How do you keep a loved one that has passed close? My client, Amy, chose to keep her Mimi Jean close by having a quilt made out of her Mimi's scarves for her mother. From what I learned, Mrs. C (Amy's Mimi) was quite the eclectic woman. She loved to garden, she loved to travel and was quite the snazzy dresser. Knowing those things, we were able to choose the correct scarves to include and went from there.
I am used to making t-shirt quilts without using any stabilizer. After sewing the very first block, I realized I wouldn't be able to get away with that on these scarves. This first scarf reminded me of a tapestry, and it was easily unweaving without even touching it! I was losing my seam allowance on the corner before even putting the rest of it together.
I went on the search to find a stabilizer that would do the job of keeping the fabric together, but wouldn't cause the quilt to be too stiff. I probably stood in the stabilizer section of Joann's for an hour debating with myself over each different type. Pellon SF101 is what I landed on. It is fusible, comes in both black and white and moves easily with the fabric.
I ironed the stabilizer on the first section and realized it was going to take FOREVER!!! Finally, I had justification for purchasing a heat press. Let me tell you, I love that thing. It quickly fused the stabilizer with the scarves without damage. I also found that when pressing the blocks, it allowed me to have much sharper points and they met!
Here are the "claws" in the assembly line I made to get them completed.
Finally all twelve blocks were completed, and the layout decided.
I had enough of the woven scarf (the one that looks like a tapestry) to create the outer border. This tied it all together so well, and brought the quilt to life. (Please excuse the poor lighting, I just couldn't wait to get a picture.)
With all of the work put into this quilt, I couldn't just do a regular edge to edge pantograph on it. So custom quilting it was. I tested it on regular fabric first to make sure I liked the design.
Finally, it was time to put the real quilt on the frame. I chose to use a 60 wt Glide thread on both the front and back. I also tried to match the color of the scarves, so there were five different thread colors on the quilt.
This quilt was quite the journey, and I hope Amy's mother enjoys this quilt and finds tons of comfort. I view it as Amy's mom will get a hug from her mom any time she cuddles up with it.
I hope you enjoy this quilt as much as I do! Just look at that texture!!
