Whoops!
It has occurred to me that I have told a bit of a fib! Not intentionally, of course. A few weeks back I finished what I thought of as my first quilt. Well, it is my first full sized quilt, but not my first quilt ever. Today I'd like to share with you about my first quilt. It is the softest, coziest lap quilt ever!
Tradition
Thanksgiving 2008 began a new tradition for Mum and I. Each year when we travel to the southern most point in the great state of Maine to have Thanksgiving at my aunt's house, we make a point to stop in to a particular quilt shop that we otherwise never visit since it is so far away. Well, in 2008 my eyes landed on the most pleasing flannel lap quilt that they had on display. After "oooh-ing and ahhh-ing", Mum convinced me that this was a project not out of my experience level. We continued shopping and I continued to be drawn back to this display. On about the third trip back was when I realized that there was actually a pre-cut kit, but there was only one left! Being a first year teacher at the time I didn't have the funds to purchase it myself, so Mum proposed that she buy it for me but then hold on to it to give as a Christmas gift. Each year since, I have found a pattern at Thanksgiving time that Mum then holds on to as a Christmas present. My most favorite projects have been from these selections because I generally choose something with a challenge! I will be sharing more of these items when I don't have current projects ready to post.
Flannel Lap Quilt
The kit was made up of strips of flannel which I needed to cut into 4.5" squares. I was so nervous cutting. I had the feeling that if I screwed up this step, I was doomed! With Mum's guidance, everything went very smoothly. Next I stitched the squares together to create 13 rows of 14 blocks each.
Notice that this was done with wrong-sides together. This is because in the end these will be clipped so that when it is washed they will fray and become super soft. After sewing the 13 rows together I stitched around the perimeter of the quilt and the sewing portion was complete. The last step was to clip all the raw edges in approximately 1" intervals up to (but not through) the seam and then wash and dry it.
Above is a picture of the front of the quilts and below is a picture of the back.\
This blanket is perfect for sitting on the couch with and even better in the car as it is not too bulky.
Stay Tuned
Next blog I am going to show a variety of stitches and techniques on a knitting loom!
Respectfully,
Harmony
Actually, this may be a fib as well. How about the "Quillow" that you made for your favorite 17 year old young man when he was born? A quilt that folds up to a pillow counts in my book. :)
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