Thursday, April 7, 2016

Pillow Patter Needed for a Finish

Last weekend I decided to give the Double Wedding Ring block a try. Actually, my plan was to make a small quilt. That plan evolved into a pillow.  At the beginning I loved the fabrics I chose. 



Then I found that they were too traditional. I tried a couple of different approaches, but nothing really worked. 


 Then I hit on the idea to par down the project into a pillow that would require less of what I was afraid I would not like.



I'm not sure that my idea was an easy one. I had to rethink the process several times since I didn't have either a pattern or a clear idea of what to do or how.


Never the less, I had fun figuring it out. Once the two round pieces were sewn, I discovered that I had to float them on the long-arm to quilt them. Floating a quilt means just placing the top on the batting but not pinning or attaching it in any way. 


This allows the fabric to move outward as the quilter works from the center toward the outer edges. It takes patience and slow moving to make sure that you don't quilt one section too much because that will cause creases and distortion. 




I also wanted to use different motifs to add dimension and texture to the pillow.  I was afraid that might cause problems, but working slowly and methodically seems to have been the answer.



Of course, because it's round, there are some dimples on the outer edges, which will take a great deal more work to move the filling around, but I didn't have the time or patience.  I'm sure a grandchild will gladly pat the pillow for a while this weekend.


I'll gladly reward the pillow patter if it means I don't have to work the filling toward the edges.



 Have you paid a pillow patter? I'm curious what the going rate is. 

And, my goodness, I have joined some linky parties this week! I thought that since I have such a good resource of bloggers who hold linky parties, I should take full advantage. If you'd like to do the same, click on the link at the top of the page that reads, "50+ Linky Parties."  Really, there are over 50...I counted!


So this week we're linking up with
Really Random Thursday at Live a Colorful Life
Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

A very special thanks to our many hosts.  Now, go! Visit! Have fun linking up with like-minded quilters.

9 comments:

Afton Warrick said...

I'm pretty sure the going rate for pillow patting is food. At least that's the bribery commodity around here--the sweeter, the better. You found an excellent solution to determining a project isn't suitable for quilt-size. The pebbles are really stunning on this too.

Celtic Thistle said...

That block has been on my to-do list for years, so well done you for getting round to making it!

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

I have quite a few pillows that started out with the intention of making a quilt. Thanks for linking yours up with Oh Scrap!

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

And I invite any one sewing scraps to link up with Oh Scrap! On Sunday's ;)

Mary Marcotte said...

Afton, that's exactly what they want! I should have known. Celtic Thistle and Cynthia, I love the block, but I'm not ready to commit to a whole quilt just yet. Cynthia, I'll continue to link up with Oh Scrap! It was fun to see the other scrap items that everyone is working on.

jenclair said...

Grandkids have their uses! Love this cheerful pillow, Mary!

Kaja said...

I like the Double Wedding ring block too, but haven't worked out whether I could do it my way, so to speak. I think having a go is the way to go - will you revisit it, do you think?

Mary Marcotte said...

Hi Jen and Kaja,
I suppose you're right, Jenclair, they do have some use...other than giving unconditional love. I was a wonderful granddaughter and loved threading needles, getting things, just whatever my grandmother could ask right up till her death when I was 32. I miss our talks and silliness.

Kaja, I do want to revisit it. I'd really like to make a small quilt eventually, but I'm not sure I'm ready quite yet. It will take longer than I first thought, so I need to wait for retirement when I can focus. I'd love a bed runner then, one day, a whole quilt.

Dresses and Spurs said...

So cute and pretty! I love the fun springy colors too. Great job!