Wednesday 23 October 2013

The bestest home made bed quilt in the world

And now.....the moment you have all been waiting for, the first public viewing of my first ever  completed bed quilt. Cue fanfare. A few facts and figures, the template for each patch was 10cm square, reduced to 7.5cm after the hemming. There are 625 patches, all hand sewn together.
I started by making the four squares for the centre, joining them together with the red border. Then I kept adding more rows, alternating with a plain border, then a patterned. So, I added the plain pink and the plain green, followed by another patterned border. By this time I was getting a bit weary and wanting to see it finished. After checking the size on the bed I decided to add a second patterned border, and finish off with a plain pink binding. I could have gone on a bit longer and added more so that it drapes a bit lower on the bed, but I think this length is fine.
 It looks nice with the rag rug next to it.

I hung it on the wardrobe to get the whole thing in the photo. As I mentioned in the previous post, the back is a duvet cover I bought from the Age UK charity shop for £1. This also gave me the pink binding for the edge. Sandwiched in the centre is an old candy striped flannelette sheet. 
A few close ups. I decided to go over all the plain squares with the machine. That was easy enough for the pink and green stripes, just do a zigzag twice over them. A bit more difficult to do the centre squares, a lot of stopping and starting, and changing direction, and a lot of securing the trailing cottons on the back. I think if I was to do something like this again, I would machine over all the squares from one edge to the other. Never mind, I like the look of this finish so I suppose it was worth the effort.




I already had most of the fabric, pillow cases, curtains, clothing. I spent a couple of quid on two shirts and a skirt and pj bottoms from charity shops and car boot sales.

I took the easy way out for the corners, just squared them off. The pink binding I machined on from the front, but finished with hand stitching it to the back.

The back is actually yellow with pink flowers on it, the colours have not come out well in this photo. You can see the ends of the cotton tied off when I had to stop and start.
 

I am very pleased with it. I shall be keeping it because it is a lot nicer than the bedding I already have. Two of my throws have seen better days and are ready for the rag bag. After 30 years I am sick of seeing them and they are really scruffy. My bedroom will look lovely now.

69 comments:

  1. Excellent job. I love the quilt and I still adore that rug....I have the mat waiting but still cutting t-shirts to weave the strips. But that will have to wait as I am working on a new quilty bedspread and pillow shams to put on our bed. The one on the bed now is in tatters!

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  2. WOW!!!!!
    Well done, Ilona! And does the kitty still claim it as her own, now that it's on the bed? Plenty of room for lots of kitties on a quilt of that size :)

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  3. That is really lovely Ilona, I wouldn't have a clue how to do that.
    Hope you enjoy it for many years.
    Angela (Devon)

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  4. Beautiful job, just looking at it makes me toasty warm! x

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  5. Brilliant - I am almost ready to show my finished quilt too and know just how much work goes into something like this. I would never have been able to do the machine quilting like you did as my squares didn't all line up properly!! Well done and it looks great on your bed.

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  6. I did a great long comment on how lovely your quilt is and how clever you are to use a machine and it has all dissappeared.

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    1. Your short comment is just as much appreciated. Thank you

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  7. This is a super quilt, Ilona, and at such a bargain for materials. And stitched by hand!

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  8. Hi Ilona, Brilliant job! I do this for a living (longarm quilting) , but I started almost 40 yrs ago collecting fabric squares from my other sewing, and making patchwork quilts for gifts and for my family. This is what quilting is all about. Use it up, recycle, make do-but who says it can't look nice too! I love scrap quilts the best. Very nice work. Take care and happy quilting. Barb from Canada.

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  9. Wonderful quilt Ilona..love sleeping under a hand made quilt...especially when the cats hop on for extra warmth

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  10. Beautiful work and a really lovely quilt! You have put the colours together beautifully and it looks smashing! Pam

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  11. Beautiful job and lovely play of colors. A handmade beauty to enjoy for years to come.

    JaG

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  12. Morning Ilona, just popping in from a chilly WI to say "hi" :- ) Your newly finisheds quilt is lovely! High fives on a spectacular "first" quilt!! As a traditonal quilter I was thrilled that you went the handpiecing and the use of the old flannel sheet blanket, that's really old school! With these hard times more young quilter are gradually realizing you don't HAVE to break the bank to have a lovely, warm, useful quilt. Great job on your first machine quilting also! Hugs, Finn

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  13. Beautiful! Did you make the rug as well? You are very talented and ambitious!

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    1. Hi Lily, yes I did make the raggy rug.
      http://meanqueen-lifeaftermoney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/rug-of-many-colours.html

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  14. What a super quilt! I'm in the process of machine quilting mine and it isn't easy. You have made a much better job of it than I have. The front of mine looks fine but the back is terrible, all wobbly, not neat, tidy straight lines like your's.
    Did you make the rug as well? That is also lovely.

    Chris

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    1. As above, yes. Copy and paste link
      http://meanqueen-lifeaftermoney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/rug-of-many-colours.html

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  15. 10 out of 10 Ilona, I love it.
    Briony
    x

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  16. An echo is going around the world as we all chime in with Congratulations! So happy that you made it and will enjoy it. Well done Ilona, may all your dreams be sweet and happy under this quilt.

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  17. It's brilliant Ilona. So pretty and frugal. I love the design you chose, the plain borders really set off the patterned squares....wonderful.
    Jacquie x

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  18. An echo is going round the world as we all say Congratulations! May all your dreams be sweet and happy as you used this beautiful quilt!

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  19. It's really beautiful, Ilona. I've done some patchwork but never made a full quilt as our beddings warm enough & not enough room to just have it on bed for show. I hope it keeps you nice and warm this winter and many more, and give the stuff you say is tatty for pet bedding.

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  20. Just having a break from making a quilt too. Couldn't wait to see if you had put the pictures up early in the day.
    Well done Ilona it looks super. I love the scrap look and enjoy doing the same.
    What is your next patchwork project?
    Helen in France

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  21. I think I've lost my comment so will just say "Well done Ilona" The quilt is super and you will enjoy looking at it and sleeping under it.
    Helen in France

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  22. Yeah! It's beautiful! Quilts keep you so much warmer!

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  23. Hello Ilona, I loved the rag rug and your quilt looks fab. and like you say, they compliment each other very well. I hope you have happy dreams in your updated bedroom. Congrats on your finished quilt. As I am collecting fabric to make my first quilt, what advice would you give to a first timer at quilt making?

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    1. Hello mishmash. I made a cardboard template and used that to mark out the squares on the fabric. I cut out lots of squares before I started sewing. I sewed them together in strips, making sure the colours were well mixed up. When I was preparing the strips I put the whole quilt on the floor and laid out the loose squares alongside the edge I was going to add it to, so I didn't get two squares with the same pattern next to each other.

      All the fabric you use needs to be cotton so it washes well. My quilt is a square, but you may want to do one for a single bed, so it needs to be oblong. You can make the first strip to fit across the bed from one side to the other and keep adding to that until you have the right length. You don't have to put a border on it, you could sew the back and front together inside out and turn it the right way. Like a duvet cover, then sew up the open end, and quilt it. Take a look at some youtube videos, they are quite helpful.

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  24. Superb job it looks like a 'proper' quilt all made from odds and ends, I love it. I bet the cats will too.

    jean x

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  25. Nice one Ilona - it is really really lovely :) And yes am back to being Compostwoman as I worked out how to have G+ AND Blogger :)

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  26. Yes, your bedroom will look lovely! It's also quite an accomplishment to actually finish such a big job! I am sure the cats will love it, too.

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  27. That looks brilliant Ilona, I'm impressed, especially as it was your first!

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  28. Fantatic achievement Ilona, I dare say Heidi has claimed the bedroom as her domain now, lucky pussy cat I am sure you will inspire others on here to take up bedspread making now.
    Danneke

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  29. Superb - well worth the effort.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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  30. Wow, fantastic, it looks beautiful
    Sharon x
    www.onelifeand3kids.blogspot.co.uk

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  31. Wow Ilona. Your quilt and rag rug are beautiful! They look gorgeous!
    Jacky

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  32. Hi Ilona,
    Absolutely love the quilt, well done. I expect that it took slightly longer than originally planned - they always do. I made a paper pieced hexi quilt for my Mum last year for her 80th birthday, and it took me around 11 months to do (I did have to quilt by hand too as I don't have a machine at present). Am very keen to make another one, but currently have been bitten by the crochet bug. Thank you so much for sharing. X

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  33. Well done Ilona!! Your quilt looks really lovely! :) x

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  34. that it absolutely beautiful and you have made it so well

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  35. Gorgeous, and I love the raggy rug.

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  36. So colourful and beautifully made! You are very talented.

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  37. Ilona, your quilt is absolutely beautiful. Its amazing what can be achieved with very little money and by hand sewing and the use of an ordinary domestic sewing machine. I haven't worked on my hexies for a while as I've been knitting bears and making bags for charity, and I've just knitted a woolly hat to keep my hubby's ears warm while he's waiting for the bus to work during the winter months. Must get back to the patchwork though as I had intended it to be ready fro use this winter...maybe I should revise that to next winter now.

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  38. I love it, but I knew that already from the peaks you have given us. It is bright and scrappy, has lots of fabrics in that I have used, there must have been a lot of curtains made in some of those patterns . I find that too much hand sewing really affects my wrists so I save it for car journeys when I am chauffeured. I love the rag rug even more now, the quilt and it are a good compliment to each other.

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  39. Just perfect. Let us know if it warm.
    Clever girl.
    Dianne - Hereford

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  40. FANTASTIC job! That quilt is a beautiful addition to your home. I hope it keeps you snug during winter!

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  41. This is stunning. I love it, you are soooooo clever. Looks beautiful.

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  42. Great job, Ilona! You take high points for color, construction and stick-to-it-Ness! I bet your bedroom looks cozy and comfortable with those happy colors. Congratulations and sweet dreams.
    Joan in Michigan

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  43. What a lovely quilt! There seems to be no limit to your talents.

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  44. Love your new quilt Ilona....great job!!

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  45. Beautiful! As several others have pointed out, the rug and quilt look like mates! Well done!

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  46. Your quilt is beautiful! It looks like it will be all snuggly warm under it this winter.

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  47. Just lovely, Ilona! I've been busy with my own sewing projects of late (usual mending, Christmas stockings, insulated panels to cover drafty windows) and hope to soon start work on a scrappy Fall color table runner as well as a Christmas one. Then, along with some Christmas sewing for gifts, I hope to make my own scrappy quilt. I am now amassing materials to do so. Great job! Enjoy it in your home!
    Carol in CT

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  48. I love it! It looks wonderful with the rug.
    I love all the colors, and it looks very pretty!
    Great job!

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  49. That is a brilliant piece of work, not just for the work or the beauty in it, but for sticking at it until it was finished. Well, good for you!

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  50. Well done Ilona. It looks beautiful. Love the rug too. My mum and I used to peg those when I was a child to warm up a quarry tiled floor. .
    Love Pat

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  51. this is what patchwork was all about, when the settler ladies, patched, cut and sewed every scrap of fabric. You did well to stick at it. Most people who set out wanting to make a full size quilt as their first project end up with it half-started in the back of the cupboard somewhere. Well done for your determination. But we wouldn't have expected anything else from you would we :-D

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  52. You must be feeling a real sense of satisfaction from your long sewing labours. Good on you!

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  53. All that hand piecing - well done Ilona. I wouldn't have the patience . It looks great

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  54. Ilona, this is what a quilt is meant to be! Made from recycled textiles and using time and patience to keep it growing to the size you want. What a fantastic finished piece of work. Catriona

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  55. Its all been said Ilona, fabulous. I love the colours.

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  56. Your quilt is amazing - love it!

    Toni

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  57. Ilona are you watching george clarke tonight? u need too!

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    1. No, I don't have a tele. I will probably see it on catchup another day.

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  58. Excellent work Ilona: attractive, practical and extremely thrifty.

    Should you fancy another quilting project, look up "string" and "crumb" quilting - ways to use up the smaller or narrow bits of fabric.

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  59. your quilt is fabulous , i love it , wish i had the patience, might try one on the machine when i have finished projects for the house xxx

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  60. I love your new quilt. I was wondering how you quilt something that big? I have been wanting to have a go at making one for ages but I find the quilting part a bit daunting. How do you feed it through the machine? I'm ok at sewing the squares together but not sure how to go about the rest of it.

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  61. It looks absolutely brilliant Ilona, well done.

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  62. Proper Patchwork , use what you have. mend and make do at its best x

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