HOW TO MAKE A QUILT OR How I Made a Memory Quilt

NOW.......

If you want to make a quilt, first pick out what shirts you want to use.  Are you going to use the front, back, or both?  (Several years ago my daddy and I started a box of shirts.  I am glad he helped pick them out.)

1. Cut the shirts.  Yes be brave and cut them.  It was difficult, but I did it.  If I can do it, you can do it.  You need a shirt square and a NEW blade on the rotary cutter.  This is what it looks like.  In addition to my daddy's shirt, I had a t-shirt made at Vista Print with photos on it.  The photo shirt was just the right size.  It fit perfectly on the grid.  

(This took about an hour to get them all done.) 

2. Put fusible stabilizer on them.  This is called Pellon.  It is Pellon 911FF.  Here is the link to find it at Joann's.

3. Lay out the quilt the way you want it.  This might take a while especially if you are OCD about colors touching etc.

(I numbered mine. I use my Cricut!  I love that machine!  It wrote the numbers and then cut out the squares.  I used a straight pen and numbered mine so that I wouldn't mess them up when attaching them.  Also, I would be taking them to the class the next day and didn't want anything to go wrong.)

SIDE NOTE:

My quilt is a little bigger than the normal one the one you make in the class.  The size you make in class is 4x5, and mine is 5x6.  The wonderful teacher understood that this was my dad's shirts and I wanted to use many as possible.  Also this size will lay nicely on my king sized bed for displaying purposes.

I had to make my back at home for "homework", which is why I bought a sewing machine (Janome DC2019) ...... or at least that is my excuse.  WAIT!  I am a big girl paying my own bills, so I don't have to make excuses.... I bought a machine, because I wanted to.... and Gizmo agreed it was a good idea to make the purchase.  LOL

 It took me about 45 minutes to piece it together.  The blanket with the photos wasn't exactly the right size that it was supposed to be.  (I ordered it about a year ago and was just displaying it.)  It was supposed to be 34 inches wide.  I had to measure it and remeasure it to make sure that it was exactly 34 inches so that the purple border would be exactly the right size.

It did take a little bit of math to figure out how to piece this all together.  It is two long sides on the left and right and then two short ones at the top.

LOOK CLOSELY at that picture.  Gizmo is sitting on the blanket - on a photo of himself.  I am glad I timed that just right because it make him look 3D.  

4. Sew each square together, horizontally to make rows.  I did all this at home too.  It was so fun, I didn't want to stop.  It didn't take that long!

5. THEN.......I had to spread out all the rows in class. 
Attach the rows - that gets tricky.  Pay attention to what you are doing or you could get them in the wrong order (mainly because you have to put RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER when sewing.)

6. Now the backing - that is the heavy part.  RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER!  
(I had to piece mine together because the Minky wasn't wide enough and I wanted to use a blanket that I have had for about a year.  See pic from earlier.)

Take your time.
Be sure to leave part of one side NOT DONE, so that you can flip it right side out.  (You can clip the corners, but I didn't this time.)

7.  NOW...........Turn it right side out.  

8. Hand sew the edge or use the machine.  You can make another stick all the way around if you prefer. (The instructor did the hand sewing for me. By this time, I was overwhelmed with emotions.  I couldn't do it.  I was really wishing that my daddy could have been here to see this.  I know that he would be so excited, I can see him smiling and telling me how much he loves it.  He would have even gone to class with me.  He was my best friend and I miss him dearly.  Gizmo misses him too!  He looks for him sometimes.)

9. TAKE IT HOME AND LOVE IT!  

Gizmo has claimed it as his!  LOL  It is super soft on the back and that is his favorite.  

You need to take the class from Sew Houston (https://sewhouston.com/) so that you can learn tips and tricks! Yolanda is a great teacher!  She is patient, understanding, and very sweet! (She taught school before she started the sewing school!)  GO SEE HER!  You will be happy that you did!!

If you make yourself or anyone a quilt, please post pictures.  I would love to see them!!

Technology Has Even Advanced Sewing Machines!

WELLL.... 

This time of year is rough because it reminds me sadly that my daddy is not here with me. (It was 2 years ago on the 25th of July that he went to Heaven.  That was the worst day of my life.  I knew that my life had changed forever!! 

He had been my best friend for so long.  He was always willing to do anything I wanted to do.  He was willing to go to paint, make crafts, go shopping, travel, go to teacher conferences, stay up late and talk, listen to me complain, rejoice in my successes, any and everything I wanted to do. 

He was always willing to help me whenever he could - even when he had arthritis in his hands, he would help with laundry.  I think he liked to fold clothes.  Even though he walked with two canes he would help move furniture or sweep the kitchen.... or when he was on dialysis, he was willing to help make scarves for the students in my class or make a wreath to occupy our time.  I miss him like crazy every day!! (Gizmo misses him too.)

Daddy always wanted me to learn to sew, but I wasn't really interested.  My mom had an old sewing machine - which is a nice piece of furniture, yes I kept it!

Sewing just didn't seem like an easy thing to do.  She usually fussed at the machine, because it wasn't doing what she wanted it to do.

But...... recently I decided that I would TRY and learn.....and took an introduction course which was two hours long.  It was how to make a tote bag.  HELLO?  That is right up my alley - because I love tote bags - I guess it is a teacher thing! It was more fun than I expected. I was HOOKED! 

OKAY DADDY! You were right - it is fun! I think part of it was fun because the sewing machine has ADVANCED SOOOOO MUCH!  It is computerized.   This is where technology plays a BIG part! It is so cool.  It does most of the "work" for you.  Of course you have to know what you are doing and how to do it, but it does the work.  

A few years back, Daddy and I picked out his shirts to use for a quilt and he was going to "help" me back then "try" and make a quilt.  I am glad that we didn't attempt making a quilt, because it is a process.  I know it would have taken us a lot longer to do it than necessary.  When we did projects, we could get side tracked, he usually had some "weird" idea about how to do it (sometimes those ideas were brilliant) and I am sure we would have had lots of laughs.

The reason we thought to pick out his shirts was because long ago we had one made with my mom's shirts.  She actually had started a "box" of items back in the 90s before she got sick.  She had saved some things from when I was little and some of her clothes.  After she passed in December 2009, I started gathering things and added to her box.  A few years later, I had one of her friends make a quilt for me.  It is so cool.  It is for those super cold winter days.  It is double sided.  It is a  "rag" quilt on one side and regular on the other.  

We really never did get around to making a quilt or even thinking about it (we were too busy running off on our travel adventures) and so a long while ago I looked for someone to make it.  That didn't work out, (the person backed out) so I looked for a company. Well, they don't send your scraps back, so that was not going work for me.  I want ever single scrap of the clothing because there are so many more things you can make with clothes.  I'm not a hoarder, I am a recycle-er!  I have always loved bright colors and the crazy patterns of quilts - so who know what I will do!

During the summer....... I decided to take a LEAP, a BIG LEAP and JUST DO IT MYSELF!  WHAT???!!  That sounds so crazy, but oh well - why not?  I decided to throw caution to the wind.  I did a search and found a place that does classes.  First, I took the intro to sewing class.  I was amazed at how well the "tote bag" class went.  The nice lady at Sew Houston by the name of Yolanda was a SUPER TEACHER!  I actually did a good job!!

Then, I kinda felt like it was a sign from him to do this because I saw on her website she does quilt classes and after asking her questions and really pondering it over, I knew that is what I was supposed to do.  I will be forever grateful to her for having that class and helping me along the way of this adventure.

I know that he would be proud!! I didn't cry til the very end when it was all put together and I was just wishing he could be here to see it! I know he would love it!  Gizmo the Human Dog LOVES IT!

I just have to give an extra big BIG SHOUT OUT TO Sew Houston for being the BEST SEWING TEACHER EVER! (If you want to learn to sew - go see Yolanda. It was worth my 80 mile drive round trip each time!!)

P.S. I now own a sewing machine, (Janome DC2019), lots of tools, thread, and more thread in several colors, bobbins, a rack to hold that thread, sewing basket, etc.:) WHO AM I? LOL

STAY TUNED FOR THE HOW TO INFORMATION!