3.09.2012

a plus quilt

i never thought this day would come. when i decided to undertake making a big boy quilt for judah with awesome fabrics and a fun new design, i was full of the bright-eyed and blushed-cheek optimism that came from finishing layla's quilt top. i was high. high on the delusions of grandeur that come from halfway finishing a project and assuming you are now an expert (like when i ran for 10 minutes straight for the first time and decided i was the next undiscovered ultra-marathoner).

keep in mind that i had only finished her quilt top and hadnt actually quilted (the part where you sew all three layers: top, bottom and batting together to make the lines on top) anything yet. i didnt know what i was getting into. doing judah's twin-sized quilt was 4 times bigger than laylas crib quilt. it was a quadro-beast.

i had everything cut up back in may, and i just finished on monday. this thing lurched forward in about 3 or 4 fits and starts, in hours-long bursts of motivations followed by months of nothing.

but it is DONE and it feels SO good. i'm far from good (or even decent) at this stuff yet, but hey, functional blanket. rah rah!

wheeeeeeeeee!



i let judah pick the solid color for the binding and he went with blue. its had to be a color that was in the front and back fabrics and it was between this and the red or orange in the backing material. i'm not drunkenly crazy about this and might have preferred a bolder color for more contrast, but still, feast your eyes on that sexy mitered corner!


this is my favorite neighborhood of castlandia.


and the yellow pennants are my favorite fabric.


hello, wind gust. thank you for your approval of my quilt and opportunity to be artsy camera lady.


the back is funny. i didnt order enough fabric for the whole back and i was too cheap and impatient to order more so i just used some plain black yardage (from clearance sheets!) to frame either side--albeit somewhat drunkenly if you look at the edges. i actually really like it with all the black because this was the only pattern with black in it and it makes it look like those are the wall or boundaries of the kingdom. there be monsters out there.



i went with a really basic quilting pattern of just echoing the horizontal and vertical seam lines on either side. simple, easy, forgiving. still took forever.

and of course there were some classic keight boners. i must have been on a bender when i cut this section because that one plus is so whack. and because i was so young and stupid back when i started this quilt, i didnt notice or try to fix it when i sewed it in. so the poor noble steed is really stepping in my pile of mess.


and i dont even know what happened here. i pinned like crazy before quilting to keep everything aligned and smooth, but things got a little, um italicized up in that middle area. saucy, booty-shaking pluses!

i had been telling judah about his "special castle blanket" forever now, and showing him the scenes on the fabric as the quilt came together. he has never really seemed too interested beyond telling me which castle we all live in or pointing out the horsies.

but for some reason, when i had the whole thing on my sewing table and was sending it all through my machine, he was smitten. he came up and said, "dis my cashul blankie, mommy?" and i would say, "yes! it is. i made it just for you." and he would lay down and put his face on it and say, "i WUV it!" which i have never heard him say about any object before ever. that was like rocket fuel in my motivation tank to finish it so he could take this baby to snuggle town.

when i finally presented it to him, he was in pre-nap meltdown mode so it wasnt the idyllic scene i had imagined (me and him in a flowery meadow identifying cloud shapes while laying on the quilt. his flaxen locks fluttering adorably in the wind; my boobs suddenly restored to the pre-nursing glory). instead he mostly just freaked out and said he wanted chocolate instead.

but after nap time he was all about it again:
prince judah the I. in his courtly robes looking ever so regal...next to the trashcan

one unforeseen snag: i made this a twin sized comforter in the hopes that it would go on his twin bed ONE DAY, and until then would be a fort/picnic/play blanket. jesse thinks i am a moron for not realizing that of course he would want this as his main sleeping blanket (replacing the blanket my aunt made him which i adore and which was inseparable from him until this moment). this baby clashes fantastically with everything else in his star room and is huge on his toddler bed. but, look at that kid, how can i say no? he's the prince of peeps (castle peeps is the name of the fabric line...get it? oy).



*the tutorial i used for the quilt top is here (i had already picked out this fabric line and just happened to love this quilt pattern in the exact same fabrics...perfect!). the tutorial i always use for binding is here.

12 comments:

  1. nice! maybe you can teach me how to sew something correctly.

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  2. You did a fabulous job! I've always liked Castle Peeps but couldn't visualize how it would actually work--well done, you've figured that out for the rest of us. And seriously, no one will notice the booty-shaking pluses. Nor the post-nursing boobs, I'm sure they're glorious. (I know it's okay that I say that. Even as an internet friend.)

    Also: You have spurred me on to finishing mine. I realized I have like just six measly inches to quilt before binding and being done. Why does it sit for months like this??! So ashamed.

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  3. I don't care what you say... I love it. And I'm really really jealous, as I have had my daughter's quilt top finished for two years and is now stashed in a closet. But not so jealous as to actually start on it again. Bravo, I love it!

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  4. This is incredible--fantisimo--fantazmanic--impresasonic, etc!!!! I so wish I could have sewn something wonderful like this for my children, but sewing is just not in my wheel house. What a treasure to give your children, Keighty--SO proud of you!

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  5. soooo fabulous!! i am so impressed! your slight mistakes will become more and more endearing as the years pass. and that pic of judah is priceless!

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  6. Holy crap. That's awesome. I made a quilt, screwed up the binding, and now it sits, mocking me. You're my hero.

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  7. It's beautiful! So many patterns within the patterns.
    Don't tell Judah about the monsters! (he's beautiful, too)

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  8. man. that is a nice quilt...good job keight!

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  9. adorable quilt and post and prince! I particularly love your description of "booty-shakin" pluses! that one will definitely stick with me! :)

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  10. Castle peeps is one of my favorite lines of fabric. I think your quilt turned out fantastical. Take it from the lady who has been working on her first quilt here- I should know!

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  11. loverly! and that mitered corner. Oh, Keighty. You should be proud!

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