Thursday, January 20, 2011

Proverbs 31: Cute Cozy Quilt: His & Hers!


"She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple."
Proverbs 31:22

Here's another trait that this Proverbs 31 woman possesses that intimidates me, what about you? (PS: Why is it that we women intimidate each other so much!?) As much as I love to make things by hand (and admire homemade quilts!) I am intimidated by the time and care it takes to do this well. I've made a few patchwork quilts before but they haven't held up very well.

I didn't even really plan this project out - just got up one Saturday with sort of a vision to do it and by that evening it was finished (the 'hers' version, that is)! One thing I've learned to appreciate about quilts is how many ways there are to make them! There is no right or wrong way to cut our fabric, no pattern that is off limits, we also love them for car trips, etc... They are full of options!

Not only that, but quilts are so useful around our homes! They add layer and texture to our rooms - cozying them up! We only use quilts for warmth a very small portion of the year. But, I also love to use them on tables, for picnics, cushioning for little ones or tent building! They really are so wonderfully versatile!

It occurs to me that this wise woman makes things like this for home to show us how she is invested in her home. She is giving of her very self. While choosing something already made is still investing in our home - aren't we investing more of ourselves and our own equity when we make it ourselves?!

Another thought that follows is that she chooses quality. She aims for well-made, works to the best of her ability and selects good fabrics that will not wither quickly. If she is dressed in fine linen and purple, then it stands to reason that she would make equally good choices in quality for her home.

I like that quality is important to her. I like that she is beautifully dressed and aware of the appearance of herself and her home. And, from what we know of her other qualities, she is not obsessed with things being beautiful or top of the line. It strikes me as more of a timeless grace and elegance that she exudes.

That resonates with me ~ timeless grace, beauty, quality, investing in my home. Oh, to be more of a virtuous and wise woman!

Let's get sewing!

I did not use any specific measurement to cut out my fabric - I looked through my fabric and then decided based on what I already had on hand. So, my quilt is a kind of long and not very wide - it is great for covering a lot of laps or laying over one person!

First decide what size you'd like your quilt to be or look through your fabric and see what you have on hand. Cut out your fabric to the desired size. I cut wide, long strips - instead of smaller pieces and this helped it really move along quickly!

Lay out your pieces to get an idea of the order you want to sew them together. Then sew the pieces together using a 3/4 inch seam allowance:

Press all your seams open, so they will lay nice and flat!

Once you have the top of your quilt sewn together the way you want it, lay out a large piece that you will use for the backing of your quilt - in my case, it was an old sheet from a thrift store! Sheets are a great way to get a big piece of fabric for usually about two or three dollars!

So, lay out your backing fabric (right side facing down to the floor), then lay quilt batting on top of that and then your quilt top.

Leave 2 or 3 inches around the top to give yourself enough fabric to make the quilt binding.
Pin this all together so that it will stay in place while you are quilting the layers together.

Sew through all the layers and quilt to your taste! I just stitched straight seams every two or three inches all across the entire length.

Now, you are ready to finish off the edges. Fold the raw edge once to bring the raw edge up to the edge of the quilt:

Then fold again to create a nice edge:

Pin in place:


I placed the edge of my presser foot on the left edge of the binding and stitched all the way around. I forgot to take pictures of the corners - but I folded them like I was wrapping a present and stitched in place.

Then, I went around again and stitched closer to the edge to seal everything in there nice and secure:

Now, enjoy your quilt! Since all I did was think of this one morning and have it finished by afternoon - it should not take too terribly long to make!

Even though I made this in the summer (it looks summery doesn't it?!), it is not too heavy for our use here in the south! We've used it a lot and it stays on our bed. Recently, it got quite chilly at night and we had an afghan and this quilt I had made both on our bed. I loved laying down knowing that I had made two coverings for our bed and began to relate to the Prov. 31 woman just a tiny bit more.

Months after making this quilt - I made a second quilt.
Remember my goal to make a quilt out of David's Dad's shirts? The shirts have been lingering in my closet for over a year and I finally finished it for David for Christmas!

I don't have a tutorial for this - but I just cut squares of the shirt fronts and from the lining. Then, pieced together the front and back. Layered with quilt batting and sewed together. Instead of quilting with straight seams, I simply tied the corners of the squares together to add stability. It is so manly and especially meaningful ~ we've really enjoyed it already!

28 comments:

Tim, Allyson, and kids said...

I can't believe you made an entire quilt in one day...and with three little ones.

I've been "working" on the same I Spy quilt for over a year. I just never seem to be able to get to it.

Way to go!

aspiritofsimplicity said...

Beautiful work!

LynnMarie said...

I made a quilt for our King Size bed and it took me all summer! But now that we are in the middle of winter and it's all of 5 degrees, I love covering up under it.
Your quilts are beautiful!! Well done!

Anonymous said...

I can do this!!! I have a stash of fabric, pieces not quite big enough for a garment, but too big to discard. This project is great. Thanks for posting all your beautiful pictures!

Mary Ann said...

Those are both beautiful. I especially like the one made from shirts.

I made a patchwork fleece blanket for my husband before we were married. And a few years back, made another fleece blanket using his favorite NFL team on one side and favorite baseball team on the other. Since I really don't like the fleece blankets that are tied on the edges, for the sports one, I just sewed right sides together, turned it inside out and top-stitched. The patchwork one, I tied like you did and then blanket stitched the edges. took a little time but turned out really cute!

While he appreciated both blankets, I've used both more than he has since I'm so cold-natured. But they've held up well and come in so handy for cold snaps and traveling.

I still would like to try my hand at actual quilting!

Mom said...

These quilts turned out great! Of the quilts I've made, my favorites are the five baby quilts I made -- one for each of my grandbabies! Great post! Love you, Mom

More than Survival said...

The shirt quilt is such a special thing you made!!!! LOVE it!!!!!! Holding on to memories!

flyonthewall said...

The "hers" quilt is beautiful, but I must say that I LOVE the "his" quilt...for all the sentiment and memories sewn into it with his Dad's shirts! Now, THAT is VERY special! Well done, you Proverbs 31 woman! (-:

Wendi said...

Love the quilt that you made for David. It looks so cozy and inviting. Then when you hear the meaning I can't help but smile!

Greg and Donna said...

The quilt is beautiful ~ I love the summery colors. And the mans quilt is so meaningful using the shirts ~ what a special gift. And I too love working on Proverbs 31 traits and seeing the results in our home.

Chelle said...

Your quilts are lovely. How special it is to have one to remember your family member.

angie said...

Your attention to detail in taking these pictures outside adds to the charm. What a wonderful gift for your husband, one that he will cherish always.
I have saved most of my son's team uniforms with hopes of making (with help!) a quilt for him someday.
I love quilts, as do most of us. I think their varied fabrics and patterns tell a story.
I recently picked up at small quilt (wall hanging size) at Goodwill. I'm thinking of hanging it in my dining room. I thought of using a 6" rule (what the Farm Chicks used to make a star) to hang it from. But I don't know how to create a "pocket" on the back side of the quilt or tabs on the top to hang it from. Any ideas?

Cheryl said...

Love your posts Monica. You always have a great nugget of the bible to share and you tie it into something that applies to you and your family.
I just want to say for someone that doesn't quilt much you did a great job. Great fabrics for your "her" quilt. I am really loving the "his" quilt. Flannel is just so snuggly.
You have jump started me into hitting the two tubs of shirts and pants I have saved up for over a year from the hubs and son to get cracking and turn 'em into a quilt already.
Have a blessed day!

Mrs. K said...

Love it and thank you so much for the binding bit. I made a quilt for our mission house out of squares that someone else cut. I used a sheet for the back but just ended up stitching right sides together and turning inside out and topstitching. It looked awful!

And I couldn't help but laugh at you having two blankets on your bed. We live in Ohio and currently each of our children have three blankets each and our bed has 5!

Shannon said...

I love the quilt from your father-in-laws shirts. The other one is beautiful, too (and way to get stuff done!), but I can just imagine how precious that one must be to your hubby.

Elise said...

Oh, those are quite special, Monica!! I love the fabric choices on your quilt!! I've been wanting to make quilts, or at least a patchwork duvet cover for Lilly's bed for some time now. I would love to tackle a quilted throw as well...
Elise

Unknown said...

I have the same sewing machine as you! My hubby picked it out for me. :o)
I've had fabric cut for 10 years to make a star quilt and I've only gotten 1 "star square" done, LOL. Maybe I should have tried something a bit simplier.

Jthemilker said...

I LOVE the flannel quilt. Great job Monica! My sister made a quilt out of old blue jeans using the pocket as her square. It ended up really heavy, but really cool.

Lynn B said...

I just have to say, I love how easy you make this look :) I don't have a sewing machine, but I will someday and maybe I will work my way up to something as lovely as your special quilts! I want to use some special baby clothes from my kids in a quilt one day.

Tim, Allyson, and kids said...

Did you just use a "regular" sewing machine or do you have one with a longer arm?

I've added a quilt like this to my DIY projects for this year and want to make sure it's reasonable.

http://a-heart4home.blogspot.com/2011/01/list-it-link-it-do-it-yourself-projects.html

Kathryn D. Duke said...

you may not have quilted very much but you did a wonderful job on these...and the scripture is perfect!!

Anonymous said...

I'm wanting to make a quilt out of my father's shirts. How big are the squares on the man's quilt?

Monica Wilkinson said...

I would say about 8x8 or so! The beauty of it is you can make them whatever size you need to maximize the shirts available!

Anonymous said...

I love the flannel shirt quilt. How did you finish the sides and top?

Monica Wilkinson said...

Anonymous: I just put right sides together (with batting in the layers) and stitched around three and a half sides. Then turned right side out, pressed and stitched the last little bit closed. There is no binding on this quilt!

Anonymous said...

I just had a quick question - did you pre-wash all your fabrics for the strip quilt, or just piece/sew quilt and then wash? Thank you for the inspiration :)

Monica Wilkinson said...

I did pre-wash the fabric! :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for responding about pre-washing the fabric.