Thursday, May 30, 2013

Charm pack baby quilt - tutorial

Charm packs are a great way to have a range of fabrics without a huge expense.... I loved using them for these little baby quilts I have made....



they look totally different in different colours and with a little bit of a change to embellishing...

A coin stack is not a new concept but I thought I would just share how I made this... just incase there is anybody wanting to try one...

You need:

1 charm pack
75cm coordinating fabric (Colour 1) for sashing and borders
30cm coordinating fabric (Colour 2) for binding.... and if you want to do applique in a matching colour (like I have done with the bunnies) get another 10cm....

You will use 40 of your charms for the main quilt...
I put aside 2 charms which I used for the applique "Sweet Dreams"


Slice your 40 charms in half ... so you have 80 2 1/2" by 5" pieces.. and place these in 5 rows of 16 ..... fairly random but it's nice not too have the same fabrics together.....


..... then join your 5 columns of half charms.....


and give it a press .......

that was not too hard was it?  nevertheless it may be time now for a nice cuppa... I like a plunger coffee around now....


next we need the sashing and side borders so cut 5 strips 2 1/2" by 31 1/2" (double check this is the length of your column - each of us has a slightly different 1/4" seam!)


sew your pressed columns to the sashing.... mark the centre of the column and the centre of the sashing and pin that first ... this helps to keep a nice even stitching....

pin and sew a length of sashing between each coin column and on the two sides ....


okay... after all that thinking and measuring you may need some sugar... there are some fresh Anzac biscuits in the kitchen....


wash hands..... please....

your quilt top should look like this now...


next you will cut two top borders.... I used 6" for both, but you can adjust this to suit yourself...
Check the width of your columns and sashing but it should be around 34 1/2"


add any embelishing before you attach... this just makes it easier to manoever the fabric.... I found some lovely rabbit shapes in Michelle's book Briarside Lane for this one... but you could do flowers, or cars... just have a look at your fabric and decide what you like.... of course it is fine to leave it plain too!!


last time I took a photocopy of some of the fabric in the charm pack and blew it up to make up a stitchery design....


Putting on the Ritz fabric range was perfect for my Sweet Dreams as it has sleeping writing on the fabric


I appliqued on the writing.... you can easily get fonts off the computer and write whatever you like.... the baby's name would be fun... (if you know it of course!! - won't do just to make one up!!)


Here are the lovely bunnies hopping through the border fabric.....


okay, now..... embellishing is fun.... now you  need to sew the top and bottom borders on and you have a quilt 'flimsy'....



it's good to be relaxed when you quilt... it's nice to have a bit of wine to sip..... (not too much mind you!!!)


... quilt as desired.....
with the coins it is perfect for stitching in the ditch if you don't free motion quilt...


.... I find it hard not to get distacted by my view... that's where the bird table is....


I do enjoy feathering.....


... then of course it is the binding.... and finally I like a wash and dry before I send it out... makes it soft and wrinkles up a bit (depending on your wadding) ... and of course cleans it of any chemicals and dust....


my residential doll tested it out


you may need sugar after all that


... and it doesn't matter if you get chocolate all over your hands.....

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

thankyou for sharing and doing the tutorial Fiona,i will make this one for my grandson,now to find a nice charm pack that my daughter likes.I am coming over to your place to sew,i love the things you bake,also love that cup and saucer,have a lovely day my friend.xx

WoolenSails said...

Those are really cute and nice idea for a quick quilt. I want to do some machine applique.

Debbie

Sheila said...

Great tutorial Fiona and an adorable quilt , I must give that a try one of these days . Your feathers look wonderful , I think I need practice . Hugs sheila

Terry said...

What a great way to use up a charm pack! :0)

Susan said...

I love charm packs too, so much you can do with them, but important to remember a little coordinating yardage. Your tutorials are so thorough, love the rest stops.

Maria said...

Pre-Cuts make great quilts.. Just love your Coin quilts with your personal touch on the top you have made.. Great tut Fiona and I agree with Shez. We need a sewing sleepover at your house with all the goodies between sewing and chatting.

Sharon - Lilabelle Lane said...

Great tutorial and I love your "pit stops" during the process. hugs

Elyte said...

Brilliant, could almost hear the machine whirring away and taste those goodies. The little quilt is gorgeous.

Michelle Ridgway said...

Thank you so much Fiona...just perfect for those charm packs you bought just because you loved them. Definitely have to have a go.

sunny said...

Great post! I have a couple of charm packs laying around, and i happen to need a baby quilt. Not sure if I have any wine or chocolate, though. Can I still make the quilt?

Jeni said...

What a Beautiful Babys Quilt ...Thanks for sharing

Jennifer said...

That's a nice easy quilt design, thank you!

Grammasheri said...

Thank you Fiona! I have some charm packs and this would be a quick, pretty quilt to make.

Jane said...

I love your tutorials for the coffee and cake breaks, wonderful!

Mistea said...

Perfect tutorial, I see you planned ahead and got your treats ready so they didn't interfere with your sewing time.
Lovely quilt and the cake looks delicious.

Sue SA said...

Your timing is perfect, just pulled a charm pack to pieces, decided I wasnt going to use the pattern I had picked out (didnt want to cut them into small pieces) and then was lost for ideas! Thanks, this is going in the to do soon pile...which is a bit full at present, but at least I now have a quick pattern! Thanks heaps.

Valspierssews said...

Very cute quilts and quite simple to make. I love the bunnies you added.

Cheryl said...

Thanks for the great tutorial Fiona. I have a couple of lovely charm packs I have been saving and wondering what to do with them without just sewing the squares together.

tales from a handmade home said...

I love all the embellishments on this baby quilt, so sweet.

Grethe said...

Great tutorial, lovely fabrics with sweet dream words :-) I use the range in the Cats and Dogs BOM, what a good idea for making a baby quilt from left-overs!

Googy Girl said...

Great tutorial, with my niece engaged I may need to make one of these sweet little quilts soon

Chookyblue...... said...

a nice quick quilt..........and lots of delicious things in between.......

Shirley said...

You're a girl after my own heart, craft and food, perfect! Quilts are lovely too xx

Karen said...

I do very much like your food and drink approach to sewing!

Anthea said...

Fiona, I do love your style! The quilt is very sweet, and the sustenance breaks are great too - leave me some of that cake?! x

Queen Of The Armchair aka Dzintra Stitcheries said...

Love the tutorial Fiona , especially the breaks in between!

Katherine said...

Beautiful!

Jeneta said...

Hehe! My daughter Zoe and I love your tutorials (in our house you are referred to as 'Hugz Fiona'!). Do you think a tutorial on how to do your feather quilting is in your future? I am happy to supply refreshments...

Peg - Happy In Quilting said...

Fantastic Bubz..thank you I need to make a baby quilt and I might do obe of these...

Fairy Floss Stitches said...

great tutorial Bubz! very entertaining with the rest breaks...love the bunnies too....

marina said...

always enjoy your tutorials, or maybe I just like the drinks and food that you put on for them....

Narelle said...

Great tutorial Fiona. I must remember the wine to aid in my quilting :)

Wendy said...

thanks for sharing Fiona, your quilts are so lovely and look so different

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