'm going to blanket stitch around the hearts in thick black thread, maybe embroidery silk or something. Then I can "cheat" a little and make them more heart shaped if that's a problem. Also the blanket stitch should make it clearer to tell the hearts from the backgrounds. And they'll look all cute and folk-arty and just nice for a baby quilt.

The next step is to set them - I've got 6 hearts and I want a 3x4 grid of blocks, so I'll alternate hearts with plain (solids or near as dammit) squares. What colour should the plain squares be? My dad suggested green because that will go with yellow and blue, being a blend of them both. But he has no colour sense at all - you should see how he dresses ;-). My mum suggested pale blue (the blues in the blocks are "royal blue" kinds of values), because that isn't introducing a new colour but will be visually distinct from the pieced blocks. I like that idea. Cream or some other neutral colour also seems like a possibility.

There will also be a border. I haven't thought much about that yet. Perhaps I'll look for a baby print with blue and yellow in it. How does it sound? I've invented (or at least "discovered") this technique - I haven't seen another quilt that used this combination of techniques, although I am just combining techniques I have seen or read about elsewhere.

Reply to
Mel Rimmer
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Cool idea with the hearts! As for the "missing" color, find your border fabric first. Then the color you need will probably leap out at you. Roberta in D

Reply to
Roberta Zollner

In article , Kate Dicey writes

Because the "heart" fabrics are also the "background" fabrics and so they would merge together. It's OK. I've already done it - I settled on pale blue, for the simple reason - "I already had some".

I like that idea, and it doesn't require going out and buying more fabric, which I can't afford. Thanks. I'm going to have to buy backing and batting anyway. There's no rush - the baby isn't due until next year. But yesterday morning it seemed easier to design, piece, quilt, and bind a whole new quilt than just finish off one of the 3/4-done quilts I have lying around.

Reply to
Mel Rimmer

What about a mint green - still going with your dads reasoning that blue and yellow make green, but a pale pastel colour which will make the hearts zing and pop out?

Suzie B

-- "From the internet connection under the pier" Southend, UK

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Reply to
Paul & Suzie Beckwith

In article , Sandy Foster writes

That's what I've done. I string-pieced the border out of the fabrics from the quilt. It took *hours*! Much longer than piecing the blocks! But it looks good. When DD (aged 3) saw the long ribbon I was string- piecing she said "Wow! That's *brilliant*!"

So the top is complete. I'll buy the batting and backing tomorrow, and I know how I'm going to quilt it. I'm going to shadow the heart shape within the hearts, with a diamond-grid background. I'll do exactly the same on the alternating plain blocks - hearts within hearts and diamond- grid background. In the border I'll just SITD every few strips. It's so busy any fancy quilting would get lost.

It's a very cheerful friendly quilt. It makes me smile when I look at it, and it has all come together like magic. No unpicking! This was definitely a quilt that wanted to exist. Why can't my UFOs be as easy and fun as this?

Reply to
Mel Rimmer

That sounds very similar to a quilt thatI saw in a magazine recently but... the heart was sewn on to the background square with a straight stitch about

1/4" from the edge, the background was then cutaway behind the heart, then the same was done with a second heart Then the squares were cut in quarters and rejoined so no quarters matched then they were joined alternately with four patch squares.

It's on my to do list!

Like I said I saw It in I magazine but It was also available in a kit form from

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and is called Raggedy Hearts if you want to see the finished quilt

HTH

Dee in Oz

Reply to
D&D

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