Behind the Seams - 2nd Generation Log Cabin Quilt

Amanda over at Fabric Engineer has started a new monthly linky party, on the 15th of each month called "Behind the Seams."  The purpose of this linky party is to showcase something sewing related, but not necessarily progress related.  Each month has a different topic and this month's is "the oldest fabric in your stash."  Here's mine, along with the story behind it:

You might have seen my post at the end of May about a puppet theater my mom made (but didn't quite finish) about 25 years ago.  I'm currently working on another one of her "almost done" projects, though this one is only about 13 years old.


My mom started this quilt as a Christmas gift for my husband, before he was my husband.  I don't remember exactly which year, but we've been married 12, so at least that long ago.  My mom made all our clothes growing up but I think she's only done 2 other quilts.  One is hanging on her bedroom wall and the other was for my college dorm room.

Her favorite (only?) block is the traditional log cabin.  She made this set in blues and grays, to mirror the colors of the New York Yankees uniforms (my husband's favorite team).  

I love the way she laid them out, with the darks and lights making diamond patterns.

 

However, mom doesn't actually "quilt" her quilts.  She ties them (with embroidery floss) in the corners.  I knew that was the case when I found this quilt in her sewing room a few years back, when she decided I'd probably finish it sooner than she would.  Along with the quilt, she gave me a big pile of baseball shaped buttons that I could tie on to add interest to the front of the quilt as well as the 3 pieces of leftover blue print fabric I showed at the top of this post.  


She said she didn't care where this quilt ended up --- at my house, given as a gift, donated to a charity or even at Goodwill --- as long as it was finally finished.


It sat in my craft closet for a very long time before I decided I was going to finally finish this up and give it to my brother, who just got a new apartment.  His birthday is in September, so that's my goal.  


Mom used the "inside out" method (as I call it... it probably has a real name) to attach the front to the back.  She put the right sides of the top and bottom together and sewed around them by machine, leaving an opening for turning.  That's not the method I typically use, but I decided I would work with what she'd already done.  I laid it out to start basting it for quilting, but realized it was a bit lumpy.  After deep deliberation, I decided to turn it inside out, unpick the stitches all the way around, then re-sandwich it the way I normally do, hoping it would lay a little more flat.  It wasn't until I flipped it inside out again that I saw how she had actually constructed it.


When she sewed the layers together, she only attached the front flimsy to the backing fabric.  She did not sew in the batting by machine.  Instead, she had used a whip stitch to attach the batting to the (already attached) front and back pieces.  That's why it was so lumpy... the batting wasn't really attached into the seams of the quilt.

Can you see how the top flimsy and the backing fabric are sewn together, but there are long white hand-sewn whip stitches securing the batting to the rest of the quilt?

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It took a few hours, but I was able to unpick all those stitches - both the whip stitches and the machine stitches.  Now I have 3 separate pieces -- top, back, batting.  The back had already been cut to exactly match the size of the top but I prefer my back to be a tiny bit bigger than the front when I sandwich it all, so I have some wiggle room.  The good news is that when she gave me the quilt, she also gave me that leftover fabric from the log cabin blocks.  The oldest fabric in my stash!  


I'm planning to cut up the back and piece in some strips of the extra prints, just enough to give me a few more inches in each direction on the backing.  I should still have enough left to bind the quilt with one of the prints.


I haven't been working diligently on quilt, but I'm looking forward to getting it done in time for my brother's birthday on September 16.  When I give it to him, it'll truly be a gift from both his mom and his big sister.  Though it took over a decade to complete, I think it adds a really nice touch that I get to finish a quilt my mom started, long before I'd ever touched a sewing machine.


Have you ever finished someone else's forgotten quilt?  I'd love to hear your stories!

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~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

Thanks for stopping by!
~ Kat ~

Tutorial: Sandwiching with T-Pins

I read this tip several years ago in a quilting magazine.  I would give credit if I could find the article again, but I can't locate it.  I am a pin baster and have tried several techniques for keeping my quilt sandwiches "flat" while pinning.  This one works best for me.

All you need (in addition to your fabrics, batting and safety pins) are a carpeted area and some metal " T " pins.

(Note that the instructions are first, then the photo.)

First, lay your backing fabric on the floor, face down.  Smooth out any wrinkles.

Next, secure the fabric into the carpet with a T-pin.  Place the pin at a slight angle so it really digs in to the the carpet (and any padding below).

Repeat down all sides of the backing fabric, with your T-pins about 18" apart.  Smooth the fabric as you go and re-position pins as necessary once they are all in place.

Once the backing fabric is securely pinned in place, lay the batting over the top.  Smooth flat.  Unpin one of the pins and replace, this time going through both layers (batting and backing).  Repeat for each pin, taking care to keep both layers flat as you go.

Once all the pins are re-secured through both layers, lay the quilt top over the batting (right side up) and repeat the pin replacement process.  This time, you'll be pinning through all 3 layers (top, batting, backing).

Let the Journey of a Thousand pins begin, as you pin baste through all your layers as usual.  

Once all your safety pins are in place, remove the T-Pins from around the edge of the quilt.  Gently lift your new quilt sandwich off the floor.  If any pins are too attached to the carpet (see photo below), you can unhook and re-pin that pin (minus the carpeting).  You'll get a feel for where the carpet it pretty quickly and I usually only get 1 or 2 of these "attached to the carpet" pins per quilt.

Quilt as desired.

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~