Crazy Quilt

Not really a crazy quilt as much as a quilt that made me crazy. It doesn’t really take much, but this dude really worked me over! The end result was totally worth it and I know it will be loved and appreciated in its new home.

Here is how it all started:

About three months ago, my friend Vanessa brought me a stack of pillow shams. Her mother had purchased them for a buck apiece some years ago when Old Time Pottery was going out of business. She had about twenty of them and I am sure that at that price she just couldn’t leave them where they lay. However, some years passed and she hadn’t utilized those shams, so she asked Vanessa to drop them off at a donation site. Instead, she brought them to me.

Vanessa knows that I have been quilting and sewing for just a short time but she did think that I might be able to utilize these shams and turn them into something useful and beautiful. I hope I accomplished that.

First I laid the shams out to create a simple pattern and to see what I had. My idea was to use the sham as the block. Since the shams had a small “ruffle” on the edge, I knew this would create a bit of a challenge but I had a plan.

Next I needed to do some prep work. I wouldn’t need all of these thicknesses in a quilt. 

The backs all had an envelope fold and buttons that needed to be removed.

I cut around the back edges of each sham and removed the extra material. Looking back, I am not sure why I didn’t save all of those buttons. What a dope! Ennyway, I knew that because of that little ruffle on the front of each sham that I wouldn’t be able to just sew them to each other. Also, none of the shams were square or the same size. Close but no cigar. So, I opted to sash the shams and join them that way. I chose a nice solid green that would match or at least compliment the green leaves in the sham design.

Here begins the difficulty. Nothing was square or even, creating a challenge at every turn. I chose to make this 4 shams long by 3 shams wide plus sashing. I underestimated how big this thing would finish out to be and how difficult it would be for me to handle. Once I had the top sewn up to my satisfaction, the mister helped me to spray baste the batting and backing layers together. There is no way that I could have done this without help.

I did a very simple quilting on the top for two reasons. My foot continually wanted to catch in the lace side of the sham and this quilt weighs a ton. It was like wrestling a 50 pound brat through my machine with every stitch. I felt like I had dominated the Kraken by the time it was done! Add in that I have a torn rotator cuff in my right arm and not only was this difficult it was damn painful. Not exactly how you want to remember a project. But I soldiered on. I knew that it was now or never to get this bitch kitty finished.

The mister helped me choose a backing and binding fabric and he has a good eye. Not just one to see with but one to create as well! I initially thought that I would put a green floral on the back but I just didn’t find anything that reached out and grabbed me. Except for the mister, that is. We decided that a brown and tan floral would be more restful and would blend better with the overall design of the sham. It was a good choice and I was certainly pleased with the outcome.

While I was working on this quilt, Charlie decided that he really liked it and I think he would like to keep it. Sorry fella, I will have to make you one of your own. But he did help me inspect the final product and did a bit of modeling for me.

 

I simply couldn’t photograph the whole quilt. It is just too big for me to handle by myself and the mister is off working to buy Charlie bones. In this final photo you can see the green sashing and the sham design.

 

While this wasn’t the most fun I ever had making a quilt, I did learn quite a few things and I KNOW that the person who will be receiving this will be thrilled. It was totally worth all of the effort to get this thing together and I am pleased with the end product. I did have a few shams left over, so Vanessa will be able to use those with her new quilt!