Saturday, August 9, 2008

My First Handmade Quilt

 
Well, it isn't a total domestic humiliation, but as quilters would say--it has LOTS of character (flaws)!! I found this adorable kit at JoAnn's Fabrics and had to buy it!

The materials are so cute--white cotton flannel printed with rubber duckies and bubbles, orange raised dot plush, cotton orange gingham, yellow swirled cotton flannel, blue cotton ripples, and my favorite, the sky blue satin dots! The satin and the plush were the hardest to work with. Both moved every time I tried to cut it and I had to zig-zag the satin edges so it wouldn't run. It isn't true quilting because there is no cotton batting inside, but I figured that would be okay since I'm just beginning.

So you quilters out there--here's my burning question for you and the thing I struggled with the most: I had a very hard time making sure my fabric was squared, especially on the bigger pieces. I have a cutting mat and a clear acrylic ruler, but I found it very difficult to actually make sure the fabric was squared on all sides! Almighty quilters--please help me!!

 
 
 
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4 comments:

natalie said...

Carrie did you use a rotary cutter when you were cutting your pieces?

Carrie said...

Yep, used a brand-new rotary cutter. I did okay making the cuts, but I think maybe it's the measuring?

Deanna said...

And you quilt too? I am feeling like a crafting nerd.

Anonymous said...

OR, you could buy the plastic squares all marked nicely for you. They come in sizes from small to large. You seem to make a lot of baby ones with smaller squares. Investing in a Omnigrid from Joann's with one of their sale coupons seems like it would be worth it. I used them all the time--so much easier than all the squaring off directions I've found on the internet. Of course using a rotary cutter, too, makes this just about as quick, easy, and accurate as you can get.