Monday, July 6, 2020

Why I want to Do a Crazy Quilt

     I had in m July goals to start purging old and no longer fit for wear items and turning them into squares to make a crazy quilt. Now I don't even know if this is the right term, but it is how I describe quilts that are made with cast off scraps and serve more function than fashion and recall reading something about pioneer folks doing this out of necessity. Now I have no real necessity for more blankets and quality. I have no real talent for sewing. So why do I even want to try this? 

     First, I hate the idea of  stained, or just plain ugly garments going into the landfill. This seems practical, even if the end result is misshapen and chaotic-that would kind of fit  the them of crazy, right?  Which leads me to the second thought, it seems a good basic project for a no-skilled sewer to tackle.I can't really ruin anything. Third, the result would be something actually practical. While we have a lot of blankets, I can think of places to use this type of quilt, without worry. It would be a good fire pit quilt to drape around shoulders or cover legs, since made out of clothes and likely an old sheet for the backing, it could be thrown in the wash. Same reason for making it an extra blanket to keep in the car for impromptu  park or beach visits, or if needing to wait for  roadside assistance. Fourth, I really would like to have a crafty skill, and if I stuck with simple just squares, as I got better with seams and stitching rows together, I might feel brave enough to make something like a baby quilt, team or favorite colors quilt. .

     I don't like the idea of being the mom, grandma or the great-aunty with no domestic skills whatsoever. I'd like my kids to have something made by myself that becomes part of their home and life, if nothing more than a movie watching cuddling quilt. I still remember one my sister made in high school as a 4-H project, and it was a perfect  TV quilt, and I believe is still use din her home. These could be projects I pop into a bag and do hand sewing of the blocks together when DH and I go for road trips. I could pull these projects out on rainy days at the lake, where I can disappear for a while for quiet.  I think I have given up learning how to crochet! Last, I feel like this will give me an outlet for the dreariness I have felt with so much staying at home, a little sense of self sufficiency and control within uncertainty. Maybe it will be just one more thing to stack up in a corner, but I'm going to give it a real try. Maybe with success, I'll try and learn how to make a rag rug as well. I better not get ahead of myself.  

20 comments:

  1. that is one of my goals, some day. To learn to make a quilt. My grandma made me a crazy quilt from scraps when I was about 9 or 10. I had it for years until it finally was falling apart. I loved it. She lived on a ranch, so I'm sure it was the same, she didn't throw out old clothes or leftover scraps of fabric, so turned it into a quilt.

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    1. That's the type I want to end up with. ONe where someone looks at the pieces and wonders what it was before-or remembers!

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  2. I think it is a great idea to try your hand at it. It takes a lot of practice to get good at anything. I love quilts but I like the crazy ones more. Every fabric may have a story; your husband's favorite shirt, your daughter's beloved sun dress, your grandma's old kitchen curtain... I don't know. They may turn into things you will absolutely love. I have some sewing projects this year too. Having made masks, I am a lot more comfortable with the sewing machine and I mended a couple of things today which made me very proud.

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    1. My nephew has an old machine of my sisters they don't use so I might start with that. I fear it may be more complicated than my abilities, but I can also try hand sewing. You are right about the practicing.

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  3. A crazy quilt would be a good project to use up those clothes you don't want to end up in the landfill. Better to use it than throw it away is something my daughter swears by. Se has a stack by the back door of items to donate. I get all the clothes though and make rags out of them. A crazy quilt would be perfect for those.

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    1. It will be interesting to see what I can get out of just our old clothes. I also think once yard sales and such start, that would be a good place for adult sizes that don't sell as well so are cheap.

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  4. I am a self taught quilter. Oh, how I wish I was there to show you some quick, easy, beginner techniques.
    I have made several quilts which contain fabric from old clothing, usually boxer shorts and shirts. The kids love to look at their quilts and see fabric from their favorite garments worked in to them. ("Hey, those are brother's old bulldog boxers!") Rarely do I purchase material (other than batting) for a quilt.
    My quilts are certainly not going to win a ribbon at the county fair. More often than not, my seams don't quite line up, or I make a mistake in one of the blocks which I don't notice until it's finished--instead of abc, abc, I might find a block that goes abb, abc. The recipients don't mind.
    I know a lot of people suggest Bonnie Hunter's website for beginners, and while I do love that site, may I suggest you peruse this site before you start cutting? Specifically, this page, but take a gander at all she has to offer. (But turn your volume down, her music makes me crazy!)
    https://www.quilterscache.com/N/NinePatchBlock.html

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    1. I'll check out those resources. This is all for my own enjoyment so for the short term, no one other than my family will see them flaws and all.

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  5. The kind of quilt I want to make is just sewing odds and sods of fabric together just anyhow. Then when it's big enough you cut it down to an 8 inch square, put a 2 inch divider fabric between each square (which covers a multitude of sins) and sew it together like that and voilà!

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    1. I wasn't even thinking I would go that fancy-just rows and rows of odd fabric. I think through comments though, I will need to make squares, not rows-that makes senses. I'll check out the beginning quilting resources and see what I can learn.

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  6. People told me there were ' rules' about quilting. I ignored those rules and did things my own way. Every quilt I've ever made has been made from old fabric - shirts, skirts, pillowcases etc. People have bought quilts from me, so I must have been doing something right.
    I would encourage you to have a go!

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    1. I figure even if it turns out ugly, it will be a great cabin fire quilt, or for snuggling. Thank you for assuring me that I can ignore rules, but I sure like the suggestions I am getting from folks.

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  7. It sounds like a lovely idea. It will see much easier and not draw up after washing if the fabrucs are similar. Knit and crepe and velvet and cotton allows overly together but if you wish it to be usable and washable you may wish to keep it to cotton and debims and cords snd such.

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    1. Yes-another good tip I need to remember. I was thinking I have to sort my fabric like I do the wash to make sure things will work together.

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  8. You might try having two different projects going at once. That way when you hit a bump with one, you can switch to the other. My sewing project is making me some clothing so I don't spend a small fortune on clothing. I may start making my panties again.

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    1. Two projects? Let's let me get one going, but first, I have to get my fabric sorted and that will be the step that will likely take all summer and fall.

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  9. That's such a lovely idea, part use it up, part memory quilt.

    A rag rug is on my list of skills to acquire too, I have a kit (it was a gift for the chap a couple of years ago but he has never used it). My grandfather made rag rugs from his old clothes,, so I'd like to do the same.

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    1. My brother and sister-in-law have a huge rag rug in their ling room and I've always loved it. They have a hoe that is from the 1870's, and old small farmhouse, but now in the middle of town 150 years later, but it feel so homey at their house.

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  10. That's on my list of things to do too as I have tons of scrap fabric. The one I want to do is just sewing any old scraps together and when the piece is big enough, cut it down to probably an 8 inch square and then sew the squares together with a border (which hides the mistakes). I would have loved to have something like this from my mom (who was the most wonderful knitter, but couldn't sew). To me that's what heirlooms are all about!

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    1. So many of you have mentioned making squares and using borders. I'll need to look into that. So my plan will be to gather the fabric. figure out squares, and then figure out how to get those squares sewn together. Got it.

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