I have worked hard every spare moment this week to finish this quilt. In so doing I did two things that I never do when quilting. I used spray basting to baste the layers together and I machine sewed the binding down! I was desperate when I grabbed the can of spray basting that I've had for years but have been too scared never used until now. I had to be frugal when sewing this quilt and not buy anything (less working = more quilting time but also = less money to spend). This meant I had to piece together the bamboo batting and because of that the batting did not lie perfectly flat and smooth. So I used the spray basting on the top side and smoothed the top to the batting and then did the same for the back side.
This seemed to work enough that I could quilt it. I quilted it with a wavy stitch using a zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine. I saw this technique on Camille Roskelley's blog Simplify and it was a smart method for quilting a small quilt. Her's looks a million times better than mine but it was interesting to try out a stitch I had never used on my machine and in a way it was not originally intended for. (My machine was $400 about 14 years ago from Sears. It's a Kenmore. So not exactly la creme de la creme. It's on my to-do list to save up for a better machine!)
It was good to use up supplies I've had around for a while. The body of this quilt is a reproduction 1930's fabric collection called "1933" by Chloe's Closet for Moda. I bought the jelly roll a couple of years ago in Jasper, AB and had opened it to use a few strip in a baby quilt I had sewn and sold in my Etsy shop. So I wanted to use up the strips before they were ruined sitting around in my mess stash. The technique I used to make the strips into a quilt is in the book "Strip-Smart Quilts" by Kathy Brown.
This was the baby quilt I sold in my Etsy shop. It was made using a pack of charm squares (fabric is again 1933 by Chloe's Closet for Moda). I found a tutorial for the technique called "Hidden 9 Patch" on Allison Harris' blog Cluck Cluck Sew .
The border is a fabric I've had in my stash since 1999 (I think?). I bought it when "Crafts Canada" was closing out. Can you believe it? At least I finally used it. I don't know the designer or maker. The binding fabric is "The Little Romance Collection" by April Cornell for Moda. I don't know when this line came out but I bought it last summer in Canmore, AB. I also read on Cluck Cluck Sew about how Allison machine sews her bindings so on a whim (and when really wanting to be finished this quilt) I decided to do it. Again, mine did not turn out as well as hers but it's done. I took my quilt out to lay it on the snow for photos since it's a sunny day here and the snow is fresh from yesterday. It gives the photos a bluish colour.
The backing is a brushed cotton flannel by Northcott that I bought in 2003 in Edmonton, AB. It is so soft and cozy. I ran it in two directions as naturally I did not have enough. And I had to use a different fat quarter of the same line but solid purple down in one corner. This is what happens when you buy fabric with no idea what you're going to do with it. But it's the back so I'm not worried. It's still super comfy even if it is pieced and not perfect. (Secretly I like the back better than the front just for the coziness factor.) So the fabrics came from everywhere in both time and space but they all came together for a cozy quilt reminiscent of my Grandma's old fashioned house aprons. My family will use it for years to come to cuddle under, read books, watch TV and movies. It's in the washing machine as I write and my daughter is anxious for it to come out of the dryer all warm and fluffy. Can't wait!
