18 July 2012

Picnic Nine-Patch

Thomas sent me a pile of scraps a while back. I'm not sure where he got them, but they weren't quick to make friends with my fabrics. I tend to collect saturated colors; Thomas's scraps were mostly pastels.
Picnic Nine-Patch, front
And I'm not very good with scraps. Where on earth am I supposed to keep them?I decided to whip up a quick picnic blanket to lay on the grass on warm summer afternoons.

Picnic Nine-Patch, front
I cut the smaller pieces into squares and made nine-patch blocks with various blue solids (at least one of which had some serious sun bleaching from sitting atop a pile by the window for too long). The bigger pieces I cut into larger squares to alternate with the nine patches.

Picnic Nine-Patch, back
I had to add a few prints from my stash to finish it. In the spirit of scrappiness I cobbled together a batting from at least 14 batting scraps, of at least 4 different varieties, including cotton, cotton/poly, and various manufacturers and weights. And you know what? When it came out of the dryer I was hard pressed to identify a batting seam, or where one type started and another ended. Granted, all the battings I used have more or less similar shrinkage characteristics, but it was still noteworthy.

Picnic Nine-Patch, back and machine binding
The back is really quite a collection of prints. It will be sitting on the mud so I went for darker colors, and prints I was eager to find a use for (i.e. I didn't want to see them in my fabric cabinet ever again). And the same for the binding. I finished the binding on the machine for a change, and was pretty happy with the result.

Picnic Nine-Patch, folded twice
I have to say, I'm amazed how well I like this quilt considering how ambivalent I am about so many of the fabrics. But the overall colors are cheerful, the back is solid, the binding forms a solid frame, and the composition is simple and satisfying. It's amazing how a quilt can transform the uglies into something beautiful.

14 comments:

  1. I like it too and I am not that keen on the fabrics close up. I think that this is a lesson we learn over and over with quilting, but it is always fun to see it again. I am impressed with the batting, I will be less worried about doing the same with my bits and pieces.

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  2. Love it!! It has a vintage look thanks to the pastel fabrics and the blue fabrics add a cohesive touch bringing all the others together. I think machine stitching the binding is a great way to finish a quilt and adds durability, too as well as a lovely finish.

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  3. Браво! Просто, но цветовая гамма уютная, домашняя, что-то из детства.

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  4. Hi Dan! That is a beautiful quilt! Your good choice to add darker blue colour, gathered all the pastels and romantic prints. I like your pattern and now all those colours look beautiful together! Happy Pic Nic!

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  5. neato. all of it, very cool. you dig a phenomenal job at turning trash into treasure.

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  6. Great saves all around! Now you have a nice, functional quilt for picnics AND room in your stash to add fabric you DO love. :)

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  7. Fun! It's nice to be stretched into something new sometimes. I have wondered about piecing batting. I always seem to have lots of large pieces that aren't quite large enough. www.paperstarfish.prettyposies.com

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  8. There is salvation in the scrappy, or something like that. You did well with these unloved scraps. I love the blue you added, especially.

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  9. Love it. Patchwork TRANSFORMS!

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  10. Looks great and I agree it has a lovely vintage charm about it. Practical too, which I like. I would so make a picnic blanket if it would stop raining!

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  11. You got a great set of scraps sent to you there. Scraps are the best for those projects I'm surprised you don't keep them.
    Amazing looking blanket, the pattern looks great and the colours mix really well together =D

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  12. I think it's those indigo squares that pull it all together

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  13. Fun quilt! There's something so appealing about a project we don't stress over... just throw it together and wow, look what we made from all those leftovers. Equally as satisfying as the projects we plan so carefully and try to get just right.

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  14. A charming & endearing quilt -- sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I am working on the opposite of that right now.
    VERY interesting about the batting! Just F My I, what is your preferred batting?

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