Magic Carpet Quilt

Working on the souvenirs committee for Christian Youth Theater's production of Aladdin, I was inspired by the jewel tones and rhinestones we embellished everything with, to design this quilt for our Opening Night Opportunity Basket. It accompanied several gift cards and a free tuition to a CYT class.

My initial thought was to make a "Gold Coin Quilt" with lots of gold fabrics weaved into the design. I looked at traditional Chinese Coin quilts and made my coins longer and leaner than the standard. It was only after the quilt was completed and someone on the committee said, "It looks like a magic carpet" that the name stuck. The quilt measures 34" x 56".

The quilt top is made entirely of batik fabrics. I cut each coin 1.5" x 5" and sewed them in pairs. I sewed a long length of coins to a long length of the solid blue batik to complete the layout. I'm going to tweak the instructions for making the basic section/block for the quilt, adding more to make different sizes. This was just a first run with revisions and alternate border ideas still to come.

For the quilting, I stitched in the ditch between the sections and between each coin. I had pressed the seams to one side on the coins but next time I will press the seams open and perhaps quilt an edge-to-edge design across the entire surface of the quilt.

I used Sew Art smoke monofilament nylon thread in the top for the ditch quilting and Presencia 50/3 in the bobbin (gold to match the backing fabric). For the background fill, which was all the blue batik fabric, I used Presencia 50/3 blue to quilt the curly-q design to give the quilt..er, magic carpet, some movement!

For the binding, I used a gold batik, that looked like the gold coins I was thinking about all along, to frame the finished quilt.


Hannah was a curtain warmer and a part of the Genie Chorus, pictured here with her #1 fan, sister Becca.
Hannah and her lifelong friend, Emily, who portrayed a friend of the Princess Jasmine.

Hannah and Haley, two peas in a pod who became good friends during this production!


Copyright ©2010, Sharon Baggs

Feedsacks!

When I started quilting almost 12 years ago, I had an intense love affair with those perky reproduction fabrics designed after the original feedsacks of the 1930's. I collected many of them but I never owned an original vintage feedsack...until this week, thanks to ebay. I was prompted to go on the hunt for the sole purpose of completing Andrea's antique quilt.

To add three rows to the original quilt top, I needed 45 additional squares. Andrea's mom contributed these two red prints, one being a full sized original feedsack, the first I'd ever seen.

I removed 5" of stitching along the side seam at the top of the sack, clipped the fabric and tore it along the width. From this I cut the squares. Because thick string was used to sew feedsacks together, small holes remain where the string is removed. You can work around those by examining the fabric carefully before cutting a square to size.

As I started to remove squares from the quilt top and mixed in these prints, it quickly became evident that I needed at least one more print. The red prints really brightened the look so I searched for something lighter and found this perfect pink print.

Now the additional rows are nearly in place. This quilt will finish to approximately 65" x 85", just the right size for a twin bed. More will be posted on the layering and quilting of this quilt soon!

Copyright ©2010, Sharon Baggs

Jitterbug

Jitterbug is the name of this contemporary style quilt from Debbie Bowle's book Dancing Quilts. The quilt was pieced by three friends who made it as a wedding gift for another friend. I quilted it and attached a scrappy binding.

Made entirely of batiks, they worked a beautiful color scheme around this design. According to one of the piecers, the quilt was very easy to construct; however, the tricky part was choosing the right fabric and then placing the blocks to show a semblance of order in the all-over design.

After discussing quilting options, we decided on an edge-to-edge angled design as shown here. It greatly enhanced the geometric design of the quilt. It's very easy to quilt this type of design. Quilt a short straight line, stop, then quilt in another direction to create the angle. Finger trace these close up shots to get the idea and try drawing this design on paper.



I used Superior Thread's King Tut for the quilting and changed color to blend in with the fabric. Batiks have a higher thread count so the fabric remains fairly taut while quilting. The backing was a heavy green felted fabric (I called it billard cloth, but it's not really that heavy!) I used a 40 wt. YLI brand cotton thread in the bobbin.

The border of the quilt was pieced from random pieces matching the color of the blocks and I pieced the binding to match each print along the edge. It turned out so well! Especially with a batik, you can just match the color, not necessarily use the same print and it will frame the quilt nicely, not distracting your eye away from the design of the quilt. The binding does need to be pieced-as-you-go with straight seams to join (not diagonal) but it's just a little extra effort that makes a big impact for the finished look.

Copyright ©2010, Sharon Baggs

Sunbonnet Sue

I love the story behind this quilt. Earlier this fall, I was contacted by the niece of a woman who wanted a quilt for her daughter. The Sunbonnet Sue blocks were appliqued by another quilter who had that end of the project for at least two years. When the niece called me she was desperate to help her aunt get this quilt finished. The aunt was worried she wouldn't see the day of its completion, now that she was in her 80's. Within two weeks of our conversation, I had the blocks and got to work.

First, I added yellow print sashing to 32 blocks, which were set diagonally, to make a full size quilt top. Each block with sashing was approximately 13" finished. I added matching muslin for the setting triangles and corners.

Next came the quilting. I marked a continuous oval stencil design, typical of vintage style quilts, on freezer paper with a black felt tipped pen. I attached the design to my glass top coffee table and put a light underneath the table to illuminate the design.

Using a blue washable marker, I marked the quilt top, following the design that is visible underneath. I then pin basted the quilt top with Hobbs Heirloom Bleached batting and extra wide white tone-on-tone backing.

I used Presencia 100% cotton 50/3 thread for all the quilting in both the top and the bobbin. When I quilted the 1/2" grid (see below), I used the 60/3 thread in the top and 50/3 in the bobbin.

Following what I did, here's a suggested quilting order:

*Use a walking foot to stitch in the ditch all the seam lines between the blocks and the sashing. This firmly anchors the quilt.

*Next stitch the curves of the oval design, also with the walking foot.

*With a darning foot, stitch around the Sunbonnet Sue applique design, taking care to stitch just between the applique and the background fabric and not on top of the applique, except when quilting around the top of the foot, bottom of the bonnet, and around the sleeve/hand. This helps keep the design from popping out, especially after washing/drying the quilt.

*Quilt a 1" grid in the setting triangles and the corners with a walking foot.

*Quilt a 1/2" grid in the background of the Sunbonnet Sue. I used the walking foot here too, although you can use a darning foot for ease in maneuvering around the applique.

It's best to mark the grids before layering the quilt. I contemplated a couple different designs for the background, such as McTavishing and a meandering line with flowers interspersed, before settling on grids. When in doubt, quilt a grid. It highlights applique beautifully and is an authentic design choice for Sunbonnet Sue.

I'm happy to say the quilt was finished in time for the holidays. Here is Sandy, the recipient of the quilt on Christmas morning with her mom, Betty. There is such joy to see it finished!

Copyright ©2010, Sharon Baggs