Soooo… I’m still pregnant. And, that’s all I have to say about that. *Blank expression*
It’s about darn time, though, that I share the quilt I made for this stubborn little boy’s nursery. I mean, this quilt has been finished for over a month! Remember when I shared my nursery fabric selection? Well, I can’t even begin to express how anxious I was to undertake such a huge project. My sewing machine and I have a very new and timid friendship. How was I supposed to pull off a quilt?
I don’t know how I did it but I stuck with it and now I have a perfectly imperfect quilt that I couldn’t be more proud of!
Let me back up and start from the beginning. Now, I will admit that I really went with my gut on this whole project. This is most definitely not a fool-proof or proper way to quilt but this is what worked for me. I apologize if I use the wrong sewing terms or violate a sewing rule. I am a first timer! If anything, I hope this inspires any of y’all out there that are nervous about undertaking a project to just try it!
Let’s get started. First, I ironed all my fabric. I used five different fabrics.
I chose to do a basic square-shaped patchwork quilt. I chose this for ease mainly but I quite like a basic quilt. So, I began by cutting my fabrics into 6 inch squares. I used a cutting mat and a rotary fabric cutter. I highly recommend using these materials as they made cutting really easy.
Cutting all the squares took quite a bit of time!
I then lined up my squares in a pattern that appealed to me.
I piled up each square in order by row and numbered that row so I wouldn’t get the piles confused. I started sewing my squares together. Always remember that you want to sew the fabrics facing each other. I chose to iron and pin as I went along. My sewing lines were no where near perfect but slowly by surely I had all my rows sewed together. I used a 1/2 inch seam allowance.
After some more ironing and pinning, I then sewed my rows together.
Once I sewed all my rows together, I had finally finished sewing the quilt top! I then laid all my quilt layers down on a bare spot of flooring in my house. Time to assemble to quilt sandwich! I chose a soft yellow flannel fabric for my backing and bought a “baby quilt” size package of batting. I laid the flannel down. Then, the batting. And, finally my quilt top. Using safety pins, I began pinning the three layers together making sure to keep things as smooth as possible.
I then started sewing my quilt sandwich together. (Mmm, turkey bacon sandwich…) I followed the lines of my squares. Since the bulk of the fabric was thicker, I made sure to adjust the tension on my sewing machine. Thankfully, though, I was able to use a regular foot.
Once my quilt sandwich was completely sewn together, I removed all the safety pins. I then trimmed the edges to make them even.
Phew! Finally, time to bind the quilt! I used a couple packages of pre-made binding in a teal color. I pinned the binding to the edges of my quilt sandwich and sewed it all on up!
Now, I’m quite positive that if any professional or long-term sewing enthusiasts are seeing this post that you’re all probably wincing in pain right about now. But, hey, I am darn proud of my perfectly imperfect quilt. More so, I am proud that I stuck with it and finished it. This quilt was completed over the course of many days and I really love it. My son will hopefully have it for many years to come.
Taking up a sewing project is highly intimidating if you’re a first-timer. Sometimes you just have to give it a go, though! I hope that if any of y’all are timid of trying a new craft project that you just jump in with both feet. If you stick with it, I promise you’ll surprise yourself in a good way!