Bring Back the Quilt!
Patchwork isn't just for grandmas anymore.
Cause really, what is more diy than quilting? I hereby call for a return to quilting -- and no, it doesn't have to be the traditional precisely measured block piecing. Check out some of these modern takes. A lot of them are free-form, and specifically made from scraps or material recycled from sheets and clothing. You'l never want to throw out a piece of fabric again.
1. The T-Shirt Quilt
My mom made me save my t-shirts for years because she said she was gonna make me a t-shirt quilt for college. This is probably one of the most sentimental gifts you can give. And it's easy! Craftster member Kpuppy made this quilt out of t-shirts she collected from her college years, and even shares a tutorial.
2. The Cah-Razy Quilt
Yes, cah-razy. For best results, use scraps of the brightest colors you can find. In this pic, a pseudo-quilt block shape was used, sans exact measurements. Mad props to my amazingly talented mother who made this one.
3. The Harry Potter Quilt!
Seriously...could there be a better combination? Jennifer Ofenstein created this site which has a ton of free Harry Potter quilt blocks that are all paper pieced. Paper piecing is surprisingly easy to master, so all you Harry Potter fans, get on it!
4. The Old School Video Game Quilt
The old school video game trend is entering every form of artwork, and quilting has not been spared! . This Pacman art is by Craftster member s0Choice. So awesome, and the 8-bit characters are especially cool looking in quilt form A bit tedious, yes, but the results are definitely something to brag about.
5. Quilted Clothing
Why limit patchwork to your walls and bedding? Check out this pattern from Back Porch Press. If you've got it, flaunt it! sew, quilt, crazy, quilting, patchwork, harry potter, video games, pacman, craftster
I love quilts, but i have yet to build up the courage to try and make one. But my mom makes beautiful art quilts! All the quilting and appliques are hand sewn.
This is the one that can be found on her etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12519202
But you can find more on her blog:
http://zuill.us/andreablog/category/quilting/
I'm the same, really interested but a little too scared to try.
It just seems so complicated.
But it does always look fabulous. (except maybe that jacket)
This is one project i hope to begin. Having thought quilting was for nanas im finding that with all the material i have left over from my projects i could easily whip up a quilt or 4... I think Tee's are the best way to go especially with my childrens baby clothes which will be better on display than boxed away!!!
Quilting is accually a bunch of fun!
I had apsolutly NO past experience in quilting and just amde one with basic sewing skills
But it still wasn't easy!
I'll see if I can post up some pictures and a totoruial on it soon! =]
Holy beans, that's my Harry Potter quilt! Thank you so much for featuring it in your article!
Paper piecing is really fun and very rewarding. I hope anyone here that has thought about trying it will give it a go. I have lots of non-HP patterns as well...all free, same website as listed in the article. :D
~ Jennifer
I have been SLOWLY working on quilting a bargello quilt for a long time. I will post pics when I ever get done. Bargello is great! It is some artistic and neato! My mom picked up a couple books on it, but here is a link to some other Bargello quilts that are awesome:
http://kameleonquilt.com/gallery/bargello.htm
Though the quilt is not as traditional a bargello as some others, it is a good turtourial on how to make it yourself (this one was made with scraps, if you want to weedle down your collection) !
http://quiltville.com/scrapbargello.shtml
The part of quilting that I love is piecing the top. It is usually fast and the results are immediate. The part that stinks in the quilting itself. It TAKES SOOOO LOOOONG! Handquilting is a chore, and tough on your fingers, but my mother ingrained in me that machine quilting is cheating somehow. lol. Either way, the big quilt machines are awesome, but cost as much as a car, so that is out for me. :-(
My grandma used to tie quilts, jsut running some floss all the way through and back up and jsut tie a knot and leave about 1 inch ends flapping. Cute, but gives the cats something to focus on destroying. Oh No!
Maybe Rob and Corrine or the DIY Nest folks can do a show about quilting.....maybe with some creative ways to fasten quilts together that aren't quilt so slooooooooow or pricey?
Maybe we could fasten with buttons? Any other thoughts?
Here are a couple of alternative ways to quilt, I couldn't think of more offhand:
buttons- depending on the batting you need to have a button every 3-4 inches. Go down to a craft store, and buy a tube of buttons, they work great, but it takes a lot. Great way to use up leftover buttons from projects.
quilt as you go- I like this method, because it makes putting together big quilts easier
This looks like a really simple and fun project to try this summer. I've been really bummed because I can't afford this awesome quilt I saw in the Urban Outfitters catologue but now I'm thinking I could try and replicate it myself. I don't have that much experience in sewing yet, but it shouldn't be too hard to handstitch some vintage-looking floral fabrics and bright batik prints together, right? Does anybody have any really helpful hints for beginner quiltmaking?
I am making a quilt too. Its out of all my fiance's old rocker tshirts and sweet shirts.
The family's favorite quilt was one I made cutting up their old blue jeans and cords. I split the seams, made myself a 5" cardboard template and cut as many squares out of each pair of jeans that I could. I aimed for logos or things that make me remember whose jeans they were. I saved the pockets and put some on there for an accent and I put some pockets on holes created by my children. This quilt is pretty well used! Give it a try!
there's some great fiber artists out there that do some amazing original quilting...
on accessories
such as bags,
and change purses.
there are many out there that focus on the art of thread-dyeing as well as thread art by machine stitch, rather than geometric fabric piecing.