Thursday, 14 January 2010

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

Modern striped baby quilt

My latest finished project.


I had a baby shower to attend in late November 2009. Thankfully it was postponed until mid-December. I'd had an idea for a gift floating around in my head but November was such a crazy month for us that I'd not done a thing. So one Monday night, six days before the (revised) baby shower date, I went into my hideous mess of a sewing room and started choosing fabrics. I knew what I wanted to make. Something simple and stripey, something that wouldn't take much piecing or need much more than simple quilting. Apparently for a girl (90% certainty) but I didn't want it too cutesy or pink. The mother-to-be has a very large extended family who knit and sew up a storm, but older women with a more traditional preference. I was looking for something with a bit more of a modern aesthetic.

Very much like Film in the Fridge's goldfish stripe baby quilt but quilted like One Flew Over's simple strip quilt.

Two days later I attended a craft get-together and started cutting pieces. I had a rough idea of how big I wanted pieces but there was no measuring involved. Then the weekend suddenly arrived and I really had to get cracking. Saturday afternoon piecing (pieced back as well since I didn't have enough of one print... besides, I like a pieced backing) and Saturday night basting and quilting. I used bamboo wadding. It's so soft and easy to work with! I'm definitely going to be using it a lot more in the future.


Sunday morning I quickly made up the binding and started attaching it but I didn't get it finished before we had to go to my niece's 5th birthday party. Rushed home afterwards and madly sewed on the binding. All machine sewn. A little wobbly in parts due to the rush but I knew the recipient wouldn't look too closely or care if it wasn't perfect!

It was very well received and in the end I was very happy with this quilt. It's actually only the third quilt I've ever actually finished. Can you believe that? So many sitting there almost done, or in progress and many many more in my head waiting for me to get on with them!


Finished size approx. 36" x 48" (I didn't write them down but that's what I roughly remember).
Fabric: some Anna Maria Horner quilting cottons and other various cottons + beige shirting linen (also on the back).
Total time to make (from choosing fabrics): 6 days.

The back:

Sunday, 10 January 2010

A beginning of sorts

I've been around the blog world since 2005, at my not-very-creatively-named Jen's Blog. But since I've become increasingly interested in crafting (quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting... you name it, I'll give it a go) I've come to realise that I need to separate my craft journal from my every day journal.

So begins yaypop stitches. Like with most things, coming up with a name was the hardest part. I chose "yaypop" some time ago. It's what my second son Atticus called lollipops. I thought it was cute.