Back in April I challenged myself to create a quilt without purchasing anything NEW. Everything had to be scraps or upcycled materials.
I started with a Queen size flat sheet that I cut into fourths. I used two pieces as the front and back of my quilt (the other two pieces are being saved for another project)
I dove into my pile of scraps and stash fabrics to create dresden flowers of varying sizes.
My favorite re-use was taking small pieces of batting and stitching them together for use in the quilt. It was easier than I thought and came out much better than I expected.
Start by overlaying two pieces of batting, carefully using a rotary cutter cut a wavy line through both layers. But the new edges against each other and sew with a zig zag stitch.
Easy Peasy! And you can not tell once it is in the quilt at all.
I also tried to create a Trapunto effect on this quilt. I quilted each Dresden block onto it’s own piece of batting before stitching it to the quilt. I then used my applique scissors to cut the batting about 1/4 inch smaller than the Dresden block.
The Dresdens were then zig zag stitched onto the top of the quilt. (I forgot to take pictures…eek!)
In order to make the Dresdens pop I quilted right up against them and then echo quilted 1/4 inch away a few times in white thread and then once more with a thread that matched the Dresden. They didn’t pop as I had hoped, but the quilting still looks really nice.
The rest of the quilt received a meander type quilting. I did some loops inside the flower print of the top and also stitched around the outline of some of the flowers. It came out really cute.
The pictures were taken after I had washed and dried the quilt, that is why it all wrinkly looking already. (My favorite part of quilting is when it comes out of the dryer and is all wrinkly, to me that is the moment the quilt really becomes a QUILT)
Here is the finished blanket. It is baby sized and labelled for donation through a guild I belong to.
I challenge YOU to use up what you already have and make something beautiful.
Let me know what you come up with.
Lovingly,
Lissa