Making a Quilt from Your
Finished Cross Stitch Pieces written by Pam Cirincione (aka Sleepy)
Need a gift? Make a quilt!
Do you have a wedding or
baby shower coming up and just don’t know what to give as a gift? Have you
looked at your stitching and wanted to do something different with it? How
about make a quilt?
I’m not talking about a quilt with hundreds of swatches of fabric precisely cut
and pieced together to form an intricate design. I’m talking about a quilt,
with your stitching at the center, sewn together with colorful, color
coordinated fabric, to make a comfy throw or a baby blanket. It’s really easy!
You will need:
your completed stitched piece(s), washed, ironed, and completely dried
1
yard of fabric, color coordinated to your stitched piece
1
package cotton batting
1
spool matching thread (matched to the darker fabric you are using)
straight pins
Note : The quilt that I
made used three separate pieces of aida, each 18” x 12”. If you stitched
piece(s) is/are larger or smaller, follow the directions, but cut your fabric to
fit your needs.
Always remember when you are
sewing your fabrics together that the good sides must be facing each other.
This way when you open them up at the seam, the right sides are out.
To begin, cut four strips of
fabric, 18 inches long (or the length of your stitched piece) by 5 inches wide.
Next, lay your stitched piece, right side up, in front of you. Lay the edge of
one the fabric strips, right side down, along each of the long edges of the aida
cloth so that the edges meet, pin and sew the edges together leaving a ½ inch
seam. Next, lay your next piece of aida , right side down, along the edge of
the second strip of fabric, pin the edges and sew together leaving a ½ inch
seam. Continue sewing the strips of fabric and the aida cloth until all pieces
are sewn together. Iron the seams to flatten them out.
Measure the length of your quilt top and cut two strips of fabric equal to that
length, and 5 inches wide. Lay these strips (again, good side down) along the
top and bottom edges of the quilt top, pin in place, and sew the edges
together. Iron the seams to flatten out. Now, measure the width of the quilt
top and cut strips of fabric equal to the width and 5 inches wide. Pin and sew
the edges.
Now we are ready to add the border. Measure the length of the quilt top and,
using the fabric that you have for the border and the back, cut two strips of
fabric equal to the length, and 8 inches wide. Pin into place and sew the edges
together. Iron the seam to flatten it out. Measure the width of the quilt top
and cut two strips of fabric equal to the width and 8 inches wide. Pin into
place and sew the edges. The top of your quilt is done!
The next step requires a fairly large work space. I usually use my living room
floor. Lay the cotton batting on the floor, making sure it is as flat as
possible. Lay the quilt top, right side down, over the batting and spread it
flat. Taking care not to cut the fabric, cut the batting so that you end up
with a piece the same size as the quilt. Pin the batting and the quilt top
together and sew the edges all the way around. If you are using a sewing
machine, please note: When you begin to sew these pieces together, turn the
quilt so that the batting is on the bottom. The batting will wind up getting
caught in the foot of the sewing machine if that side is face up (I learned this
the hard way!).
Now all you need is a back.
You will need your large work space again and this step is pretty much the same
as the one we just did. Lay the backing fabric in the floor and make sure it is
flat. Lay the quilt top that is now sew together with the batting on top of the
fabric, good side down, and cut the backing fabric so it is the same size as the
top. Pin together and sew the edges together, LEAVING A SPACE OPEN SO THAT YOU
CAN TURN THE QUILT RIGHT SIDE OUT! When the edges are sewn, turn the quilt and
sew the opening together.
Now you have a beautiful,
handmade quilt that is a perfect gift for a new couple or a new baby!
This type of quilt can be
made any way to fit your tastes and needs. If you want to use more than one
color of fabric around the stitching, you can do that. This is the type of
project where the only thing that limits you in your imagination and creativity.
