Twenty-twelve was the year I decided to get serious about sewing and it was the year I taught myself to quilt. I've always sewn a bit here and there. Nothing more grand than the occassional Halloween costume or fabric tote bag, though. Each time I would think about teaching myself to sew I would talk myself out of it, telling myself that I had enough things going on and that I didn't need another hobby. But I was (and am!) contantly inspired by fabric and notions and quilting and I had started following fabric and pattern designers and online fabric shops and pinning quilts and quilted projects here and there and I finally said to myself, "you CAN have more than one crafty hobby. There aren't any rules that say you can't!" and I literally dove into quilting.
The end of 2012 was a busy time and then with the holidays, I just didn't get around to finishing up a few of the partially completed quilts I've been wanting to finish up. So on the very last day of the year, I forgot about everything else that I could be doing and instead finishing quilting and binding this bright and fun tween quilt for my girl. And she loves it. I wasn't sure if she would because we've reached those hard tween years where one day she loves me and the next I am the worst mom ever. Ha! But she curls up with it every night, uses it when hanging out on the couch watching Pretty Little Liars or basketball games (yes, she is my sports girl!) and takes it on sleepovers. Success? Definitely!
I used mostly Riley Blake Doodlebug fabric that I've had for quite some time now. In fact, I had originally planned to use it for something else, that's how long I've had it! Oh well...
The green solid is a Moda Bella solid that I also had on hand that matched perfectly. I have to admit, I did not want to do the green solid. I am a big fan of using white or cream for my "white space" on quilts but this wasn't my quilt and Payton specifically requested that her quilt not have a lot of white so I obliged and I have to say.... I like it. A lot! It turned out much, much cuter than I thought it would!
In addition to the Doodlebug fabrics, I added a few other prints from Aneela Hooey's Sew Stitchy collection for Moda (the red with birds, white with blue birds, pink with little red flowers) for variety and interest.
Oh, and the pattern. I used THIS Lella Boutique pattern by Vanessa Goertzen. I have quite a few of her patterns awaiting the right fabric and the time to sew them! ;) I especially love THIS one and THIS one and THIS one too!
I pieced the back of the quilt together with scraps/leftovers from the front. It was a good way to disguise sewing the backing pieces together too. I didn't worry about matching up the heart design perfectly! ;)
I used a simple straight line stitch to quilt it. It was really quick and easy. I only quilted in the solid (green) area of the quilt. It turned out super cute and I will definitely do that again sometime!
My favorite part of the quilt, though, just might be the aqua/lime binding. Michael Miller Clown Stripe fabric is absolutely my "go-to" fabric for binding. Black/White is my fav but I have it in a few other colors like the one I used here as well. A girl needs options, ya know! ;)
Both girl (and dog!) approved!
Want to know what else I sewed in 2012?
Here's a list of my 2012 Sewing Projects:
- Camera Strap
- Canvas Tote Bag (seen in my Project Life Week 11 Page Spread)
- Ruffled Kitchen Towels and Table Runner
- Baby Girl Quilt & fabric gift bag
- Ruffled Flannel Burp Cloths
- Summertime Placemats & Napkins (featuring Lucy's Crab Shack by Sweetwater for Moda)
- Drawstring Backpacks
- Birthday Girl Quilt
- Family Room Quilt (featuring Vintage Modern by Bonnie & Camille for Moda) and Pillows
- Reindeer Quilted and Appliqued Pillow
P.S. I can't wait to see what my list looks like at the end of this year!
