(Not a) Quilt-Master

Another makeup sewing post...

I love sewing, but I am by no stretch of the imagination a quilter. My projects of choice are largely frivolous, such as historical costuming, but maternity has inspired to take on more of the domestic, and I've found that I'll make toddler pajamas as frequently (if not more) than I used to make gowns and corsets. My passion for providing "Mommy-Made" for the Monsters, however, has taken me further out of my comfort zone than I would have predicted, and has actually inspired me to try .... quilting.

Previously, I made the kiddos toddler-sized (aka lap sized) quilts for their beds, but the impending arrival of Monster #3 is going to drastically impact sleeping arrangements, and the Big One ended up in a twin-sized bed before his toddler quilt was even warm. Like so many mommies, I found myself haunting shops like PBKids for the perfect bedding for my little men, but I had a really hard time justifying $130+ per quilt (on sale), especially when I was in the market for two. And because, you know, I have all of that sewing equipment sitting around my own room....

So I bit the bullet and dove into a quilting project. I started by researching standard quilting dimensions, and coming up with patterns for a number of different blocks. I wanted some more variety than a standard patchwork quilt, but I knew I wasn't going to tackle some of the really fabulous piecing designs that people like my grandmother can whip out at the drop of a hat. What I came up with was a series of geometric designs (various squares, triangles, and rectangles) that I thought would add some visual dimension, but could still be manageable for someone of my inexperience.

When I got into the project I found myself wishing I hadn't slept through geometry at 15, but that's neither here nor there.

For materials I went back to the fabric stash I'd been planning on ditching, and I pulled out anything remotely green for Big One's quilt, and a series of blues for Little One's. I had just enough of each to produce the blocks for twin-sized quilts, leaving me to purchase the batting and quilt backing ... for a whopping $60 total on Fabric.com. Oh yeah. I went from a potential $260+ to $60 for two twin quilts.

So far I've completed First-born's quilt (as of May 20-something), and I've blocked Middle-child's. Big One's isn't perfect, of course, but so far it's doing its job. Using natural cotton battling has produced a soft and manageable quilt, and Big One was delighted when he spotted some familiar fabrics harvested from the remains of outgrown mommy-jams and other familiar projects. I, for one, am glad I opted to go for the homemade every night when we curl up for story time in his new Big Boy Bed.

Now, if only I could actually convince the monster that people sleep under covers, and not just on them...