Sunday, August 14, 2011
I spy a quilt..
6:24 PM
A couple of years ago, I was browsing Etsy, and found a package of charm squares put together for a boy.. 55 of them, various prints for an "I Spy" project. My son was 3, and I had just finished the sock monkey quilt and was having withdrawals, and I thought he might love an I spy quilt.
When the package of charm squares came in the mail, he LOVED looking through them. So did I. :) But I had no pattern, and nothing in mind. But I knew that I wanted to incorporate some Thomas (the tank engine) panels that I had.
So I started playing with the layout in the floor..
And that's how this quilt came to be. Once I had the solid strips sewn in, I thought it needed a little something else, so I tried a decorative stitch with some thick cotton thread to outline them.
When I hand quilted it, I quilted around the object (or did some kind of quilting) in the charm squares, and in the strips, I drew in and quilted shapes of things that my son loved at the time, numbers, letters, etc. I also traced and quilted his hands and feet and the date in the white strips. It is one of my most favorite projects.
(I love disappearing ink!)
I placed the Thomas panels randomly in each white strip, and the backing is construction vehicles.
I had also found a fat quarter of "I Spy" fabric in a quilt store while I was visiting my parents in Missouri, so I cut out the logo, and sewed it into the corner of the quilt. We have played many a game of I spy with this quilt before turning out the lights at night. We even try to spy things in that are quilted into the white strips. I hope that, when my son is grown, he will have fond memories of this quilt that will stay with him always.
Have any of you ever made an "I Spy" project? I love looking at all of the photos of them out there!
When the package of charm squares came in the mail, he LOVED looking through them. So did I. :) But I had no pattern, and nothing in mind. But I knew that I wanted to incorporate some Thomas (the tank engine) panels that I had.
So I started playing with the layout in the floor..
And that's how this quilt came to be. Once I had the solid strips sewn in, I thought it needed a little something else, so I tried a decorative stitch with some thick cotton thread to outline them.
When I hand quilted it, I quilted around the object (or did some kind of quilting) in the charm squares, and in the strips, I drew in and quilted shapes of things that my son loved at the time, numbers, letters, etc. I also traced and quilted his hands and feet and the date in the white strips. It is one of my most favorite projects.
(I love disappearing ink!)
I placed the Thomas panels randomly in each white strip, and the backing is construction vehicles.
I had also found a fat quarter of "I Spy" fabric in a quilt store while I was visiting my parents in Missouri, so I cut out the logo, and sewed it into the corner of the quilt. We have played many a game of I spy with this quilt before turning out the lights at night. We even try to spy things in that are quilted into the white strips. I hope that, when my son is grown, he will have fond memories of this quilt that will stay with him always.
Have any of you ever made an "I Spy" project? I love looking at all of the photos of them out there!
Labels:hand quilting,i spy,quilts
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6 comments...:
Love "thomas the train" the quilt came out great and your stitching really adds to it.
Kelli....wow...that is just amazing...
Beth here! I use to do a lot of quilting. Plan to start again this winter. That is just awesome! I love the hand....may just have to do that for my grandkids! Thanks, my friend!
What a lovely quilt and memories for your son
Kelli, this quilt is magnificent!!! The love that has been put into the quilt is SO special... the quilted hands and feet as well as favourite things!!! Not only does it look great, you'll both have wonderful memories of times spent playing together. I'm so pleased you've linked this up.
I LOVE i-spy quilts! I'm incredibly impressed that you hand-quilted the whole thing. I love that you added your son's hands and feet. That's awesome!