my first quilt!
friends, my first quilt is finished & one of my february goals is officially checked off the list! it feels so good.
i honestly didn’t think i could sew & of course, i am still learning. my sewing machine gathered dust for many, many years until this january when i decided to do instead of dream (& pin). so, i turned on my machine & started sewing small projects- coffee cozies, hair accessories, pillowcases, bread bags & so on. with the news of my first nephew on the way, i knew little oliver needed a handmade quilt by auntie natalie. i gave his papa & mama the quilt this past weekend & i think they were over the moon. i can’t wait to see sweet ollie wrapped in it.
here are the details:
+ it took me about 18 hours total to complete this quilt. this was my first. so if you have more experiences than i do (& i’m sure you do!), it shouldn’t take as long.
+ i purchased all of my fabrics at hancock’s fabric store (except for the vintage gingham).
+ all in all, it cost me about $75.
+ here’s the pattern by see kate sew. her patterns are very easy to understand & they’re free! she’s fantastic. check out her blog if you have a moment.
+ i was also inspired by elise’s quilts. i loved reading her tips.
+ it took me about 18 hours total to complete this quilt. this was my first. so if you have more experiences than i do (& i’m sure you do!), it shouldn’t take as long.
+ i purchased all of my fabrics at hancock’s fabric store (except for the vintage gingham).
+ all in all, it cost me about $75.
+ here’s the pattern by see kate sew. her patterns are very easy to understand & they’re free! she’s fantastic. check out her blog if you have a moment.
+ i was also inspired by elise’s quilts. i loved reading her tips.
+ let’s not forget my best friend‘s mother is the mad quilter so seeing her beautiful work sent me over the edge into a bit of a quilting addiction.
+ the binding was the hardest part. i think i cried a bit toward the end. i finally made my own binding & machine sewed it on. it doesn’t look all that great, but it’s functional & that’s really the point.
i’m now dreaming up my second quilt for our bed… like i said, it’s an addiction.
tell me a bit about your quilting experience!
love,
natalie
amber | 25th Feb 13
i've made several quilts and my loved ones love and appreciate each of them. some i made from patterns, some i just made up along the way. it can get expensive, especially compared to the ones made in china they sell in department stores. but knowing they were made by my hands and all the imperfections that come along with them are endearing qualities you just can't buy.
beautiful work, my friend! happy quilting!
Anonymous | 25th Feb 13
A wonderful accomplishment! The binding is actually my favorite part and once you get the hang of it, it will become your favorite as well! My tip, machine sew the binding right sides together and then hand sew the back of the binding. It is very peaceful to do in front of a good t.v. show!
Kelton | 25th Feb 13
this is so incredibly beautiful. oliver will love it. i'd love to learn how to make quilts but i haven't even joined the sewing world yet. i'll be content enough with knitting for now haha. well done. thanks so much for sharing.
Denise | 25th Feb 13
it is perfect Natalie.
I just love it.
p.s. the binding was the hardest part for me too!
abby | 25th Feb 13
Nice job Natalie! It's awesome! My sister's baby shower is next week, and I have been *thinking* about the baby quilt I want to make for the baby. Need to get with it! Thanks for the little push.
Stephanie | 25th Feb 13
Looks great!! I have always wanted to make one. Maybe this summer.
Kristen | 26th Feb 13
That looks great! I have had a triangle quilt on my sewing list for a few months now! I really need to get around to it soon. Sewing on binding is always a challenge, even with tons of experience. It is hard to make all those layers stay put! You did great. Love all your fabric choices!
Jacqui | 26th Feb 13
I have never had any interest in learning how to sew until I saw this post and that awesome quilt! Now I might have to ask my mom for her old sewing machine…
Jen | 26th Feb 13
This is amazing. Was it hard to make everything fit together "just so"? I can never seem to cut two pieces of fabric the right size so I'm pretty intimidated by a quilt! I'd love to do it though.
Natalie Freeman | 26th Feb 13
thank you all so much for your sweet words!
jen- the great thing about see kate sew's tutorial is that she includes a pattern for the triangles. i was able to use my fabric cutter to cut them all out at about the same size. i hope that helps! 🙂
mandi | 26th Feb 13
it is super sweet! great work!
Hollie | 27th Feb 13
I have always wanted to start quilting. Yours is beautiful, so inspiring!