My First Quilt

On 02/02/2012 22:28, Betsy wrote:
Hi,

I've been lurking here a bit and have been inspired and intimidated by
the amazing quilts many here have made.

I just made my first quilt and thought I would share the experience. It
was a great learning experience, though it would have been easier and
better if I had come into it with more experience. I put pictures up at
http://www.eskimo.com/~betsy/quilt/

I thought I had volunteered to donate some fabric and help a bit on a
class quilt for a school auction, but didn't hear back, so I thought I
was off the hook.

One day, I suddenly received a phone call that started "Hi, how's the
quilt coming along?" Oops, I had been assigned to make a quilt for a
small class that had no parents able to do it. Somehow there had been a
communication gap and now I needed to make a quilt in a hurry.

The class theme was Angels, the students needed to contribute
artistically. Since this was my first real quilt, I needed something
simple. I had some fabrics that would be meaningful for the school to
use and wanted to put angels on triangles so I googled for free triangle
quilt patterns and found
http://www.freequiltpatterns.info/qu...-triangles.htm
Its size looked perfect since I needed 12 blocks.

The auction book had to be printed before I made the quilt, so I just
passed on the 52" x 60" measurements listed, never thinking about the
fact that 3x4 9" blocks would never come close to 52"x60". This became a
big issue at the end and forced me to put way more effort into borders
than planned.

I drew simple 3 part flying angel pattens and stabilizer patterns so I
could fold over the edges. After cutting and sewing the blocks, I cut
out lots and lots of angels using quilting scraps from a thrift shop.

After sewing the blocks, I took the angel parts and blocks to the school
and set up a line for the children to choose a block, then a body (from
about 50) then a wing and a head. Then each block and angel went in a
large zip-loc bag with the child's name on it.

I used the directions at
http://www.generations-quilt-pattern...-applique.html to
machine applique them. This was time consuming and after making a
practice angel, I found I had to line the heads for them to look nice.

After sewing the blocks together, I suddenly realized I needed to add
12" of border all the way around. Thankfully, I had someone over to
watch my younger kids as I rushed off to the thrift shop where I found
the orange and red fabrics and Joannes where I found the green.

On the day of the auction, I got up very early in the morning to do the
quilting. Luckily, the spray basting I got at Joannes worked and I
didn't have to pin. I adjusted my pressure foot tension until it was
extremely gentle and rushed, just stitching in the ditch except for
going around the angels.

I didn't have the time and experience to deal with binding at this
point, so I just trimmed the batting and back 1" in from the top, ironed
over the top 1/4 inch, then folded it over the back and top stitched,
trimming and hand mitering the corners.

Sadly, I had to wash the quilt because a couple of the squares had
become damp and the angels had shriveled. Since there was no time for it
to dry before the auction, I had to throw it in the dryer. When it came
out, I spread it on a bedspread on the floor, took a few pictures and
rushed it straight to the auction, 20 minutes before the doors opened.
It had been a busy 3 weeks.

I love my Singer 301a which I used for most of it and my Elna Special
which I used for the applique. Even though I don't have a fancy new
machine or fancy feet, I had a great time.

What a super first quilt, much more impressive than mine. The borders
work really, really well. I love the story behind it and you deserve a
round of applause for coming to the rescue of a class that needed your
skills.

I always toss my quilts in the washer and dryer before they go to their
recipient, that way any shrinking & wrinkling has already happened and I
can say hand-on-heart that the quilt is easy care.

Lizzy

Betsy, obviously, you're unflappable! The quilt is gorgeous and I
love your story of how it evolved. I'm looking forward to seeing many
more of your wonderful creations. rusty

(You do realize this fits the potato chip syndrome--you can't stop
with just one?)

On 2/2/2012 10:40 PM, larchie wrote:
I'm a lurker too, for a lot longer time than you I think. You did really
well, nobody would guess that was a first quilt. Congratulations. You
will discove that quilting is addictive and therefore you will find time
to make many more. I'm sure a masterpiece is not that far in the future.

Thanks, it helps that I've done plenty of non-quilt sewing. I'm
starting to dream about quilts.

--Betsy

On 2/3/2012 2:38 AM, Roberta wrote:
Wow, what a story! (It really made me laugh :-) You are fearless!

Maybe insane would be a better adjective.

I
love the quilt, hope it raised lots of money.

It sold for $1000. It helps to have an audience with strong charitable
motivations. I had a hard time giving it up after working so hard
making it, but I would have only spent a fraction of that to buy it.

I guess all my worries that it might sell for less than the materials
required to make it were unfounded.

You have great color
sense. Bet you're looking forward to the next one, with no pressure.
Roberta in D


I do, but I also worry that I would never finish one without pressure.

--Betsy

On 2/3/2012 2:53 AM, Lizzy Taylor wrote:
What a super first quilt, much more impressive than mine. The borders
work really, really well. I love the story behind it and you deserve a
round of applause for coming to the rescue of a class that needed your
skills.

Thanks, it was quite a shock when I realized I would need to do
something about borders.

I calculated the size, cut, and sewed the triangles before shopping for
the rest of the fabric for the borders. I took the quilt top and a
couple triangles with me when I shopped. The lady at the fabric store,
who is a real quilter, looked at them and told me not to use them,
because they would detract from the angels. It was hard to go against
her advise, but it seemed that 12" of plain borders would be too much.


I always toss my quilts in the washer and dryer before they go to their
recipient, that way any shrinking & wrinkling has already happened and I
can say hand-on-heart that the quilt is easy care.


I'm glad to hear that someone else does this. The person in charge of
organizing quilts for the auction told me afterwards that no one ever
washes their quilts before the auction.

The lavender fabric has a very mild wide seersucker texture. This
showed more after the trip through the dryer. It didn't look bad, but
it was different from the other quilts.

It would have been easier if some of the water soluble stabilizer hadn't
gotten a little damp and shriveled requiring complete washing out.

Since it sold well, I guess I don't need to worry about it. I never
have to wonder if it would survive washing and drying.

--Betsy

Thank you for sharing the story, the pictures, and the experience.
Well done, you!


Karen, Queen of Squishies



On 2012-02-02 22:28:53 +0000, Betsy said:

Hi,

I've been lurking here a bit and have been inspired and intimidated
by the amazing quilts many here have made.

I just made my first quilt and thought I would share the experience.
It was a great learning experience, though it would have been easier
and better if I had come into it with more experience. I put pictures
up at http://www.eskimo.com/~betsy/quilt/

I thought I had volunteered to donate some fabric and help a bit on
a class quilt for a school auction, but didn't hear back, so I thought
I was off the hook.

One day, I suddenly received a phone call that started "Hi, how's
the quilt coming along?" Oops, I had been assigned to make a quilt for
a small class that had no parents able to do it. Somehow there had
been a communication gap and now I needed to make a quilt in a hurry.

The class theme was Angels, the students needed to contribute
artistically. Since this was my first real quilt, I needed something
simple. I had some fabrics that would be meaningful for the school to
use and wanted to put angels on triangles so I googled for free
triangle quilt patterns and found
http://www.freequiltpatterns.info/qu...-triangles.htm
Its size looked perfect since I needed 12 blocks.

The auction book had to be printed before I made the quilt, so I just
passed on the 52" x 60" measurements listed, never thinking about the
fact that 3x4 9" blocks would never come close to 52"x60". This became
a big issue at the end and forced me to put way more effort into
borders than planned.

I drew simple 3 part flying angel pattens and stabilizer patterns so I
could fold over the edges. After cutting and sewing the blocks, I cut
out lots and lots of angels using quilting scraps from a thrift shop.

After sewing the blocks, I took the angel parts and blocks to the
school and set up a line for the children to choose a block, then a
body (from about 50) then a wing and a head. Then each block and angel
went in a large zip-loc bag with the child's name on it.

I used the directions at
http://www.generations-quilt-pattern...-applique.html to
machine applique them. This was time consuming and after making a
practice angel, I found I had to line the heads for them to look nice.

After sewing the blocks together, I suddenly realized I needed to add
12" of border all the way around. Thankfully, I had someone over to
watch my younger kids as I rushed off to the thrift shop where I found
the orange and red fabrics and Joannes where I found the green.

On the day of the auction, I got up very early in the morning to do the
quilting. Luckily, the spray basting I got at Joannes worked and I
didn't have to pin. I adjusted my pressure foot tension until it was
extremely gentle and rushed, just stitching in the ditch except for
going around the angels.

I didn't have the time and experience to deal with binding at this
point, so I just trimmed the batting and back 1" in from the top,
ironed over the top 1/4 inch, then folded it over the back and top
stitched, trimming and hand mitering the corners.

Sadly, I had to wash the quilt because a couple of the squares had
become damp and the angels had shriveled. Since there was no time for
it to dry before the auction, I had to throw it in the dryer. When it
came out, I spread it on a bedspread on the floor, took a few pictures
and rushed it straight to the auction, 20 minutes before the doors
opened. It had been a busy 3 weeks.

I love my Singer 301a which I used for most of it and my Elna Special
which I used for the applique. Even though I don't have a fancy new
machine or fancy feet, I had a great time.

--Betsy

That is gorgeous Betsy! Well done on the whole achievement.


Leigh Harris
Perth, Western Australia

"Betsy"

Hi,

I've been lurking here a bit and have been inspired and intimidated
by the amazing quilts many here have made.

I just made my first quilt and thought I would share the experience.
It was a great learning experience, though it would have been easier
and better if I had come into it with more experience. I put pictures
up at http://www.eskimo.com/~betsy/quilt/ (the rest is snipped)

Your first quilt is absolutely fabulous ~ and under pressure no less!
Way to go! I am amazed.


Michelle in Wichita, KS formerly of Nevada

On 2/2/2012 4:28 PM, Betsy wrote:
Hi,

I've been lurking here a bit and have been inspired and intimidated by
the amazing quilts many here have made.

I just made my first quilt and thought I would share the experience. It
was a great learning experience, though it would have been easier and
better if I had come into it with more experience. I put pictures up at
http://www.eskimo.com/~betsy/quilt/

I thought I had volunteered to donate some fabric and help a bit on a
class quilt for a school auction, but didn't hear back, so I thought I
was off the hook.

One day, I suddenly received a phone call that started "Hi, how's the
quilt coming along?" Oops, I had been assigned to make a quilt for a
small class that had no parents able to do it. Somehow there had been a
communication gap and now I needed to make a quilt in a hurry.

The class theme was Angels, the students needed to contribute
artistically. Since this was my first real quilt, I needed something
simple. I had some fabrics that would be meaningful for the school to
use and wanted to put angels on triangles so I googled for free triangle
quilt patterns and found
http://www.freequiltpatterns.info/qu...-triangles.htm
Its size looked perfect since I needed 12 blocks.

The auction book had to be printed before I made the quilt, so I just
passed on the 52" x 60" measurements listed, never thinking about the
fact that 3x4 9" blocks would never come close to 52"x60". This became a
big issue at the end and forced me to put way more effort into borders
than planned.

I drew simple 3 part flying angel pattens and stabilizer patterns so I
could fold over the edges. After cutting and sewing the blocks, I cut
out lots and lots of angels using quilting scraps from a thrift shop.

After sewing the blocks, I took the angel parts and blocks to the school
and set up a line for the children to choose a block, then a body (from
about 50) then a wing and a head. Then each block and angel went in a
large zip-loc bag with the child's name on it.

I used the directions at
http://www.generations-quilt-pattern...-applique.html to
machine applique them. This was time consuming and after making a
practice angel, I found I had to line the heads for them to look nice.

After sewing the blocks together, I suddenly realized I needed to add
12" of border all the way around. Thankfully, I had someone over to
watch my younger kids as I rushed off to the thrift shop where I found
the orange and red fabrics and Joannes where I found the green.

On the day of the auction, I got up very early in the morning to do the
quilting. Luckily, the spray basting I got at Joannes worked and I
didn't have to pin. I adjusted my pressure foot tension until it was
extremely gentle and rushed, just stitching in the ditch except for
going around the angels.

I didn't have the time and experience to deal with binding at this
point, so I just trimmed the batting and back 1" in from the top, ironed
over the top 1/4 inch, then folded it over the back and top stitched,
trimming and hand mitering the corners.

Sadly, I had to wash the quilt because a couple of the squares had
become damp and the angels had shriveled. Since there was no time for it
to dry before the auction, I had to throw it in the dryer. When it came
out, I spread it on a bedspread on the floor, took a few pictures and
rushed it straight to the auction, 20 minutes before the doors opened.
It had been a busy 3 weeks.

I love my Singer 301a which I used for most of it and my Elna Special
which I used for the applique. Even though I don't have a fancy new
machine or fancy feet, I had a great time.

--Betsy

That is amazing Betsy.Such a lot of movement and colour! i love
it.Congratulations on a very good first effort!
http://community.webshots.com/user/EstelleUK11

"Betsy" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I've been lurking here a bit and have been inspired and intimidated by
the amazing quilts many here have made.

I just made my first quilt and thought I would share the experience. It
was a great learning experience, though it would have been easier and
better if I had come into it with more experience. I put pictures up at
http://www.eskimo.com/~betsy/quilt/

I thought I had volunteered to donate some fabric and help a bit on a
class quilt for a school auction, but didn't hear back, so I thought I was
off the hook.

One day, I suddenly received a phone call that started "Hi, how's the
quilt coming along?" Oops, I had been assigned to make a quilt for a
small class that had no parents able to do it. Somehow there had been a
communication gap and now I needed to make a quilt in a hurry.

The class theme was Angels, the students needed to contribute
artistically. Since this was my first real quilt, I needed something
simple. I had some fabrics that would be meaningful for the school to use
and wanted to put angels on triangles so I googled for free triangle quilt
patterns and found
http://www.freequiltpatterns.info/qu...-triangles.htm
Its size looked perfect since I needed 12 blocks.

The auction book had to be printed before I made the quilt, so I just
passed on the 52" x 60" measurements listed, never thinking about the fact
that 3x4 9" blocks would never come close to 52"x60". This became a big
issue at the end and forced me to put way more effort into borders than
planned.

I drew simple 3 part flying angel pattens and stabilizer patterns so I
could fold over the edges. After cutting and sewing the blocks, I cut out
lots and lots of angels using quilting scraps from a thrift shop.

After sewing the blocks, I took the angel parts and blocks to the school
and set up a line for the children to choose a block, then a body (from
about 50) then a wing and a head. Then each block and angel went in a
large zip-loc bag with the child's name on it.

I used the directions at
http://www.generations-quilt-pattern...-applique.html to machine
applique them. This was time consuming and after making a practice angel,
I found I had to line the heads for them to look nice.

After sewing the blocks together, I suddenly realized I needed to add 12"
of border all the way around. Thankfully, I had someone over to watch my
younger kids as I rushed off to the thrift shop where I found the orange
and red fabrics and Joannes where I found the green.

On the day of the auction, I got up very early in the morning to do the
quilting. Luckily, the spray basting I got at Joannes worked and I didn't
have to pin. I adjusted my pressure foot tension until it was extremely
gentle and rushed, just stitching in the ditch except for going around the
angels.

I didn't have the time and experience to deal with binding at this point,
so I just trimmed the batting and back 1" in from the top, ironed over the
top 1/4 inch, then folded it over the back and top stitched, trimming and
hand mitering the corners.

Sadly, I had to wash the quilt because a couple of the squares had become
damp and the angels had shriveled. Since there was no time for it to dry
before the auction, I had to throw it in the dryer. When it came out, I
spread it on a bedspread on the floor, took a few pictures and rushed it
straight to the auction, 20 minutes before the doors opened. It had been
a busy 3 weeks.

I love my Singer 301a which I used for most of it and my Elna Special
which I used for the applique. Even though I don't have a fancy new
machine or fancy feet, I had a great time.

--Betsy