Project Sew
“We must make our lives as we sew, stitch by stitch.”
~ Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
It has been a goal of mine to create a quilted blanket for many many years. With the advent of the dreaded 2020 events, I thought there’s no time like now to begin a relaxing and mentally fulfilling hobby. However as luck would have it, I was busier than ever and I simply failed in devoting time to my intended pursuit of quilting. As 2023 drew to a close I was experiencing burnout and needed a break. Even though I love illustrating and designing, that too can cause creative exhaustion and dissatisfaction. I just wanted to do something else, and I had the privilege to take a few weeks for myself. This was the moment my quilting project was intended for.
I grew up sewing things and experimenting with re-fashioning clothes. I would turn jeans into skirts; adding-in Punk-inspired leopard print panels, or I would sew straight trousers into bell-bottoms! However I was always unsure of my sewing skills and taking measurements - they made me anxious. Punk outfits didn’t have to be precise, but other sewing projects have to be; and quilting is one of them. I decided to face my fears and re-educate myself. After watching lots of YouTube tutorials, I purchased the things I needed to begin my project and took lots of notes. I reacquainted myself with my old friend - my Brother sewing machine which stitched those bell-bottoms back in the 90s. I sat down with the instruction manual and went through every part of the machine - I even stuck washi tape reminders on the machine so I wouldn’t forget which dial was for what.
As you can see from the above image, I took screenshots of all the fabrics I purchased and arranged them into an imaginary quilt! This helped me to visualise the finished piece and know what fabrics to put next to one another to create a unified pattern. With my enthusiasm growing by the day I began cutting my fabrics with gusto. I had purchased these fabrics back in 2020. It was a lovely thought to know they would now be used as intended. My first fabric choice of the pink, green and gold floral Liberty fabric informed my colour palette for the whole quilt. From here I picked other poly-cotton fabrics which complimented it. I chose one of the fabrics then to use on the reverse also, and another simple gold fabric was also used for the binding around the edge. This created a harmonious colour palette and vintage aesthetic.
I based the size of the blanket on an existing blanket I had on my bed - 1 metre x 1.4 metres. I cut each square to 20 x 20” along with a quarter inch seam, so that each panel was around 20.6.” I would recommend using a solid number in future - it makes things a lot easier! I used a rotary cutter to cut each square, however in hindsight if you’re starting on your first project it’s probably best to make a smaller blanket, using a pack of fat quarters so you know that your squares are perfectly cut with straight lines! It wasn’t until the end of the project where I learned that having perfectly straight lines is a must, along with sewing lines flawlessly straight of course. This makes all the squares join up perfectly. However after waiting nearly 4 years to make my blanket, I was too enthusiastic and excited to see the finished product, and I forged ahead with my ultimate task of completing the project!
With my square panels cut to size, and my machine set up, I got to work sewing each row. To reiterate, it’s really important to sew as straight as possible. This becomes more difficult when sewing each row to one another as there’s height differences from the connection of the panels, but try and flatten these as much as you can so the needle doesn’t pass over them out of line. Once all rows are stitched together, you can begin making your ‘quilt sandwich.’ Quilting is actually the stitching together of these three layers - the patchwork front piece, the batting/wadding in the middle, and the backing fabric. I placed the backing fabric on the floor and taped it down so it was taut. Repeat this step for the batting layer on top. Lastly, with the patchwork front, pin this to the lower two layers using curved safety pins and make sure the front piece is taut with enough pins to ensure a neat sandwich.
Using a water soluble fabric marker, I marked-out 2” diagonal lines across the patchwork front. These lines will be the stitched quilting lines, so you can use a contrasting or complimentary colour thread for this. I chose a subtle cream as the patchwork patterns were already quite visually prominent. I used my standard presser foot on my machine, however a ‘walking foot’ is a handy tool for stitching these lines, as it keeps all three layers of fabric together while passing through the feed dogs. I was able to manage without it, however on one row my layers bunched-up slightly, so in future I will use a walking foot which I purchased recently. My favourite part of the whole process was attaching the binding. With one side sewn by machine, it was the other side which was finished by hand, and I found this the most satisfying and relaxing part of the project! Maybe it was also the fact that it was the ‘final touches’ to the blanket and that’s always a rewarding feeling to any creative project.
Even though this was a sewing project, it certainly helped me to refocus and be reinvigorated again to get back to work as an illustrator. It’s funny how any kind of creative activity or hobby can benefit our broader outlook on life, and help us to reevaluate problems which had been barriers to progression. I thoroughly recommend beginning a creative hobby, even one which may seem scary at the start, it can become a fun and rewarding challenge which can set other things in motion. My quilted blanket isn’t perfect, but that’s ok. It was the beginning of something unknown, and I learned new things along the way. I hope you enjoyed reading my post, and if you’d like to see more about this project I created a video about it on my YouTube channel. Take care, Rachel x