Do you sew? I don’t really consider myself a seamstress, but I like to play! I don’t have the patience for patterns or perfection. A few weeks ago, I had the urge to make a quilt. Something cozy, colorful, and really, really BIG! And the kind of quilt that is so comfy because it’s been washed so many times over the years. Maybe you have something like this passed down from your grandmother. Or maybe you found one at an estate sale. So I thought to myself, “Why not make a quilt that I can pass down to my children?” Something they will always remember…warm memories of snuggling on the couch as kids on movie nights or sitting on the big quit during park picnics. So off to the fabric store I went!
I picked 16 of the most colorful fabrics I could find. Do you ever look through the aisles of fabric and drool over all of the amazing patterns, but then stop yourself from buying them because you realize you don’t have any use for them? I’ve done that for years! But this time, I got to pick all of my favorites and actually put them to use! And for all of you at home that want to give this a try, I purchased 1/3 yard of each of the 16 fabrics I chose, 6 yards of fabric for the backing, thread, and the thinnest/cheapest batting I could find.
Why do we place so much importance on perfection when it comes to quilting? I only have two questions when it comes to a quilt: 1) is it pretty? And 2) is it cozy? Does it matter if your squares are perfectly aligned? No. If you can sew a semi-straight line, you, too, can make a quilt! Imperfection is what makes quilts beautiful, timeless, and treasures to be passed down for years.
Once all of my squares were sewn together, I added a fun, teal home decor fabric and a brown pattern with gold flecks from my scrap bin (to caption the sides of the quilt).
For the backing fabric, I chose a super-soft linen/cotton mix from the clearance section for a steal of a deal — $1.50 per yard! The fabric had a hole in it, but I thought that was the perfect opportunity to sew in an “on-purpose” patch — this only adds to the cozy factor!
I hope this inspires you to make one of your own! Don’t be scared of messing up — that’s the romance of creating such a treasured keepsake. We totally love our new quilt and I, myself, am inspired to make more! I’ll write a more detailed tutorial in another post. Stay tuned!
Lots of love,
Mary
Because I Like To Decorate 
Love it, Mary!!! I made a quilt similar to this for my niece when she was born. She’ll be 9 in November, and have wanted to do another one ever since! This has inspired me! How many squares across and down did you do? Hope you’re well! Love ya!!
Very Pretty Mary! one down three to go…you know the kids will fight over “mom’s quilt! You know your Grandma Jacobs made tons and tons of quilts, did you ever get to see the huge loom she had hanging in the rafters of her porch? It was tied up, but she was able to lower it down when she wanted to work on her quilt. She had made some lovely one’s.