Outdoor Man Quilt (w/ Tutorial)

This Outdoor Man Quilt is for Brian.  I can finally share this post because I finally remembered to show it to him (Is that bad that I had it done for a couple weeks before remembering to show him?)  He has been asking when I would make him a quilt.  I decided now was the time.  Making a "man" quilt is sort of hard because I am drawn to all the pretty and girly fabrics at the quilt shop.  It is also tricky to decide on a pattern that looks "manish." 

So after some searching I decided there were enough outdoor/hunting/fishing fabrics that I liked and that the prints I liked would look good in what others online were calling a "Plain Spoken" quilt top.  I found pictures of this quilt top all over Pinterest and Google but no pattern.  Therefore, I was forced to wing it.  I figured I could wing it since the quilt appeared to be rectangles of fabric sewn all together...but there's more to it than that!  There is calculating and planning...

Here is a glimpse of the top.  I will get this quilted soon and bind it as soon as I get it back.  The "B" is on there because Brian requested it.  Perhaps that request indicates how desperately he has wanted his own quilt.

 

 

Here is how I went about making/winging this quilt.  It is 64 inches by 80 inches (because Brian says the other quilts I make aren't big enough). 

First:  I began with a rough estimate of how big I wanted it to be which was 66 inches by 84 inches; this turns out to be roughly 4.25 yards.  To be on the safe side and allow for seam allowances I bought a total of 5 yards of fabric.  I bought 10 pieces of fabric at a half yard each.

Second:  I like to maximize the use of fabric I buy and for this quilt I knew I wanted to cut the same number of skinny strips as fat strips.  Since a half yard of fabric is roughly 18 inches wide I was able to cut three 2 inch wide strips and three 4 inch wide strips from each half yard of fabric.

 

Third:  I randomly paired a 4 inch strip with a 2 inch strip and sewed the pair together.  When you sew the pair or any fabric together in this quilt, make sure to sew right (pretty) sides together. Once I had the strips sewn into pairs, I ironed the seams open.

Fourth:  Again, because I like to maximize, I cut the paired strips into 8 1/2 inch pieces; these pieces become the "blocks."  I was able to get five blocks from each pair.  To make this part go faster you can layer three pairs over top of one another and then cut through the three layers all at once.

Fifth:  To be sure I got all the blocks in a random enough order I laid every single block for the quilt top out over a queen size bed.  When I laid the blocks out, I laid them out with the skinny strip of the block on top.  The quilt ended up being 8 blocks wide by 16 blocks long.

*At this point, you'll want to come up with a method to keep your rows in order so that you can insure the same print does not end up next to itself in another block.  I put a piece of tape on the first block of each row and labeled the rows 1-16.

Sixth:  I sewed the blocks together by row; this means I sewed 8 blocks together end to end.  I did this for all 16 rows.  Then I ironed open all the seams; this took a while. 

Seventh:  Now keeping your rows in order, sew two rows together at a time.  You will end up with pairs:  1&2, 3&4, 5&6... Iron the seams open. Then sew one pair to another pair: 1&2 with 3&4, 5&6 with7&8... Keep sewing pairs together.  The pairs will keep getting larger.  Remember to iron seams open.  The last seam you will want to sew will be the one that attaches the bottom half of the quilt  with the top half.

*To keep seams lined up put a pin at every single spot two seams overlap. You will be pinning right sides together.  Do not pull the pin out until a stitch or two before the needle gets to it.  By doing this, your fabric will be less likely to slip and your seam lines will be smoother and straighter. 

It really only takes seven steps to make this quilt top.  I made this top over the course of just three days.  During those three days, I started and completed a pillow project, rode horses, and did chores in the yard.  It really is not a tough top and it offers a lot of variety.

For a different size quilt top:

If you want a smaller or larger quilt top, decide on the width and length you want.  Then find the area of the quilt top in yards.  Add a little extra for seam allowances.  Decide on how many prints you want and then get enough fabric in yards to slightly exceed the desired area of the quilt top in yards.  When it comes time to cutting strips, you may end up cutting skinner or wider strips than listed.  Just try to use the fabric you have paid for up as best you can and have even numbers of each strip size out of each print.  You may also end up with more or less columns or rows of blocks.  Good luck!

West Side Wedding Adventure

This last weekend I made my way over to the west side of the state.  I made the trip there all on my own and even handled I-5 traffic solo.  This was my first time going over the mountains alone and taking on traffic alone.  I survived and I am so happy about it.

The purpose of this trip was to go to Poulsbo for friend's wedding because I was one of her bridesmaids.  However, the first stop I made on the trip was at Rachel's house.  Stopping at Rachel's was so much fun because I got to see how cute she looks pregnant, visit with her, and see their new house, which is super cute and perfect for them!  Rachel made the best salad.  I can't remember what she called it but it had great flavor and tasted so fresh.  It had corn, cilantro, black beans and lots of other things in it.  It was so good.  I was sad to leave her house Friday morning.  I seriously believe Rachel and I could talk for days and days about crafts and projects.  But now that I know how easy it is to drive on my own to her house, I may be making more appearances at her house.  Rachel is one of my dearest college friends and I miss not living in Pullman where we could workout together and craft whenever we wanted!  I meant to get a picture with Rachel, but it just didn't happen. :(

Once I got up to Poulsbo, the wedding festivities begun!  We got mini pedicures and manicures.  I felt like a little princess sitting in the big comfy chair getting pampered.  I loved it.  I also really loved having my hair and makeup done before the wedding.  Laura did an awesome job picking nail, hair, and makeup stylists to take care of us.  The stylists did an amazing job making everyone look beautiful!  If you look at the picture, I think you'll agree that we were a gorgeous group!  We are gorgeous in more ways than one, though.  We are gorgeous inside and out and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each one of Laura's bridesmaids better.  Some I had met before while others I had not.  Nonetheless, each girl is great and so different from the other.  It is sort of funny to think that a bride could have such a diverse group by her side, but it shows how diverse and interesting Laura is herself!

When I think back about my friend's wedding day, I smile about two things--how happy they were to get married and the pink robes Laura gave us bridesmaids.  I liked my robe very much, but it was hard to warm up to the idea of wearing it out of the hotel room.  I did it, though, because everyone else was doing it and it was what Laura wanted.  I still giggle a little when I think about the fact that I wore a pink satin robe with only a bra
and spanks underneath to the hair salon.  I laugh harder when I remember that I wore that into the grocery store and through the hotel lobby and parking lot.  Since I can laugh about it, I guess it really wasn't that bad...it was FUN!  People loved it...they could stare at and think what they wanted or they could exclaim "Look how cute those bridesmaids are.  Congrats to the Bride!"  The robes really did add an extra bit of fun to the day and I enjoyed wearing mine everywhere!

The other super fun part of Laura's wedding was the photo booth.  I loved the props and made an appearance in a few poses.  I also had a blast taking pictures of others in the photo booth.   This picture, though, is my favorite because Laura, the bride, is in it!  The booth was super cute.  It consisted of three old doors, a church bench, pillows, a chandelier, and tons of fun props like hats, sunglasses, and mustaches.  The booth was a hit for sure!!

Sure there were a couple stressful moments during my adventure to the west side but everything from lane changes to hair and decorations being set up worked out!  It was a fun weekend and I am so happy I got to be a part of my friend's big day!

Quilts, Quilts, and More Quilts

I've been thinking about my blog for a couple weeks now.  Mostly, I've been thinking about how long I've neglected my blog.  I feel bothered with myself for not keeping it up and sorry for my followers who probably feel out of the loop regarding what I've been up to.  So sorry!

Between finishing up my public speaking class, horse things, and house sitting, I have spent a lot of time quilting.  I have fallen in love with quilting and am so proud of the creations I have made.  I feel like I am finally getting better at choosing fabrics and prints that complement each other, and I feel like I am getting better at following methods and techniques to complete my quilts faster. 

I want to share with you the quilt I am most proud of to date...I call it the Purple Beauty.

I made this after a friend's mom asked me to sew a quilt for her to give her daughter as a wedding present.  As you can imagine, I was pretty excited when I was asked.  After all, my friend and I had been best little friends at daycare back in the day.  It was super nerve wracking to pick out the fabric and make this quilt for a few reasons, though.  First, I had never made a quilt on the request of someone else.  Second, I had never made a queen size quilt.  Lastly, I was at home in Washington while the mother of the bride was out in Kansas; this meant collaborating for this quilt took place by sending pictures and ideas back and forth via text.  It was fun to catch up with my friend's mom during this time.  However, I felt challenged to be undertaking such a big project.  That is because I did not want to disappoint!  In the end, though, it turned out absolutely lovely and everyone thinks it's very nice.

The pillows I made to match this quilt were another challenge.  Basically, I have never been one to make pillows or pillow shams.  Thank goodness for Pinterest!  The round pillow is called a Sprocket Pillow.  I appliqued the R onto the little square pillow which was made using a left over quilt block.  I really am happy with how it turned out!

It's hard to believe this quilt project is over.  It began at Thanksgiving when I thought I'd have all the time in the world to make it.  I finished it and all pillows mid June.  Looking back, time went way too fast while I made everything.

The other two quilts I have been working on are baby quilts!  They are so darn cute!  Check out the bright and cute prints!  They are for the babies my two friends are having.  My friends happen to be cousins and have due dates one month apart.  I just had to make them matching baby quilts because it just seemed too fitting not to!  All I know is that the babies are going to love playing on them! 

 

Check back soon for a little tutorial on what I'm calling the Outdoor Man quilt; this one is for Brian.  I decided it was time to make one for him since he asks when I'll make him a quilt every time I show him the current quilt I'm working on.