***Times up! Winner will be announced on Monday!***
This doll quilt was the product of my Bento Box measurement mess up! After having to recut one of the sections due to my miscalculations, I ended up with a stack of tiny 2 1/2" (6.4 cm) squares. I instantly thought of a doll quilt. I had enough squares to make 2 quilts, one of which will end up on my daughters wall (I dream of a wall like this!) and the other is going to YOU!
I'll apologize now if the winner is someone who actually quilts. I am still practicing and working out the kinks in my free motion quilting, so the quilting will look terrible to you ladies. For the rest of you, you'll hardly notice! How's that for true confessions?!
This post seems fitting to tell you that one of the best helps that our mom has passed on to me is the fact that most sewing "problems/mess ups" can be fixed. Meaning, your project isn't automatically ruined if you miss a step, mess up, sew something wrong, or even cut a pattern wrong. I've heard horror stories of High School HomeEc teachers chastising young sewers for their mistakes in not following a pattern exactly. Puh-Leeze!
When we were learning how to sew, we mess up a lot! But, mom would always help us figure out a way to fix it. There weren't too many projects that remained ruined. It's easy to get frustrated when you're learning to sew, but if you remember that it doesn't always start out perfect and things can go wrong, sewing will become less stressful and way more FUN! Believe me when I say that we've all picked out our fair share of seems!
Now, we'd love to hear from you! To enter our drawing (for the quilt and pillow!), all you have to do is leave us a comment on this post telling about the best bit of sewing/crafting advice you ever received. There are no wrong answers. One entry per person, please. Contest is open until Saturday January 31st @ Midnight PST. Winner will be announced on Monday February 2nd. Good Luck!
Now, we'd love to hear from you! To enter our drawing (for the quilt and pillow!), all you have to do is leave us a comment on this post telling about the best bit of sewing/crafting advice you ever received. There are no wrong answers. One entry per person, please. Contest is open until Saturday January 31st @ Midnight PST. Winner will be announced on Monday February 2nd. Good Luck!
Detailed directions for a doll quilt and pillow can be found here!
That little quilt would be perfect for Valentine's Day! The best bit of advice that I think I've gotten was that I was shown how to do a continuous binding from a square of fabric. The other thing that I think is fairly common knowledge is that the Amish always leave one imperfection in their quilts, because none of us is perfect - and that makes me feel better any time I see one of my mistakes!
ReplyDeletecute pics Em.
ReplyDeleteand thanks for the tidbit Michelle. That is really sweet about Amish quilts.
"You Can do it."
ReplyDeleteHey! you've used a solid white for the binding!!! I've never thought of using white! silly but I like!...You've done a great job. It really is quite the adventure.
Well following patterns exactly sometimes gets you in trouble - I have come across a few patterns with mistakes and if I followed them exactly....
ReplyDeleteMy bit of advice - ask questions! Someone out there can help you! My mom ( a great seamstress ) is long gone but I can find lots of help at local fabric stores or online.
LOVE that fabric and the quilt :D
The more you do it, the better you get. I got this doll pattern and I could not get it made in the "quick hour" as described. But after the 4th doll, it got easier & I got faster. And really, what 2 year old is going to inspect her dolly and dress for mismatched seams or uneven sleeves!! It's my go-to fast present for a last minute birthday party now. And that little village of practice dollies is soooo cute!
ReplyDeleteI am the big sewer in my family so no one has really ever given me sewing advice, and I am just beginning too, so I suppose the best advice was what you just wrote in your blog. Ohhhh, but how I hate ripping seams!! yuk. But I also can't stand not being happy with the finished project either. I also am terrified to try free motion quilting, as I'm scared to totally destroy something I worked so hard on to start with, but am so tired of quilting in the ditch! And way to lazy to hand quilt. I'll have to start with placemats or something maybe! Thanks for sharing your advice though, maybe I'll try free motion...
ReplyDeleteI think just like you said, that things are not always ruined and they can be fixed! Also, just remembering to have fun!
ReplyDeleteThe best advice I ever heard was
ReplyDelete"It's not a mistake, it's a design challenge".
And
"There are NO quilt police"
Love the little quilt. It would fit perfectly into my red/white sewing room...
I love the way I learned how to make fleece blankets because the way I do them is different than most I see. It's a weave that is really easy but lays flat and you use 2 layers of fleece. You see a little of the coordinating fabric from the top layer because of how it is woven.
ReplyDeleteAnd I really just adore the person who taught me to sew. It's kind of like that old say..."teach a man to fish and he'll fish for a lifetime" or whatever. Sewing has made me money, made my kids happy, and, most importantly, fulfilled a need to create. So I will certainly teach my kids!
Wow, my daughter would LOVE it! I sew quite a bit, but I've never ventured into quilting...so it looks amazing to me!! I'm a fan...
ReplyDeleteOh, oh, oh. Pick me! Pick me!
ReplyDeleteI don't really have any advice. I just pretty much wing all the creations I start. And when I mess up, I figure out some way to cover it up (bows, buttons, lace... something). I'm a pretty mediocre seamstress. :)
I'm still loving all those colors. It is such a happy little quilt.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I don't know the best advice I've been given. Alot of what I've learned is observing what I didn't like in Home Ec teachers, etc. The one teacher I did love was my senior year in high school and she let us pick what we wanted to work on and let us go to town and she was just there to answer questions and encourage. So probably the advice from that would be "You CAN do it!!" Just jump in there and be fearless.
Too adorable! Enter me in please!
ReplyDeleteI guess the best advice I got was uh, make sure all you sew each seam on the same measurement. Uh, duh. But I should have paid a little more attention on my first quilt. Seriously.
Cute stuff!
the best advice i've received is "Don't rush it, take your time"
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win the adorable quilt...
joanna
This is sooo cute. I love the colors. The best advice I have is to try not to do too many projects at once, otherwise you'll end up discouraged and with a lot of unfinished stuff (to someday throw away...like my mom has recently).
ReplyDeletespondah(at)aol(dot)com
I want it! Pick me!
ReplyDeleteTwenty years ago my neighbor taught me to sew. She was a craft sewer (dolls and animals and such) and that is what I started on. One day I decided to do a quilt and this was before I knew what a rotary cutter, mat or strip piecing was and I cut a zillion small squares and made a fabulous (for a first quilt) irish chain quilt. After a few washings I noticed that the sewing was coming apart in places...I went to my neighbor and explained the problem (and my heartbreak) she THEN gave me the most fantastic advice (grin) and told me that I couldn't use craft thead but must use good quality thread for any sewing I was planning on washing! Best advice I ever got even if it was a bit belated--don't skimp on the thread ladies!
ReplyDeleteI know I can't get lucky twice but I love the quilt. It's the perfect size for Anne's doll. Best advice I ever got was someone telling me that I was crafty when I didn't feel it. Best advice was just confidence.
ReplyDeleteThe best advice I got...just breathe! When you get confused by a pattern just stop and focusing on breathing then go back to the pattern. When you're intimiated by a seam just take a deep breath and go for it. Just breathe!
ReplyDeletePlease consider me a wanna be winner!
sames5 at verizon dot net
I'd have to say that realizing your projects wont always get done in the amount of time youd like them to is some humbling advice at times. With 2 kids ages 2 and 5 months things can get quite busy, so I cant forget to take time for them and leave todays project for tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteBTW your ladies ongoing projects helps to keep me motivated.
I like the fabrics you have chosen! My girls would eat this up! The best advice I've been given is just to keep at it. Even if I make a mistake and have to rip the seam out, or if I get frustrated - Just keep at it. No one will notice those little imperfections (but me).
ReplyDeleteThe best bit of crafting advice I've ever received is less is more. The simpler the better. It really is true. Probably for sewing as well, I wouldn't know...but I wish I did!
ReplyDeletethe best advice i've got is this:
ReplyDeleteremember that quilts are supposed to have character.
one tiny flaw to you might seem horrible, but that flaw added character to that quilt.
Oh wow Emily, we have the same dream wall! I don't have any kids yet, but I've already started on my mini quilts for the "someday" nursery. Maybe that means that I'm destined to win this one? :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I have a best bit of advice, but I know that I can't follow written patterns and so I usually just make it up as I go. The great part about that is that if I need to change something I can! I love trying out new techniques, and I've finally done free-motion quilting! It's not as scary as I thought it would be.
BTW, I love this blog! Lots of great ideas here.
Jo -> oachik at gmail dot com
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ReplyDeletei think it is beautiful, anything that is creative is wonderful!! :)
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother always told me not to be afraid of color, let your imagination go wild, have fun with color.
ReplyDeleteSue Cahill (sbonetsue at yahoo com)
So cute and I have no Valentine's Day decor! My seventh grade TLC teacher told me to always measure twice, then cut. Best advice ever!
ReplyDeletebobbi@mytinysweetcheeks.com
The doll quilt is beautiful and the quilt wall is amazing! Best advice, I don't sew much, but mostly they have told me I can do it and its not as hard as I think it is.
ReplyDeleteSo cute! Love the chocolate and reds together. I have been wanting to start getting into doll quilts for a wall. You are inspiring to get moving!! Thank you!
ReplyDelete