Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Want to Make a Quilt with Me?

Continuing on the theme of my cleaning rampage - I found this finished quilt top that just needs quilting and binding. It was super easy and fun to make, but I don't really need another quilt right now so I never actually finished it.
I also found more fabric scraps than will fit in my scrap baskets.

I've been noticing a call for quilt donations at the bottom of every day's post from Modern Day Quilts. They're working to collect enough quilts to give one to every child who lost his or her home in the fires.

A lot of you have been asking me to do some quilt tutorials.

I think the universe is trying to tell me something. Time to make something beautiful out of all those scraps! And give it away!

I'm going to teach you how to design and make a SUPER easy quilt out of whatever you have on hand. You all have a bunch of scraps, right? Want to sew along? I'll work on my own quilt, with a post here for every step of the process. Some weeks there might be a couple of posts, sometimes I'll skip a week. I'll put together video tutorials for any steps that need them. But I think we'll get through everything and have finished quilts in 4-6 weeks.

Today's assignment - sort your scraps into different colors and press them. I usually store my scraps by color - until I have too many and then they just pile up on the floor in front of my "official" scrap storage space.
I bought this nifty piece a few years ago at Ikea and I use a different basket for each color. I just stuff scraps in there as I go, so they're really wadded up and wrinkly and need to be pressed before I can do anything else.

Don't worry about your design yet. Don't even think about the finished version and what colors you "need" to make it work. We're going to make something beautiful out of what you have. So for now just press it neatly and sort it into color piles.
See? I've already started! Actually - my daughter has. She LOVES to iron and sort my scraps - and I love to let her. :-)

I'll be back soon with the next step!

Happy sorting and pressing!

Best,
Wendi
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2 comments:

  1. Bugga in OK2:38 PM

    Finally, got it to work! Looking forward to following along with your quilting series. Love your blog! I've sewed for years and have scraps! Have never made a quilt. Recently bought a rotary cutter and I hate it! I've always used scissors to cut fabric. Does the cutter make it easier? Do I just need practice and patience? Thanks, Annette

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  2. Hi! I'm Wendi!6:31 PM

    Annette - I LOVE my rotary cutter. I still use scissors for all curved lines - but for any straight lines I ALWAYS get out my rotary cutter. Most of my quilt designs use squares and rectangles - but if you want to get into triangles your roraty cutter will be your best friend. There are fabulous rulers with special markings on them that make it a real snap to make perfect angled cuts. Plus - cutting a lot with scissors (even good ones) makes my hand ache. With a rotary cutter I can cut ALL the blocks I need for a quilt in an afternoon.

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