Saturday, August 31, 2013

He's Leaving Home....Chad's Quilt and Pillow

Our son Chad has managed to buck the trend, and after spending 4 months back with us after graduating from the University of Washington, has gotten a really great job and moved into his own apartment.  It is 25 minutes away...not too far, but 5 minutes away would have been better! 
For a housewarming present I made him a large throw quilt and pillow for his handsome new couch.
Here is how it went:

He wanted an Asian them and warm colors; I got permission to add a few spikes of blue. That pile of white fabric you see above the iron is leftover muslin squares and rectangles from other projects; I figured I'd use them up.
This resulted in the quilt's lay-out, which I like very much!  Couldn't have thought it up myself otherwise.

Here they all are pinned up on the design wall.  After doing some beginning "piecing"--it is really Intuitive Applique, Method 4 in my Craftsy class--I decided to pin up some major elements like the large chunks and the blue bits so that down the line the quilt would actually have a bit of balance.

Moving right along here!

Once I started sewing it together, I got a sense that this quilt was really going to work ok!  I loved using fabrics from my stash...silks from our trip to India, Kimono silks from a generous student, sample linen from a friend, quilters' cotton, some trims I'd gathered along the way...I loved putting them all together.

I found this scrap in the bottom of my brown/black bin where it had been waiting for years....

Squaring up the blocks...

.....gave me lots of trimmings!

The top was really pretty easy to assemble.

It looks formal here, but it is about to be transformed into a snuggly couch quilt!

But first I decided to make a co-ordinating pillow from some of the scraps.  I used a fairly uniform mid-value and stayed with the gold/orange part of the palette.
What you see here are scraps that have had their overlapping edges ironed under.  Those ironed edges then received a light smear of Tacky Glue and then each piece was just smoothed into place on a muslin foundation.  Collage work, very fast, very fun.

 The glued patches were totally secured into place with the quilting; I'd spray basted my collage onto a piece of flannel drapery lining and then around and around I went on my Sweet 16.

It finished out at 20" X 20", with a black linen back....to match Chad's couch, of course!

OK, back to the quilt.  I wanted it to be cozy, so for the backing I used a plush microfiber throw that I got on Amazon.
It made for a wonderfully functional throw, too!  Colorful and kind of classy on top, cozy and yummy on the underside, lightweight but warm.

Quilting on such a stretchy back did distort that perfect rectangular quilt top though.  Gotta work on that for next time...

  Pretty cozy looking, isn't it?  ;-)

It was very fun, delivering them....

....and so satisfying, seeing them in use.

Makes it easier, having an Empty Nest, knowing my fledgling's nest has a comfy quilt in it.

Next up, a baby quilt for my great nephew!  Sewing for publication is very rewarding, but sewing for family is the best...











 


10 comments :

QuiltingFitzy said...

>>Sewing for publication is very rewarding, but sewing for family is the best...<<
^THIS pretty much sums it up!^ Just lovely.<

Judy S. said...

Nice! I hope he knows how lucky he is to have such a creative Mom!

Judy said...

Thanks for walking us through your design process. I love the quilt and the pillow! The photo of your son using them said it all :-) It is really quite neat making things for family and friends, isn't it?

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Chad looks pretty happy with his made-with-love quilt and pillow! It's great that he appreciates what you do and wanted to take the comfort of home with him to his new digs.

Vicki W said...

That is an awesome quilt and pillow!

Sherrie Spangler said...

What a gorgeous quilt and what a lucky son!

Mosaic Magpie said...

Congratulations to Chad for finding a job and making his way out into the big world...you did your job momma. Raise them to send them on their way, but it tugs at the heartstrings to see them go. The quilt is beautiful and I enjoyed seeing the process of laying out the whole quilt on a design wall. Now there is a concept...actually plan out the entire quilt and not fly by the seat of your pants, hoping the quilt will all come together on it's own. Nice looking fabrics and color combos. When I started reading the post I wondered how you would make a crazy quilt look masculine enough for a young man. You did it, and I like the circle echo quilting too.
Deb

Deb Hardman said...

I love it as always.!

Could you please email your mailing address to me? I have something I want to send to you:-D

Susan Elliott said...

Too cool! I love it when you put a cozy back on your quilts...it makes them so much more approachable. Now Chad always has you with him...a little sappy I know, but we both know it's true.

FredaB said...

Allie this turned out wonderful. Chad looks pretty cozy too. I also saw Noah's quilt up top and it is really neat. I like the way you used the old squares yet made it great for a boy. He can use this for a long time rather then a baby quilt.

Hugs

FredaB