04 July 2012

Quilting

I was very lucky recently to be able to purchase a new sewing machine.  It goes like a dream.  It sews so smoothly, quietly, has all the bells and whistles that I need, and only a few that I don't.

It just so happens that I was given a cot bumper set (which I've been far too frightened to use because of all the scare-mongering advertising telling us that they're not safe) that was pretty plain.  I think the theory with it though, was that you could decorate it and personalise it however you liked.  Kind of like a blank canvas.

The sewing machine and the cot bumper set do relate, read on....

I had this awesome idea to quilt it, freehand-style, but I didn't have a machine which would handle the thickness of the batting or a machine which would drop it's feed-dogs, or a machine which had the right presser-foot.

Well, now that I do have a machine that ticks all the boxes... I got busy straight away on Pinterest.  Why Pinterest?  Well, for ideas and inspiration of course.  There are many ways to free-hand quilt, but I wanted to see if there was anything that caught my eye.

Fortunately for me, I found a tutorial on how to freehand quilt a puzzle-pattern.  But there was a lot of sewing back over the same lines they had already sewn and it all looked too perfect for a puzzle.  So, I came up with my own solution.  Here's how it turned out:



I think it looks awesome!  I'm so pleased with it, especially the way the puzzle pieces aren't all the same - like a real puzzle.  I'm still not sure if I'll actually use it yet though...


I drew a grid on the fabric with a water-soluable fabric pen and a ruler.  I started in one corner and went from left to right one way, then left to right the other way.  Easy peazy.



I also used a green thread on top and bottom to give it a little contrast.  The batting is so puffy though that I don't think it needed anything to help it stand out.

Any suggestions on how to use a cot bumper safely?  My son is now a week from 1 year old so he sleeps in all sorts of contortions and is perfectly happy.

x

My Beautiful Queen Size Quilt and 25 ideas for free hand machine quilting

EDIT:  How I did it: Puzzle Quilting blog post here.

10 comments:

  1. AWesome! Yay for your new machine, you are so clever!

    I used a bumper for Milla, I just make sure its always tied on tight and its tucked in between the cot and the mattress tightly. Theres really no gap there so its always jammed in pretty securely.

    I think the danger is when they are able to flap around or some lose?

    x

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    1. Thank you! I figured it would be safe if tied in tightly - and like you said tucked in between the cot and the mattress. It's SO tight in that gap too - even hard to tuck in his blankets. I know that's a really good thing too.

      Thanks for advice. :)

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  2. Wow! You're amazing! I can't believe that this is your first attempt at FMQ, it looks so professional! I have just recently bought a darning foot but haven't really had a chance to play with it properly yet... I can't wait to give it a try now that I see yours.
    Sorry, no advice on cot bumpers, I've never used them with either of mine...

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  3. Oh my gosh I LOVE IT! You are so clever! I'm so glad you got a new sewing machine!
    No advice on the bumper thing sorry, have no idea what it is :P Except that babies love dangly strings, so tuck them far far away.

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  4. LOVE the effect of your puffy puzzle pieces :D can I ask what sewing machine you have, as it sounds like a perfect upgrade to replce my cheap 20 year old clunky old mschine :) x

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    1. Oh I would love to tell you all about it. Please reply to this comment with your email address, or just send me an email lovecraftsleep @ gmail . com

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  5. Love your idea. Would be so cute for a baby quilt.

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  6. What a lovely pattern. I have 3 baby quilts to make soon and I am definitely going to try and emulate your one! I do believe I could do this. Thank you for inspiring me to "have a go".

    About the bumper, make sure you use cotton tape for your tiers, not ribbon which slips. Tuck or tie them well out of reach and it should be fine.

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    1. Thank you! It's super simple, just sew slowly.
      And, thanks for the tips on the bumper... I'm due in April with my second bub, so I'll keep it in mind. :) Thank you!

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    2. And, I've added a link at the bottom of this post to take you to the post where I show you how I did it. xx

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