Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Autumn Fabric projects


Ordering fabric online can be a tricky thing and my track record thus far is spotty. 

It’s not the colors so much as the scale of the pattern. I have a hard time seeing the fabric online and then visualizing how that fabric will look in real life.

Recently I made some curtains for the camper. The bird pattern, which I thought was larger, turned out looking like the stars on the American flag. I’m a proud citizen of the good 'ole USA but I’m also not the kind of girl that needs to be screaming 'MURICA, hell yeah!! while cruising down the freeway (or on a dusty dirt road in Mexico). You know what I mean? So this wasn’t my best fabric choice. 


But this last week I definitely had a fabric win. It’s the sort of thing where you open up the UPS package and go: yes, this is it! It’s perfect.

I still haven’t found the time to make either of the kids a quilt but I did make them each a warm comforter for the coming winter. We used them this last weekend when we went camping on Lopez Island, which was nice as it was a moderately cold and rainy experience.  

Here is Ben’s quilt (Side #1):



I had two synthetic toddler comforters with duvet covers that have been languishing in the dresser for a few years.  I hate the idea of a duvet cover for a toddler comforter. It’s too much work. Like baby clothes that require dry cleaning. Not a good idea, World. Or at least in my house. 

So the goal was to have a pretty converter that could be thrown in the wash without having to remove any fancy covers. 

Side #2:



I started by discarding the duvet comforters. I wasn’t in love with them anyway.

Next, I essentially sewed an open-ended bag, stuffed the comforter inside, and then sewed the whole thing together like a quilt. There is an extra layer of fabric inside so it take a few minutes longer in the dryer but otherwise there isn’t a noticeable difference. They’re quite warm and fluffy, which especially suits my daughter as she’s a super snuggler.



Ben’s quilt is 2 yards each of Michael Miller Seedling Kimono Stripe Azure (dark blue stripes) and Spectrum Chevron Stripe Bali. The third blue fabric (used as a header above the chevron strip) is a scrap I had stashed in my fabric bin.




Emma loves playing in Ben’s room while he’s at preschool. This will definitely cause problems when they’re both older as she’s a regular Nosey Nancy.


All folded up. 


Thick!



Emma’s quilt required 1.5 yards each of Blend Snow Day Sweater Stripe Blue and Michael Miller Sea Buddies New Wave Peach. The peach fabric, in particular, is lovely. This should not be a surprise to anyone that knows me: coral and peaches are some of my very favorite color shades. 


I won’t lie: I especially love Emma’s version.  



You’ll notice that there are a few permanent wrinkles, mostly from the quilting process. It’s hard to work this much fabric under the needle without causing a few stress points. Also, I’m kind of ok with the overall look. We’re not going for military precision here. 








The front (Side #1):


The back view (Side #2):




xo,

Sonja