Sunday, January 17, 2021

Progress on Blue Shirts Quilt




Back in December (2019), I told you that I made a quilt out of blue uniform shirts.  They are 10 inch blocks. I made a 7 x 8 layout and tested it on the bed. I decided that it needed to be longer, a 7 x 9 layout. I made a row of blocks and was about to pin them to the quilt top when I saw that I needed to make another block.  I was hurrying because it was a birthday gift. I told myself not to complain, just make another block and get it done. So I made the block and joined it to the quilt. I sandwiched the quilt and quilted it. Just when I was about to trim and bind the quilt, I decided to try it on the bed again.

That's when I realized that I had added the extra row to the wrong side. Instead of a 7 x 9 layout, I had an 8 x 8. Aha, that is why I had that missing block. Rows of 8 blocks is fine, it just gives more overhang on the bed which is good, but it is still not long enough. By this time, it was too late to make yet another row, or to shop for another gift, so I wrapped up the unfinished quilt as a gift.

In early 2020, I started making more blocks to make an 8 x 9 layout. Then I got side tracked into making masks, and the sewing machine broke, and so did the used machine I had bought as a backup. Then one of the machines got stuck in the repair shop / store for the lockdown. I picked up the quote quilt and focused on it the rest of the year while the shirts quilt sat and waited. I had the machines back, but I needed to keep working on the quote quilt.

Now that its been more than a year since I've had this gifted quilt, and I am thinking about quilting plans for the new year. I have tested the machine by making a couple of small cotton quilts and it appears to be fine, so I thought I should finish up the shirts quilt while it is still winter. It is a big quilt and finishing and gifting it will give me more space in my sewing room, and clear up mental space to start new projects.


This is another photo from the archive. 2014. There are snow flurries today, but the ground is warm, so it is not accumulating.

2021:  Weeks 3 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

This week, I made the rest of the blocks for the shirts quilt and joined them into a row. I am a little bit nervous about joining a row to an already made quilt, but I think I should be able to do it without too much difficulty as long as I set up the space to avoid drag.

15 minute days this week --7 out of 7
15 minute days this year -- 17 out of 17 days
Success rate  = 100%

Linked with:
15 Minutes to Stitch

9 comments:

cspoonquilt said...

Just an idea...You could quilt the 9th row separately and then add to the quilt using the pot holder technique. Using your walking foot sew the last (quilted row) on to the side you want add to and the hide the raw edge side of the seam with matching sashing. That way when you sew it on both sides will have similar layers and density?!
Good luck and take care, cw

Susan said...

That is a great variety of blues, and hard to believe it's all from uniform shirts! What a great deal. Best of luck with the quilting part now. You are doing great with your time goal! I'm impressed.

straythreads said...

Love the subtle variations of blue. I have done that many times given an unfinished gift because when I hurry I make mistakes

O'Quilts said...

I look forward to seeing the blue quilt finished....I bet you do too. xo

alteredbee said...

I really like that you came up with the idea to make a quilt from blue shirts. A good reason to go through the closet and recycle those old shirts of my husband. Maybe this would give him some incentive to get some new ones. I'm glad you stuck with the project too.

Debra Dixon said...

Clever use of uniform shirts! I love blue.

Kate said...

I hate those kinds of mistakes, it's like the mind takes a mini vacation when you need it most. Good for you for not giving up and tackling the fix, hope it all goes smoothly. Congrats on your perfect sewing record for the year so far. That's not easy either.

Rose said...

I came and read this the other night, but had not sewn any that day so first stopped to sew cause I wanted to be able to say I had sewn every day...every day has been more than 15 minutes except maybe two. But I don't time myself. But it is thanks to your blog that I am doing this. And I know it is another blog that started it, but yours is what got me started.

That being said, I have never added to an already made quilt. I would not want to try.

I love that quilt, though.

Tanya said...

Clearing up space for a new quilt is a great motivator of getting older quilts done. I've got one that I need to get off the table so that I don't sew the ends into another quilt... Ask me why I have become smart enough to do this...