CJ's Texture Quilt

CJ's Crinkly Drag-Around Quilt with Minkee Backing

I was going to post a tutorial but I was so focused on getting it finished to take to my Piecing Group meeting this week that I forgot to take in-progress photos. The girls at the meeting passed this little quilt around and they were all petting it and crinkling it. I think CJ will like it. It's already been through the washer and dryer in the photo above. (More about the story behind it in Monday's post, below)

If you want to make something similar, here's a brief description of how:

Top: 30" x 30".
Circles: fleece.
Backing: minkee.
Batting: Warm & White.
Crinkle: Cellophane behind two of the circles and two other blocks for crinkly sound and texture.

Materials:
Cotton Fabric: 5/8 yard polka dot, 1/2 yard teal, 3/8 yard white. Prewash.
Fleece: Scraps or 1/8 yard.
Cellophane: about 3/8 yard. It comes on a roll like wrapping paper.
Batting: Warm & White; preshrink the batting.
Backing: Minkee, one yard.
Binding: 3/8 yard

Cutting:
- Polka dot fabric: cut 13, 6-1/2" squares
- White fabric: cut 12, 4-1/2" squares
- Teal fabric: Cut 12, 2-1/2 x 4-1/2" pieces and cut 12, 2-1/2 x 6-1/2" pieces
- Fleece: Cut 8 circles, about 3-1/2 to 4" in diameter
- Binding: Cut 4 WOF strips 2-1/2" wide

Applique:
- Using wash-away basting glue, baste fleece circles to eight of the polka dot squares.
- With machine blanket stitch, sew around each circle.

Block Piecing:
- Attach 4-1/2" teal pieces to the top and bottom of each white square. Press toward the teal.
- Attach 6-1/2" teal pieces to the sides of each unit. Press toward the teal.

Top Assembly:
- Arrange blocks into rows as shown in photo above, with circle blocks around the edges.
- Sew blocks into rows; press toward the teal
- Sew rows together; press toward the rows with the most teal (for the least show-through behind the white polka dot print)

Add Crinkle:
- Cut a 6" strip of cellophane across the width and cut this in half at the center for two pieces about 6" x 15".
- Cut an 8" strip of cellophane and cut it in half across the center.
- Fold the 6" pieces in half (two ply) and pin to the wrong side behind two of the fleece circles. Use at least four pins to prevent any slippage.
- Sew around the circles from the front, close to the edge of the fleece, sewing through all layers of cellophane.
- Trim the cellophane 1/4" away from the stitching.
- Fold the 8" pieces of cellophane in half and pin to the wrong side behind two random blocks, making sure the cellophane extends past all seam allowances.
- Sew in the ditch around the blocks from the front, through all layers of cellophane.
- Trim the cellophane so that it extends 1/4" past the block seams on all four sides.

Layer and baste as usual. If you typically pin baste, pin closer together than usual and it's OK to pin through the cellophane.

Quilt as desired. I used my walking foot and a serpentine zigzag stitch, 3.5 length, teal thread to match the minkee backing. I sewed over all the block seams, then came back and sewed a diagonal grid from corner to corner through the blocks, including through the circles. 

Special thanks to Jasmine at Quilt Kisses for advice on working with minkee.

I think CJ's little drag-around quilt is whoop-worthy, so I'm linking up with Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. And since it's finished, I'm linking with Friday Finish at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Texture Quilt for CJ, Need Your Input

When 9 month old grandson CJ was visiting a couple weeks ago, he was quite taken with my 30-Something quilt. This is the sofa quilt that I use, and we put it on the floor for him to play on. He kept crawling from the center to the outside edges and patting the circles. There was just something fascinating about those circles, and he repeatedly patted them.

30-Something

So I'm making a new quilt for CJ for Christmas, a small one he'll be able to drag around with him. High contrast teal and white squares, and orange fleece dots around the edges.

Fabrics for CJ's Quilt

 

Here's the plan, which will finish at 30" square.

EQ7 Plan for CJ's Quilt

 

So far I have the blocks started, and here's how they look on my design wall this morning:

Design Wall 11/30/2015

Next up, I need to applique circles of fleece to the outside plain squares.

CJ was also fascinated with crinkly Baby Paper. My original plan was to put pieces of cellophane behind a couple of the plain squares, and maybe behind one of the dots, for added crinkly texture.

DH thinks I should not put the cellophane in. He thinks the crinkly noise might keep CJ awake when he should be sleeping.

So, your opinion please: Crinkly or quiet?

For the backing I have teal minkee, for even more texture. What kind of batting do you recommend with minkee? I want something as soft and drapey as possible, but I need something to keep the teal minkee from showing through the front, so I don't want to omit batting altogether. I'm thinking of using a flannel sheet. What do you recommend?

Linking up with Patchwork Times; check out the other design walls over there.

November Stash Report & Goals Update

Stash Report:

November IN: 7 yards (3 yds FQ sale;  0.75 Xmas; 2.25 Xmas; 1.0 Xmas)
November OUT: 3.5 yards (2 yds Dad's blankie top;  1.5 stockings)

YTD IN: 143.25 yards
YTD OUT: 134.625 yards
YTD Net Change: 8.625 yards added to stash

It's kind of doubtful I'll break even for the year, but there's still a slim chance; the year's not over yet.
I'm using stash for a new little project I'll show you tomorrow on my design wall. Here are the fabrics I'm using:

Goals Update:

November Recap:
1. Plan & prep for trunk show & program 11/9  DONE. Went well.
2. Make fleece-backed lap quilt for dad. DONE
3. Start new Christmas stockings. Started and finished them.
4. Layer & baste at least one WIP. No, not even touched.
5. Keep up with bee blocks. DONE
Other: Designed & cut out a touch quilt for CJ
           Hemmed several pairs of pants

 

 

December Goals:
1. Finish touch quilt for CJ
2. Write tutorial for touch quilt for blog
3. Learn how to use new sewing machine (more about this later in the week)
4. Layer, baste, & quilt at least one WIP
5. Design something new to use up some stash
6. Keep up with bee blocks
And just because it feels so good to not have pants hemming hanging over me. These are DONE! Those camel cords are from winter 2012 and I've only been able to wear them rolled at the ankle, tucked into boots. Now I can just wear them all, any time! The grey, taupe, and wine jeans were a bargain at Costco. Surprising to find jeans that fit me there, and too good a deal to pass up.

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times. How are you doing with your stash management and your goals?

Dad's Blankie, Finished

I finished the blankie for my dad, and it's all ready to pack up and ship with other b'day and Christmas gifts. Since it has fleece backing and no batting, it turned out soft and drapey. The satin binding didn't turn out quite as expected; I was a few inches short of enough to attach it blanket style because of the width of the mitered corners. So I attached it quilt-binding style, and just barely had enough with only a couple inches to spare. It's narrower and thicker than planned but it still provides texture contrast at the edges.

Check this one off the list of have-to sewing. Linking up with Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Friday Finish at Crazy Mom Quilts.


And, no, I didn't get the pants hemmed yet....

Cellophane for Dad's Blankie

On Monday I mentioned that I wanted to test adding some cellophane behind a couple of the squares in Dad's blankie, for added texture. I got the idea from Baby Paper.

Here's my test sample: fleece top and bottom, four layers of cellophane in the middle, serged around the edges. The cellophane is the kind used for wrapping gift baskets.

Cellophane wash test sample

My wash test sample was larger than the patches in the quilt, and my test came out so well that I don't think there will be any issues with the cellophane and the density of the quilting. The sample in the photo above went through the washer and dryer with a load of towels. Detergent, warm wash, normal agitation, tumble dry. Perfect!

For dad's blankie, I basted two layers of cellophane behind a couple random patches. The cellophane is about 1/2" bigger than the patches on all sides. The patches are about 4-1/2".

Cellophane basted behind patches

 

Cellophane basted behind patch

 

I'm backing the pieced top  with fleece, no batting, to keep it as drapey as possible. Also, since Dad's in Arizona, the extra warmth isn't needed. Here it is pin basted, ready for quilting:

Dad's blankie pin basted for quilting

I've started the quilting, using a serpentine stitch over all the piecing seams, with the walking foot. So far so good. The quilting anchors the cellophane all the way around the patches.

It's been awhile since I've had work in progress to report on a Wednesday so I'm linking up today with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced and Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts.
 

Have-To Sewing vs Want-To Sewing

Some of the have-to sewing is done: I finished the Christmas stockings. More deadline sewing and/or not fun sewing is on tap for this week.

Next up, a "blankie" for my dad. If you've read my blog for awhile, you know he has very advanced dementia and he's pretty frail. He also can't hear and has macular degeneration so he can't see very well either. He is cared for at a home in Arizona. Touch and texture, as well as non-frustrating activities to occupy his hands, are important for him now.

I'm making him a lap blankie, pieced on one side but soft fleece on the other. No batting so it will be soft and drapey enough for him to roll or fold. It'll finish about 32 x 36", just lap size and won't get hung up in his wheelchair. The top is pieced and on my design wall. My goal for this week is to get it quilted and bound. I may use satin blanket binding for it, just to add some additional texture. It needs to be durable because it'll probably have to get washed every week.

Top for Dad's Blankie

Have you heard of Baby Paper? Basically it's two layers of flannel fabric with crinkly cellophane in between. Baby CJ loved it when he was here last week. I may sandwich some cellophane behind a couple of the blocks in dad's blankie, just for a surprise difference in texture, but I have to get some cellophane and wash test it first.

Also on the have-to sewing list this week: hem pants. Sigh. I'm short and the story of my life is hemming everything. I recently got some new pants and I need to get them hemmed; they're not doing me any good just hanging on the closet door.

So, if I get all the have-to sewing done this week, maybe I'll be able to get back to the fun stuff next week.

What's on your design wall? Check out the others at Patchwork Times.

Stash Report 11/22/15 - The Christmas Fabric Saga

In this week: 4 more Christmas prints for one yard added. I now have a total of 12 traditional prints that coordinate, plus 4 whimsical ones that don't. Too bad I found the whimsical ones first.

I used the traditional prints to make stockings:

I cut 2" and 1-1/2" strips plus an EZDresden wedge from each fabric, for 1-1/2 yards used.  The rest I'll save for any future stockings we might need someday. The EZDresden wedges are the perfect size for turning the stripes around the heels.

So, another yard in and 1-1/2 yards out this week. I'll tally up the totals for the month and YTD next week. Check out the other stash reports at Patchwork Times.