So many quilts, so little time

[CommonCents]

I offered to make a quilt for a friend's wedding.  I've made a log cabin pattern for myself about 10 years ago for a queen bed, and recently did two Sticks & Stones lap quilts (adapted from a book).

I'm going to flip through my mom's books when she gets back from vacation for ideas as well, but any suggestions for a not-too-difficult pattern for a queen bed (i.e. circles are probably less than ideal)?  I'm going to suggest a few to see which she'd prefer.  (Note, she's already said she would like it to be out of polyester, so that'll be interesting to make it with that fabric.  According to my expert - Mom - it's doable if it's all in polyester.)

[Frankies Girl]

I love quilts, and need to learn how to piece and stitch them at some point (I can sew, just haven't had the time to make any).


I've always been partial to the color shifting quilts - and the pattern called Bright Hopes (which sounds kind of appropriate for a wedding gift) is pretty nifty and looks simple:
http://quilting.about.com/od/piecingtechniques/ss/partial_seams.htm

Hourglass looks fun, but still within the easy realm:
http://www.redpepperquilts.com/2010/04/hour-glass-block-tutorial.html

[CommonCents]

Oh interesting, yes I like both of those!  (And yes, Bright Hopes sounds much better than Sticks and Stones...)

If it matters any for those brainstorming and their creativity, the bride is actually half Brazilian, half Italian.  The groom is from the US.

[Rural]

A Texas Star / Lone Star is not at all difficult, just time-consuming, and they make a hell of an impression:

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&hl=en&tbm=isch&q=lone+star+quilt&revid=1803936285&sa=X&ei=aQ0EU8qgLMXn0wHox4DQAw&ved=0CDYQ1QIoAA&dpr=2&biw=1024&bih=644

I'm sure you already know Wedding Ring is the traditional wedding quilt, but it definitely falls firmly into the "hard as hell" category.

[CommonCents]

A Texas Star / Lone Star is not at all difficult, just time-consuming, and they make a hell of an impression:

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&hl=en&tbm=isch&q=lone+star+quilt&revid=1803936285&sa=X&ei=aQ0EU8qgLMXn0wHox4DQAw&ved=0CDYQ1QIoAA&dpr=2&biw=1024&bih=644

I'm sure you already know Wedding Ring is the traditional wedding quilt, but it definitely falls firmly into the "hard as hell" category.

Yes, I'm avoiding that one!  They won't know about it, and the bride is enthusiastic by even something basic like a log cabin.  I'd prefer to do a simpler one well rather than attempt a complicated one that's well beyond me.  My mom could do it I'm sure, but she has 40 years of regular sewing (and about 10 of doing quilts).  I only have sewed a few other articles of clothing beyond the above mentioned quilts.

Lone Stars are pretty - I didn't know they were relatively easy (if time consuming) to do.  I don't mind a more time consuming one that will stretch my skills a little, that's part of the fun of doing this.  And I've already warned they will not be getting it at the wedding.  (And their wedding is destination anyhow, so we wouldn't be bringing it then anyways.)

[lizzzi]

Nine-patch.

[Splendid]

Double Irish Chain is my favorite pattern. I have a red/white one on my bed right now. Here's a blue/white one: http://www.amishcountrylanes.com/Pages/hs5000.shtml

You can also make the chain single or triple. It looks like it would be difficult, but there is a sneaky trick to it. I made one with my mom when I was in my teens.

[wordygirl]

Ah, I love quilting! Glad to see other quilters here.

I'd recommend going to the library. You can find tons of books with patterns in them and anything marked "quick and easy" or "for beginners" will be pretty easy to whip up.

I confess I have never used Polyester but as long as it has no stretch to it (i.e. no knits) you should be okay. You won't find pre-cuts in poly, however, so that means no "bakery shop" type patterns.

I'm also a fan of nine-patches myself, so versatile.

I would recommend you check out the Missouri Star Quilt Company's YouTube videos. Jenny Doan is awesome!

[Fireman]

Mom has been an avid quilter for 40 years and created several hundred quilts.  I've created a few quilts of my own over the years but nothing nearly as nice as hers.  She always has several in the mix at various stages of completion and takes requests from family members for new ones.  I attached a picture of her latest creation for me.  I can't remember the exact dimensions but it's in the neighborhood of 80x110.  It took up the entire back wall at her recent show.

[Rural]

A Texas Star / Lone Star is not at all difficult, just time-consuming, and they make a hell of an impression:

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&hl=en&tbm=isch&q=lone+star+quilt&revid=1803936285&sa=X&ei=aQ0EU8qgLMXn0wHox4DQAw&ved=0CDYQ1QIoAA&dpr=2&biw=1024&bih=644

I'm sure you already know Wedding Ring is the traditional wedding quilt, but it definitely falls firmly into the "hard as hell" category.

Yes, I'm avoiding that one!  They won't know about it, and the bride is enthusiastic by even something basic like a log cabin.  I'd prefer to do a simpler one well rather than attempt a complicated one that's well beyond me.  My mom could do it I'm sure, but she has 40 years of regular sewing (and about 10 of doing quilts).  I only have sewed a few other articles of clothing beyond the above mentioned quilts.

Lone Stars are pretty - I didn't know they were relatively easy (if time consuming) to do.  I don't mind a more time consuming one that will stretch my skills a little, that's part of the fun of doing this.  And I've already warned they will not be getting it at the wedding.  (And their wedding is destination anyhow, so we wouldn't be bringing it then anyways.)

All straight lines, all the same shape and size to cut. You just have to be sure to get the central diamonds lined up exactly right, and then it all falls into place around the center.The quilting itself can be very fancy and complicated if you want it to be, but it doesn't have to be anything fancy at all because the big central star is so splashy and attention-getting that almost no one will really notice the stitchwork. So I think of them as easy for those reasons. The time-consuming part is because there are approximately a million of the stupid little diamonds involved. :-)

[CommonCents]

The quilting on Irish Chain looks more complicated, although I suppose I can just do something different.  The bride looked a little horrified when I tried to explain how you can put patterns in it (I was explaining how I had just sewn the Log Cabin together by stitching along the ditch, nothing fancy) and apparently would be well pleased without anything too fancy.  (Horrified in the - I can't believe you'd spend that much time doing it - not the, horrified in a bad I hate it way.)  The pattern itself looks pretty straightforward, and gives an option if she wants fewer colors.

Nine-patch, yes, it's already on my list!

Re library, I plan to raid mom's collection when she visits in 2 weeks - I was just impatient to get some ideas sooner.  :)

[deborah]

You could do a cheat's double wedding ring http://www.quiltsmart.com/Pages/mo_double_wedding_ring.htm

[quilter]

A Texas Star / Lone Star is not at all difficult, just time-consuming, and they make a hell of an impression:

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&hl=en&tbm=isch&q=lone+star+quilt&revid=1803936285&sa=X&ei=aQ0EU8qgLMXn0wHox4DQAw&ved=0CDYQ1QIoAA&dpr=2&biw=1024&bih=644

I'm sure you already know Wedding Ring is the traditional wedding quilt, but it definitely falls firmly into the "hard as hell" category.

Yes, I'm avoiding that one!  They won't know about it, and the bride is enthusiastic by even something basic like a log cabin.  I'd prefer to do a simpler one well rather than attempt a complicated one that's well beyond me.  My mom could do it I'm sure, but she has 40 years of regular sewing (and about 10 of doing quilts).  I only have sewed a few other articles of clothing beyond the above mentioned quilts.

Lone Stars are pretty - I didn't know they were relatively easy (if time consuming) to do.  I don't mind a more time consuming one that will stretch my skills a little, that's part of the fun of doing this.  And I've already warned they will not be getting it at the wedding.  (And their wedding is destination anyhow, so we wouldn't be bringing it then anyways.)

All straight lines, all the same shape and size to cut. You just have to be sure to get the central diamonds lined up exactly right, and then it all falls into place around the center.The quilting itself can be very fancy and complicated if you want it to be, but it doesn't have to be anything fancy at all because the big central star is so splashy and attention-getting that almost no one will really notice the stitchwork. So I think of them as easy for those reasons. The time-consuming part is because there are approximately a million of the stupid little diamonds involved. :-)

You can strip piece a lone star. Easy Peasy lemon squeezy. http://chonahomegrown.blogspot.com/2013/08/my-first-tutorial-strip-pieced-lone-star.html

Eleanor wrote a series of super easy books including really clear lone star directions

[PMG]

Check out the Modern Quilt Guild on Flickr, or just google them and Filminthefridge.

Some seriously awesome but simple inspiration there! 

Queen size... Wheew!   I'm cheering for you.

Will you quilt it your self?  Hand or machine?  Or have it done at a shop?   

Did she want straight up polyester? or a poly cotton blend?  I would hesitate to invest the time in polyester.  I would not do handwork in poly or polycotton.  Machine only and you will be okay.

[szmaine]

Why polyester?

[CommonCents]

Why polyester?

No idea.  I'm speculating, but she mentioned they been looking at adding a (machine) quilt/comforter to their registry before I offered.  Maybe she liked that material?  I tried to encourage, and will again encourage cotton. 

So I put together a pinterest board (my first use ever of pinterest, despite having an account for about 5 years) and sent it to her.  She first selected "Twist" but picked the one I had noted was a wall hanging, not the queen size.  D'oh.  I explained it'd be the full size.  They then asked if I could do Patio (http://www.pinterest.com/happyzombie/patio/) instead, not on the lists I gave.  So now I'm getting ahold of the pattern and going to modify for a queen size.

Check out the Modern Quilt Guild on Flickr, or just google them and Filminthefridge.

Some seriously awesome but simple inspiration there! 

Queen size... Wheew!   I'm cheering for you.

Will you quilt it your self?  Hand or machine?  Or have it done at a shop?   

Did she want straight up polyester? or a poly cotton blend?  I would hesitate to invest the time in polyester.  I would not do handwork in poly or polycotton.  Machine only and you will be okay.

I'm going to quilt it myself with a machine.  Nothing fancy.  Made with love...but I'm not an expert quilter who can do all of those fancy patterns and dodads.  My prior three quilts were straight up, sewing in the ditch to quilt them together.  I was willing to try a pattern (Twist has some), but not the expert freehand stuff.

[PMG]

The Patio one looks nice!  Good mix of modern and traditional and will look good with straight line quilting.

Home machine quilting a queen size is an adventure.  That is a lot of bulk to fit under a short arm machine.  I usually pin baste or hand base, but for something that size I think I'd go for the spray adhesive baste to help keep things together while you wrestle it!  Extra hands at some points of the process might be nice too!  Definitely a large work space that can support the weight of the quilt while you run it through the machine! 

I would love to see photos as you progress!

[CommonCents]

The Patio one looks nice!  Good mix of modern and traditional and will look good with straight line quilting.

Home machine quilting a queen size is an adventure.  That is a lot of bulk to fit under a short arm machine.  I usually pin baste or hand base, but for something that size I think I'd go for the spray adhesive baste to help keep things together while you wrestle it!  Extra hands at some points of the process might be nice too!  Definitely a large work space that can support the weight of the quilt while you run it through the machine! 

I would love to see photos as you progress!

My machine is my mom's old 1971 one.  I can do the top on it.  I go to her house to do the quilting (she replaced with one that has a quilting foot).  It's been a long time since I've done my own queen though...  about 10 years.  Enough time to make memory blur....

[CommonCents]

Alright, testing attaching photos by attaching the quilts I've done previously.

Sticks & Stones Teal lap quilt, wedding gift, favorite colors teal/blue/green/grey/"kitchenaid red", 2013
Sticks & Stones Citrus lap quilt, wedding gift, requested "citrus" colors, 2013
Log Cabin queen quilt, ~2004 (old photo, can't really see borders)

[Splendid]

Your quilts are beautiful! And I particularly like that Patio pattern. Fun and unexpected!

[homehandymum]

That Patio pattern is cute - I think I'll bookmark that one for my next quilt (I've been collecting hawaiian shirts and brown 'tapa-cloth' patterned remnants to make a 'pacifica' quilt, but haven't settled on a pattern yet).  Patio looks like it will work well for the 'scrap quilt' bits of fabric that I'm working with, but bring it together into a nice overall pattern as well.

And I love your sticks and stones quilts!  What an effective pattern.

I have a quilt for my daughter that I need to finish first.  All that's needed is the strip border to be sewn on, and then sandwiched and quilted.  I had hoped to get it done for last Christmas, but it's March already.  How did that happen? 

The price of batting is putting me off, though.  I'd like to use cotton or bamboo, as this particular daughter sleeps too hot to ever use a polyester one - it just wouldn't breathe enough.  I shall just suck it up and do it, I think. 

:)  Glad to find some mustachian quilters!

[CommonCents]

Thanks!

The price of batting is putting me off, though. 

Keep an eye on deal sites.  One local shop keeps posting 50% off deals on living social/groupon.  A friend managed to buy with a friend 4 deals, so they got the 4th free, paying $60 for $160 of product.  I just bought two, one in my name and had my husband buy one, so I can buy batting, thread etc. for this quilt and a new ruler (been using my mom's broken one).  The bride is insisting on buying the fabric, and I suspect she won't accept my offer to pay for it.  Given the insane amount of money her husband makes - I think I'll let decline it.

You can also use the coupons that places like JoAnn's will send out.

[homehandymum]

Good thinking.  I'll have to see what sort of coupons and deals are available around here.  We're a small country and shipping to here is pricey, so our local prices are steep, but sales do happen from time to time.

Ill have to get on the mailing lists and resist all the other temptations while waiting for batting to come up trumps. :)

[CommonCents]

Ill have to get on the mailing lists and resist all the other temptations while waiting for batting to come up trumps. :)

Now THAT's the tough part!  DH used to point out whenever we were near a crafting store and I'd have to explain that I was effectively addicted and it was tough to just walk in to "look" at the "candy".  (I've gotten better.)

[PMG]

The price of batting is putting me off, though.  I'd like to use cotton or bamboo, as this particular daughter sleeps too hot to ever use a polyester one - it just wouldn't breathe enough.  I shall just suck it up and do it, I think. 

:)  Glad to find some mustachian quilters!

I've used a flannel sheet as batting before, you don't get quite the same loft and look of poly batting, or even cotton batting, but I love the way it drapes.  Of course it isn't as warm as the poly. Might be perfect for someone who wants breathable.  Because it isn't so bulky it folds nice and small, so that quilt is usually the one I tote everywhere with me. 

[homehandymum]

Hmmm.  Now that is an intriguing idea.  I shall definitely be thinking about that this week!  It is early autumn here, so our big homewares retailer has just brought out piles of flannel sheets into their perpetual sale.  That could be perfect if I can find one with no pattern, or at least, a pale enough pattern that it won't show up through the top.

[PMG]

Hmmm.  Now that is an intriguing idea.  I shall definitely be thinking about that this week!  It is early autumn here, so our big homewares retailer has just brought out piles of flannel sheets into their perpetual sale.  That could be perfect if I can find one with no pattern, or at least, a pale enough pattern that it won't show up through the top.

It is super easy to quilt on compared to a thick batting. 

[Rural]

The price of batting is putting me off, though.  I'd like to use cotton or bamboo, as this particular daughter sleeps too hot to ever use a polyester one - it just wouldn't breathe enough.  I shall just suck it up and do it, I think. 

:)  Glad to find some mustachian quilters!

I've used a flannel sheet as batting before, you don't get quite the same loft and look of poly batting, or even cotton batting, but I love the way it drapes.  Of course it isn't as warm as the poly. Might be perfect for someone who wants breathable.  Because it isn't so bulky it folds nice and small, so that quilt is usually the one I tote everywhere with me.

They're not thin, but my grandmother used old blankets and old quilts that were too far gone to repair again.

[katie]

You could do a Log Cabin but in a heart shape.  I have done one for myself in black and white and it is usually the pattern I use for baby quilts.  It isn't hard, just rotating the blocks.  If you need a picture, let me know. 

[RMD]

The price of batting is putting me off, though.  I'd like to use cotton or bamboo, as this particular daughter sleeps too hot to ever use a polyester one - it just wouldn't breathe enough.  I shall just suck it up and do it, I think. 

:)  Glad to find some mustachian quilters!

I've used a flannel sheet as batting before, you don't get quite the same loft and look of poly batting, or even cotton batting, but I love the way it drapes.  Of course it isn't as warm as the poly. Might be perfect for someone who wants breathable.  Because it isn't so bulky it folds nice and small, so that quilt is usually the one I tote everywhere with me.

I second flannel...it's what my grandmother always used. I have also used an old mattress pad for a couple of baby quilts for family.  It worked, but was thicker/fluffier than I like. I like a thin quilt.

[homehandymum]

The price of batting is putting me off, though.  I'd like to use cotton or bamboo, as this particular daughter sleeps too hot to ever use a polyester one - it just wouldn't breathe enough.  I shall just suck it up and do it, I think. 

:)  Glad to find some mustachian quilters!

I've used a flannel sheet as batting before, you don't get quite the same loft and look of poly batting, or even cotton batting, but I love the way it drapes.  Of course it isn't as warm as the poly. Might be perfect for someone who wants breathable.  Because it isn't so bulky it folds nice and small, so that quilt is usually the one I tote everywhere with me.

I second flannel...it's what my grandmother always used. I have also used an old mattress pad for a couple of baby quilts for family.  It worked, but was thicker/fluffier than I like. I like a thin quilt.

Thanks for the flannel suggestion.  I used a flat sheet that we had in our cupboard, so didn't need to buy anything*.  It has been washed several times so is lovely and soft, but not at all worn.

I'm half way through the quilting and it is working nicely.  I think I like the result better than when I've used fluffier batting :)


*well, I needed to buy safety pins and some clamps, since i haven't been able to find my safety pin jar since we moved house 7 years ago, and clamps because this is the biggest quilt I've made and I wasn't keen on scrabbling around on the floor to baste it.  My last quilt was a baby one, which I thread-basted on the floor and I wasn't totally happy with the result.  But the pins and clamps are permanent purchases, and I have a birthday coming up.