Tuesday, February 12, 2013

A Liberty Baby Blanket


I'm not sure if this is a finish or a WIP.  A few weeks ago, I spotted some beautiful fabrics from the Liberty Bloomsbury line on sale so I decided to splurge and bought 1/4 yard cuts of 10 or so designs.  I knew that I wanted to make a simple patchwork baby-size quilt so I started working on it the day after the fabrics arrived.


Since I prefer to work with blocks instead of rows, I took the 4" squares I cut from each of the fabrics and just started randomly chain-piecing together pairs.  Then I took the pairs and chain-pieced 4-patch blocks - making sure to vary the fabrics in each block so that there were no repeats.  I basically just repeated this method of doubling the block size until all the fabrics were pieced together.



I used a bunch of kid-friendly novelty prints to piece the backing.  I thought about putting it together like a regular quilt with binding but the front was so busy, I decided to do a no-binding quilt.  Most of my early quilts used this method (does that make them blankets?) - usually in combination with hand quilting or tying.  However, for this one I used Rita from Red Pepper Quilts' method of first quilting the top and batting together before sewing right sides together with the backing.  


Everything was going well until I was almost done with the quilting and realized that my batting was too short on two sides (near the same corner.)  I knew I would be close because the batting I had wasn't that much bigger than the quilt top but I thought I would be okay - wrong!  Thinking about it now, I'm sure there was a better fix but at the time, I just decided that I would use a larger seam allowance when I attached the backing to make up for it.  Unfortunately, it ended up being a patchwork squares blanket bordered in patchwork rectangles!  


I've thought about chopping off the edges and binding it (using a solid gray fabric) but it has been about two weeks since I finished the quilt and I haven't done anything.  So, like I said, I'm not sure if this is a WIP or a finish but it is very soft and cuddly and I do still really love these fabrics!

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts and WIP Wednesday (I think this counts as a WIP???)

24 comments:

  1. Good luck deciding what to do! I am working with my Bllomsbury Gardens right now and I sort of wish I had stuck with simple patchwork like you did. I think your quilt is lovely as is, I'd leave it with the rectangles. And I love the no-bind look on the Liberty.

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  2. Those fabrics are lovely, Beth!

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  3. I love the look of liberty fabrics! Unfortunately I have never used any but they are sooo gorgeous! Whoever is receiving that blanket is one lucky kiddo!

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  4. It is absolutely gorgeous. I'd leave it ; )

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  5. I love it! My local store has Liberty and I just go stare at it, but I haven't made the plunge yet. The simple patchwork piecing is the perfect way to show off the fabric. Whatever you decide to do will be lovely!

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  6. I'd be tempted to leave it as is. All of your rectangles are the same size, so they're just falling off the sides. It's be different if they were odd sized squares/rectangle/quadrialteral (only math word I've ever remenbered and it's just because it's fun to say). At the end of the day, you have to be happy with it, so if it makes you feel grumbly to look at it, then bind it.
    E

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  7. This is SO beautiful! I love the different personalities of the quilt on either side. :)

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  8. Great way to use and enjoy Liberty:). I wouldn't change it. The rectangle edges look great.

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  9. It is beautiful just the way it is, I don't think it needs any alteration, just consider it a design feature! ;)

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  10. I like it just the way it is, I wouldn't change a thing.

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  11. It is lovely Beth, I think the rectangles at the side are fine too!

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  12. I think it is lovely too. No need to fix anything

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  13. I love it just the way it is. I actually really like the look of the rectangles on those edges. And the fabrics are so gorgeous together!

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  14. Ugh I hate when things like this happen! If I were you I'd leave it, it's perfectly imperfect, as all quilts are. Still full of love and coziness.

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  15. It is beautiful and I think it is great the way it is! On a previous quilt, I misjudged the batting by the tiniest bit and it was *so* frustrating. You handled the situation well!

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  16. It is a finished project! Oh I love love love that quilt! Where did you find Liberty on sale and is it still on sale????
    lisamcgriff (at) hotmail (dot) com

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  17. It is lovely Beth. I will call it a finished project. I really like the rectangles framing the patchwork. It is a beautiful quilt.

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  18. I think it is a beautiful quilt! Leave it as is (like it was supposed to be that way all along!)

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  19. You are so silly. My aunt is fond of saying "done is good" in this kind of situation and I have to agree. It will give the quilt historians something to talk about in 100 years when this is hanging in a museum :) Very pretty!

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  20. Simple and beautiful...the fabrics do the work!

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  21. a real beauty! wonderful quilt.....love these fabrics and what you did.

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