Quilt Sizing

When I first started quilting, I always wondered, what size quilt do I need to make for a (fill in the blank) size bed? Or lap quilt?

Well, after looking at many books and blogs, I have complied what each size should be around.

First off, I would like to list some basic quilt sizes:

• A nice baby size quilt is around 42"x52".  Between 36"x36" and 52"x52" is the range for a baby size quilt. The size can depend on whether the quilt will be use in a crib.
• For  square baby quilt, anywhere from 36"to 42" works well
• Toddler- 46"x70" for a quilt. A toddler bed most often uses a crib mattress, however, not always, so it is best to measure first.
• A crib quilt measures between 30"x46" and 36"x50". If you are making this sized quilt as a gift, see if you can get the measurement- each manufacturer has their own sizes and crib mattresses are different sizes too.
• Wheelchair lap quilt- 36"x36" to 38"x47"
• A nice size lap quilt is between 52"-68" wide and the length can be from abut 52"-78"- although a lap quilt can be any size. A quilt that a child will want to bring along could be as small as 36"x36". A lap quilt that is 42"x60" is great for cuddling up on the couch with.
• Twin- between 64"-72" wide and the length can be from about 86"-96".
• Full is typically between 70"-88" wide and 88"-100" in length
• Queen- between 88"-99" wide and the length usually measures 94"-108"
• King- between 94"-108" in width and 94"-108" in length

If you are making a quilt that will go on a bed, use the following guide

          U.S. Mattress    Comforter    Bedspread
Crib     27"x52"              36"x60"
Twin    39"x75"             65"x88"     81"x110"
Full      54"x75"             80"x88"     96"x110"
Queen  60"x80"             86"x93"     102"x115"
King     76"x80"             104"x93"   120"x115"

Comforter- (at other than crib size) includes a 13" drop on 3 sides and no pillow tuck
Bedspread- includes a 21" drop (a typical bed height) on 3 sides, and a 14" pillow tuck

For a custom size quilt for a specific bed, use the following guide:

• measure the mattress, length and width, and depth (most mattresses measure 8-12", but the newer deeper ones can measure up to 20")
• add to each measurement the amount of drop you would like down the side of the bed (to the floor, to the bottom of the top mattress? to the bottom of the box spring?)
• remember to add a pillow tuck (this may depend on the depth of the pillows and how much of a pillow tuck you want), if you want a portion of the quilt to tuck under the pillows, and then carry on over top of the pillows.

An easy way to add a drop (depending on the quilt pattern you are using), your borders could be the drop.  For example, if you want an 8" drop, add an 8" border to your quilt top.

Hope this helps.  Just remember- give the quilt some personality!

Quilting and Sewing Product Review

Rotary Cutter:
The best rotary cutter I have found is by Gingher (you can buy it at Joann's Fabric Store)- they have it for both right and left handed people!

Rotary Cutting Mats:
The brand that I have found to be the best is Olfa.  It is "self-healing", 1.5mm thick, has contrasting clearly marked yellow cutting lines with a green background.  I have tried other brands of cutting mats and this brand is the only one that has not snagged some of my silk fabrics from old cut lines with the rotary cutter.
Sizes available:
5.5"x7.5"
12"x18"
18"x24"
24"x36"

I have  one of each of the sizes, depending on what my current project is.  The 12"x18" is great for classes and the 24"x36" is great for large craft projects and garments.

Rotary Rulers:
I like the brand, Omnigrid the best for a ruler when using my rotary cutter because it is clear with bright yellow and black measuring lines to easily be seen on both light and dark fabrics.  The rulers allow for an extra 1/2" seam allowance and diagonal angle lines.
Sizes:
The four pack comes with squares of 4-1/2", 6-1/2", 9-1/2", 12-1/2". You can buy it at Joann's.
6-1/2"x24" is great for cutting strips and has both a left and right handed numbering system with diagonal lines.

To hold all of my rulers, I have a wooden ruler rack that works perfect to keep everything organize.

Quilt Batting:
The batting by Warm Company, specifically the Warm and Natural line works really well for quilts.  This batting is:
- 100% cotton, unbleached
- does not separate or bunch
- you can quilt up to 10" apart and it will still keep its shape
- the fabric clings to the batting, so once placed, it stays in place easier
- keeps its shape wash after wash
- does not give the "puffy" look to quilts
- comes in all different sizes including 34", 45", 90" and 124" by the yard and by the bolt
- soft and gentle for children and babies

Quilting Pins:
Curved safety pins- 1-1/2" length.  These are a good length for all thickness of a quilt.  The fork pins always seemed to poke me and the shorter curved safety pins were too hard to get all layers of a thicker quilt.

Quilting apps for the iPhone

Someone told me about a few apps for the phone that are made just for quilters. They have already been very helpful to me when figuring out crazy quilt designs (such as my crazy ragged quilt) so that I know how much fabric I need for these projects. I put the link to iTunes if you want to check them out.

If you have a great sewing or quilting app, I would love to hear about it!

For iPhone and iPad:

QuiltingCalc by Robert Kaufman
Price: Free

QuiltFab by Mary Kay Podlecki

Price: Free



BlockFab by Mary Kay Podlecki

Price: Free



Flannel rag quilt

I love this quilt because it is easy for a first time quilter and it is about as warm as it needs to be for Texas winters.

Each of the squares are 8"x8". I sewed an "X" in the middle of each square for the quilting part. It measures 8x10 squares with a 5" boarder for a total of 61"x75".

Ragged and solid sides of the quilt

Ragged side of the quilt

Baby Monkey Gift Set

I love being able to make custom gift sets for people!  I get to personalize them and make exactly what they want.

This gift set includes an 8-inch plush ball, 1 applique burp cloth, 1 water resistant bib with vinyl catch, 1 diaper and wipe strap (holds up to 5 diapers), and 1 pacifier clip that can really be used to clip lots of things to the little ones. 

Purchase here

Matching quilt pieces

The last couple of weeks I worked on matching all of the pieces of fabric.  It was easiest for me to put all of the colors in order and then pull in order for each block.  For example, I used the following order for my blocks so that I did not ave any two colors touch.

Color #1- Green
Color #2- Flowers
Color #3- Yellow
Color #4- Dots
Color #5- Orange
Color #6- Circles
Color #7- Red

Time to match all of the blocks.  The way I set it up is that that I have 7 unique blocks.  I have started with the first of seven.  Take care when matching the triangles.  You want to make sure that when each half of the triangles are put together, they match as a single square.

Block one cosists of the following triangles:
Large green, medium flower, small yellow, small dots, medium orange, large circles

Block two:
Large red, medium green, small flower, small yellow, medium dots, large orange

Block three:
Large circles, medium red, small green, small flower, medium yellow, large dots

Block four:
Large Orange, medium circles, small red, small green, medium flower, large yellow

Block five:
Large dots, medium orange, small cirlces, small red, medium green, large flower

Block six:
Large yellow, medium dots, small orange, small circles, medium red, large green

Block seven:
Large flower, medium yellow, small dots, small orange, medium circles, large red


Again, this is just how I matched my triangles.  You can of course match however you want.  By doing it this way, the same blocks will line up diagonally for a pattern.

Scrap quilt

As I mentioned in week 1 of the quilt along, hang onto those scraps!  Below is one of the blocks that I made from random other quilts and projects.  At this rate I will have a block for each of the quilts and projects that I do. 

Sewing Cafe!

The projects completed in Sewing Café are designed for beginner sewers and most of the garments are geared towards women ages 20-30.  We will complete some projects for other age groups and some craft projects around the holidays for gift giving.

Some of the projects include how to up-cycle garments (perfect for those items you just can’t seem to part with but don’t wear any longer), basic skirt patterns, and how to make your own basic pattern.  If you have something you would like to see as a project, please let me know!

Upcoming projects and supply list

Thursday, August 23^rd: Tank dress

What you will learn:
-          How to add pockets to a skirt/dress
-          Color blocking
-          How to sew with gathers
-          How to hem a garment

Supply list:
-          1tank that fits you
-          1 yard of at least 2 different color fabrics- no more than 3 colors (if you use 3 colors, then you only need ¾ yard of each fabric and you will have some left over)
-          Clear elastic
-          1 yard muslin (if you have a light weight fabric and want to line the skirt portion of the dress)

Thursday, September 13^th: Pencil skirt

What you will learn:
-          How to take your own measurements and use a commercial pattern to sew the skirt (the pattern is proved for waist size between 26.5” to 34” and hip size from 36” to 44”)
-          Sew in an invisible zipper

Supplies:
-          2 yards of print woven bottom weight fabric
-          ¼ yard lightweight fusible interfacing
-          7”-long invisible zipper (match the color to the skirt fabric)
-          Presser feet: blind hem & invisible zipper
-          Thread: all-purpose & serger (optional)
-          Serger (optional)

Thursday, October 11^th: Ruffle skirt

What you will learn:
-          How to sew gathers on a skirt
-          Sewing with elastic

Supply list:
-          Jelly roll of 40 print cotton fabric strips (if you do not want to use a jelly roll, you can purchase 1.5 yards of fabric you would like to use as the ruffles- I bought a total of 2 yards of fabric, enough for the gathers and for the actual skirt fabric)
-          ½ yard of coordinating 45”-wide print cotton fabric (1 yard for hips larger than 40”)
-          1”-wide elastic (amount determined by waist measurement)
-          All-purpose thread
-          Tailor’s chalk
-          Pinking shears
-          Safety Pin (or bodkin)
-          Hand sewing needle
-          Gathering foot (optional)

Thursday, October 25th: TBD

Thursday, November 8^th: TBD

Thursday, December 13^th: TBD

Things to know

Please check sunnydaycreativecreations.blogspot.com and Waco Bernina Sew & Quilt facebook page for photos of upcoming projects and the supply list!  All supply lists will be provided at least one week prior to the class date.

For all classes, please bring the following items (all of these items can be purchased at the store for your convenience):

-          Sewing machine with extra needles
-          Thread(s) to match fabric
-          Fabric safe marking tools (such as chalk)
-          Sewing pins with pin cushion (or something to hold the pins in)
-          Seam gauge
-          Seam ripper
-          Tape measure
-          Fabric scissors
-          Rotary cutter with plastic ruler (optional if you prefer to cut using rotary cutter- can purchase at the store after using the tool)

Let me know if you have any questions!

Quilt along- picking fabric and cutting

So I have a HUGE stash of fabrics.  Some I have bought with I am sure something in mind, and some of it I do actually remember why I had bought it.  This fabric is some that I had bought last fall with EVERY intention of making a quilt.  Well I am now almost out of room in my fabric stash, so now it is time to make this quilt... So a quilt along anyone? 

I liked the ragged quilt my sister had made and had also seen a quilt that just had a whole bunch of mis-matched squares.  These are the two quilts that I used as an inspiration for my quilt.

Materials:
-1.5 yards of 7 different colors of fabric (I used four solid colors and three fabrics with a design)- total of 10.5 yards with a little left over
- 3/8 yard of coordinating fabric for binding
- batting (I like the 100% cotton batting)
- 3 5/8 yards for backing

 I want a quilt that will be a good sized lap quilt- so about a 48" x 64".   As with my sisters ragged quilt that has ragged squares, I want it a little more intrecit and have it as ragged triangles. 

For the first week, I cut all of my triangles.  The large squares measured 8.5" x 8.5"; medium squares were 6.5" x 6.5"; and the small squares were 4.5" x 4.5".  I needed 7 squares of each size and each color.  I then cut each of them in 1/2 to make 14 triangles of each size and each color- total of 96 (you will only need 13 triangles for two of the colors of each size).  With each of the large squares measuring 8.5" x 8.5" with a 1/4" seam allowance, I will have a quilt with 6 squares along the top and 8 down the side, this quilt will measure 48" x 64"- slightly smaller, but still a good size.

Next week I will be working on mixing and matching the triangles to get 96 stacks of triangles.  Lots of sewing ahead!

Be sure to keep all of the little scraps- they will make a great quilt later... another project!

Valence and Pillow

My sister and I went shopping for fabric for her new place a little over a year ago...yes it took me this long to finally get around to the project.  She wanted a valence and pillow.  The project itself only took a couple of hours to do and it should look wonderful in her place.  At least she is still at the same place as when I originally took the measurements for the valence.

I absolutely LOVE this flower fabric.  I have enough left that I should be able to make a pillow or two for myself. 

Her new decor should go wonderfully in her place.  We both love reds and bright colors!

Baby Boy Gift Set

Set includes:
1- Bib
1- Burp cloth
1- Diaper and wipe strap
1- Soft plush block (embroidered designs include baby boy owl, baby boy turtle, baby boy frog, and baby boy grasshopper)

Purchase here

Feel free to contact me to have it personalized!

Game Day Dress

Football seasonwill be here before we know it. A perfect game day dress for my favoritecollege team!

On Thursday, July12^thI will be teaching a class on how to make a game day dress. Feelfree to email me to sign-up for the class and supply list- class size islimited. The class will be at Bernina Sew and Quilt in Waco, TX and start at 6p.m. Call 254-7712887 to reserve your spot. I would love to have you join.

Quilt by Sister

Front of quilt

Back of quilt

We are a true Baylor Family! My sister has some of the best quilts and ideas...if only she had more time to create everything she came up with...

Picture frame earring holder

Supplies:

1 Frame (no glass or backing needed)- size of your choice

Chicken wire- enough to cover the back of the frame

Hot glue gun

Ribbon- I used 12" grosgrain, but if you want it to hang either shorter or longer, adjust to your preference

Possible staple gun (depending on the type of material that is used for the frame

Step 1: Attach the chicken wire to the back of the frame.

If you chose a softer wood frame, you can use the staple gun to attach the chicken wire to the back of the frame. If you chose a plastic or harder wood frame, I would use the hot glue gun to attach the chicken wire to the back of the frame.

Step 2: Attach the ribbon to the frame.

To attach the ribbon to the frame, if your frame has the hanging brackets, then tie the ribbon to the brackets. If not, just use the hot glue gun to attach the ribbon. When I first hung the frame, I realized that the ribbon was hanging so that you could see it behind the chicken wire- not what I was wanting. To fix it, I glued a little bit of the ribbon to the side of the chicken wire so that it would not peek behind for everyone to see

This frame is perfect for my entire hook earring collection- it keeps them organize as well as can be used as some décor!

Welcome!

So I have found a love to making quilts. I do a little bit of embroidery, and am working on a couple of projects that incorporate both the embroidery machine as well as quilting.  This blog is about creative sewing and quilting.  There will also be tutorials on some of the projects.  If you have any questions about sewing (garment fitting to general sewing questions), quilting, or craft projects, feel free to let me know and I will see what I can do to answer your questions.  Check back for pictures of projects.