My brother and his wife are having a baby in October. I have owned the Yoyo Mama Designs Antique Baby Quilt pattern for years, but have never made it. So I thought it was about time. I used all scraps from my stash.
I've decided to write something I learned from each quilt -- this is not to point out the imperfections, but merely to write it down so I'll remember those lessons next time, and maybe someone else can learn from my mistakes. So here's what I learned when making this pattern:
1. Use more glue! Glue???? Yes, this quilt is done by gluing the squares to a piece of muslin; putting the quilt backing, batting, and top together; and then sewing the squares on. It's a quick process which results in the cute raw edges. But I found that as I ran it through my machine the little squares shifted. Afterward I watched a video online that talked about glue basting with Washable Elmer's and then heat setting the squares. I think I'll try that next time.
2. Think ahead about the backing -- I bought a brown backing and then realized that I'd need to use white thread on the top...and ideally white on the bottom. But since my sewing isn't super straight I was worried the white stitching on the back would look glaringly crooked. I opted for tan thread on the back, white on the top...hoping it wouldn't be too obvious if my tension wasn't perfect. So....I'm fine with how it looks but next time I want to think about the thread on the back before I buy the backing.
3. It's fun to put a little Star Wars into the quilt. I wasn't sure about doing this -- and hope that the little yoga faces won't scare the baby! But I am glad I threw them in there and now the older kids can enjoy the "Star Wars blanket" like Tanner did.
So that was really wordy. Not sure if it makes sense to any of you reading this...Allyson and Karen. (:
I've decided to write something I learned from each quilt -- this is not to point out the imperfections, but merely to write it down so I'll remember those lessons next time, and maybe someone else can learn from my mistakes. So here's what I learned when making this pattern:
1. Use more glue! Glue???? Yes, this quilt is done by gluing the squares to a piece of muslin; putting the quilt backing, batting, and top together; and then sewing the squares on. It's a quick process which results in the cute raw edges. But I found that as I ran it through my machine the little squares shifted. Afterward I watched a video online that talked about glue basting with Washable Elmer's and then heat setting the squares. I think I'll try that next time.
2. Think ahead about the backing -- I bought a brown backing and then realized that I'd need to use white thread on the top...and ideally white on the bottom. But since my sewing isn't super straight I was worried the white stitching on the back would look glaringly crooked. I opted for tan thread on the back, white on the top...hoping it wouldn't be too obvious if my tension wasn't perfect. So....I'm fine with how it looks but next time I want to think about the thread on the back before I buy the backing.
3. It's fun to put a little Star Wars into the quilt. I wasn't sure about doing this -- and hope that the little yoga faces won't scare the baby! But I am glad I threw them in there and now the older kids can enjoy the "Star Wars blanket" like Tanner did.
So that was really wordy. Not sure if it makes sense to any of you reading this...Allyson and Karen. (:
I am linking up to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts and to GoGo Kim's Sewjo Saturday.
