Thursday 4 July 2013

My First Quilt, Finished...

That might confuse some, when I say first, I mean the very first one I started in January 2011 when I couldn't resist the temptation any longer, to make a quilt for my darling daughter (sometimes darling, sometimes not), who was 18 months old at the time.  

Although lots of people have said what a brave choice of first quilt it was, that really wasn't the case, more that when i googled quilt to figure out how to make one, traditional hexagon quilts appeared in images, and seemed to be the basic, starter quilt.  Oh what a fool, silly naive me!  So, I found a basic tutorial for making hexagon quilts, cut some templates and found some fabrics to upcycle, and a few in a local shop that were ok I figured for such a quilt.  At the time I had no idea about the amazing array of designer quilting cottons, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, as I used some of the old sheets from my babies cot (a cute lemon yellow), the top that I was wearing when I gave birth to her (a kind of jersey cotton type top- not really suitable for such a project but who cares), and some vintage fabrics from one of my mums friends, dated back to the 70's and 80's.  

I made a decision early on, not to have a pink, girly quilt, I had just painted her bedroom the sweetest light blue, and wanted something that would take her into adulthood.  I had no idea at the time that not only would I want to make her this quilt, that I would catch the quilting bug and want to make her lots more.

So, on long car journeys to my parents, the in-laws, and our numerous friends around the country, Mr HOC drove, and I cut, basted, sewed hexagons and felt like the hours weren't wasted.  The  hexies were sewn together in fits and starts, sometimes the whole project was put down for a few months at a time, whilst other projects took over, quilts, bags pouches and the like all had their chance to take centre stage, and now it's this quilts time.
The final push began when we moved out in March, and I really could see the end in sight, so I got my skates on, and got focused.  I decided early on that every stage of this project would be completed by hand.  That just felt right, like I needed to make it with my hands, no sewing machine, and that this would somehow give it provenance, a history, and hopefully when my now 4 year old is older, she can really begin to appreciate all of the work put into it for her.   

As part of that, I decided I didn't want to cut the hexagons off straight round the edges, I wanted to keep them whole, and that meant finding an alternative way to bind the quilt- so when I found this method at Badskirt, I knew it was the one.  It's been lightly hand quilted in perle, with white around the outside of the binding and to secure the inner part of the binding hexies, and a pink variegated chevron down the middle of the quilt, top to bottom.
So, here it is, 584 hexies in total (481 on the front, 103 as binding), all done, each one around 2 inches along each edge, with my little ones name embroidered onto some of the backing hexies, using the letters from Lu Summers Alphabet print.  Total size of 70 x 63 inches (178cm x 160cm) and as far as I'm concerned, absolutely gorgeous.  It's scrappy, not all of the hexies were exactly the same size, so I've had to tweak bits of it when sewing together, and I don't care, that's what gives it soul.

So, now It's out of the dryer, it's a bit crinkly, but incredibly soft, and actually that's the beauty of hand worked pieces, if you handle the fabrics lots, over time they soften up in a way that you wouldn't normally get straight away in a machine made quilt, until it had been washed and used a while-so that's why don't I want to let her go to her rightful owner, but I will, but after I snuggle a while longer first, if that's ok.....

Ange x

And linking up to Karen @Quilty Creations Something Old, Something New.



33 comments:

  1. It is a brilliant creation and now an heirloom. You did such an amazing job for your first quilt. How are you going to top that?!!!

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  2. Beautiful and totally impressive!

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  3. the beauty of not knowing what you are doing is that.. you just do it! what a wonderful trasure trove of memories you have there .. and what love to pass on x

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  4. It's just so beautiful! And not at all girlie-girl but so pretty. I stand and applaud!!

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  5. What an incredible quilt, not only for all the work involved but even more so for being your first and for the mix of old and new fabrics, it makes it so very special, a quilt with real heart and a wonderful heirloom.

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  6. Oh wow, this is going to be used and treasured. Just lovely! I have several hex projects going right now. One of them is using mini charm packs with hexies with 1 inch sides. It's so fun to work with so many different fabrics.

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  7. Heartfelt congratulations, Ange! I am sew impressed! This is a great post about a wonderful quilt. Your first quilt for your daughter does give a special feeling.... Thanks for turning us on to the link for your binding method used, too!

    You have now convinced me that hexi's will have to be a project to begin this summer.
    Lorna:)
    http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com

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  8. awwww, it's so lovely! I am sure she will treasure it!

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  9. It's absolutely gorgeous! Hope she treasures it forever :-)

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  10. Had to come over from instagram to see more pics. Adore how much love you put into this one. She is sure to treasure it forever! I also love that you put the clothing you were wearing when you delivered her....how special!

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  11. Had to come over from instagram to see more pics. Adore how much love you put into this one. She is sure to treasure it forever! I also love that you put the clothing you were wearing when you delivered her....how special!

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  12. Just gorgeous! How gratifying to finish a project completely by hand. Sew beautiful and I love the binding.

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  13. It is exactly the perfect sort of quilt. This sort of quilt is the reason I am a quilter in the first place :)

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  14. Oh Ange, it's beautiful! I'm sure your daughter will cherish it for years to come (one you've handed it over, that is!). So......what's your next big project then?!

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  15. It's absolutely gorgeous Ange! You must be thrilled! It's definitely timeless and I love the embroidered letters of 'C''s name. Thanks so much for linking it up too :o)

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  16. Wow it is super stunning, I'm sure it will be treasured for years to come - I had the same idea when pregnant with my first about making a quilt but I didn't go with hexagons. It took at while although not as long as the one for my son which was seven years from start to finish and he's not yet 4 (go figure!).

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  17. You must be so happy it's finished, looks fantastic, love the border and I'm sure your daughter will treasure it. You've created a family heirloom, brilliant.

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  18. OK hats off, I admit it was worth the wait! Lucky girl; time to make another one ;)

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  19. Congratulations Ange ...this is just spectacular! I love it. What a beautiful quilt for you little girl and something she can treasure for a long time.

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  20. Wonderful quilt Ange - I love the way you've finished the edges. I'm sure your daughter will treasure it when she's old enough to appreciate all the work that went into it!

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  21. If I started one of those it would never get finished. I bet you'll feel lost without it. Great job... can't you just share it with her until she's older? ;)

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  22. Awww-this is such an awesome quilt & story! Your daughter will cherish this forever!

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  23. Love the hexagons, and so happy for you that you got it finished...I have one of those quilts too :-)

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  24. That is a gorgeous quilt Ange, and there is so much love in it. Your daughter will treasure it for life. Using the 'wrong' fabrics is lovely too as they are the ones with memories.

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  25. It really is beautiful. I keep toying with the idea of a hexagon quilt, but it always seems so much work. Maybe if I look at it as a long term project then it might get done.

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  26. WOW! It's stunning! I love the fact it uses special fabrics. Well done missus, I assume you're bringing it along to the next guild meeting for one of us to steal?

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  27. Oh....... what a masterpiece!! Your hexie is filled with so much love and so, so many stories behind the fabrics used. It will be a tomorrow's heirloom hugging your daughter as she snuggles forevermore under her treasured quilt!!

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  28. Its amazing I love the colours and the sentiment behind some of the fabric. I'd love to see it, maybe at the next meeting?

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  29. gorgeous, congrats on your BIGGG finish Ange!

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  30. Absolutely gorgeous! I love the full story, it's truly one to treasure forever xxxx

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  31. So beautiful, a new family heirloom, stunning :)

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  32. What a fantastic 'first' quilt and it already has a history too! Congratulations xx

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