Tuesday, February 15, 2011

2010 Challenge Quilt

We finally had some really nice weather and I was able to get out and take some photos of some finished projects.  (More to come, I promise!)

This is my 2010 Challenge Quilt.  Last January, my mom (love ya!) provided my sister, me, and herself with a bundle of 30's prints fat quarters.  I think there were 20 in the set, but I can't remember.  The rules :  you must make a quilt using all of the fabrics; you can add fabrics to it if you want; it has to be larger than a baby sized quilt; and must be finished by the end of 2010.


We all shared which fabrics we got since each bundle was slightly different and talked about patterns we wanted to make with our new fabrics.  Before I knew it, it was September and I still hadn't cut into the fabrics yet, let alone decided on a pattern.  I saw this All Patched Up Quilt made by Cluck Cluck Sew and knew instantly that it would be perfect for my 30's prints.  At the time, she didn't have a pattern for sale (she does now, go here to purchase it) so I decided I would just do my best without a pattern.

I used her pattern for the Raw Edge Circle quilt to get me started.  For the circles I cut the back ground fabrics in the white and the squares were cut out of the prints.  For the square centers, I cut them (I think, I can't find my notes on how I made this) around 4" square.  I sewed them on the same way I did the circles, and then cut them into four pieces and sewed them back together to get the scrappy block.  It doesn't look like that is how she did the squares in her pattern, but I wanted each of them to have the 'raw edge' look, so that is what I ended up doing.  I didn't worry about getting each square or circle exactly centered on the background blocks, which ended up perfect.  The squares and circles were no where near perfect which just adds to the character of the quilt.

I had enough scraps left over that I was able to add a scrappy border.  I think the border strips were about 2.5" wide.  I also used the leftover scraps for the binding. 


I did end up using all of the fabrics in my bundle, plus I add four that I had found in cute little shop in West Virginia.  Looking back, I wish I would have purchased enough for the backing as well.  I ended up with this purple backing, only because it was the only 30's print available at my LQS.  Nothing fancy for the back, just the print.  I quilted it in straight lines around each block, which makes for an interesting pattern on the back.

Overall, I love this quilt.  I love that it has a special meaning behind it and that my family each has a quilt of their own using the same fabrics.  The end size was round 70 x 58, which means it is our new 'go-to' lap quilt for the couch.   Oh, and yes, I did get it finished before the end of the year, December 28th to be exact!  Nothing like a good procrastination to get you motivated.

4 comments:

CraftyAshley said...

Very pretty! You are very talented in so many things! ;)

alpinekleins said...

Wow, this is so amazing, you are awesome, it is a beautiful quilt, what a treasure!

Kristin

Crafty Christina said...

Cami, it's gorgeous!! Beyond gorgeous! I love that it has a family connection too.

Abby and Brenda said...

Wow, I love it! I love those prints too. I have old fabric from Jeff's Grandma that she had already cut into shapes. I just need to figure out what to do with it. Someday I guess!