Matt's cousin contacted me a few months ago regarding a custom. She had a bridesmaid dress from a friend's wedding, and now the friend was having a baby. She found an idea on Pinterest and wanted a baby quilt made from the dress she wore in the wedding.
I must admit, I've seen these quilts and they aren't really my style. But it was a small, simple project, so I figured I would challenge myself.
I knew that I wanted to add quilting cotton to the mix, and she mentioned that the dress was blue. I pulled some fabrics, but WOW was I surprised at how the very bright blue color of the dress! I added and subtracted fabrics until I had a nice mix of greys to go with the blue.
For the quilt design, I was looking for something simple. I decided on isosceles triangles, so I picked up a few new rulers and chopped up my fabrics! The dress was short, so there wasn't very much usable fabric. I cut as many triangles as I could, and then I pieced the blue and greys randomly. Nothing planned, just grab some pieces and stitch them together!
I quilted the piece with a simple swirly meander. I wanted to keep the layers from shifting around, but also keep the quilt soft.
For the backing I chose 2 fun prints - the kite print is also in the quilt top and I like that it brings a bit of red and purple into the design. The binding is a brighter blue, one of my favorite prints! I remember being unsure of the brighter blue, but as soon as the quilt was finished I LOVED it.
In the end, I actually love this entire quilt. The blue color really pops, and the shine of the satin is a fun touch. I've heard that the mom absolutely loves it, and Matt's cousin was really happy with what I created for her friend.
Notes:
*If I remember correctly, quilt finished at about 36" x 42".
*I did not stabilize the satin. It was very easy to work with, and had very little fraying!
*Because of the bulk of the satin, I pressed all seams to the cotton fabric. Ironing did not damage the satin, but I tried to iron only on the cotton and barely touch the seams to flatten them a bit.
*I used the same needles and thread in my long arm that I would have used if the quilt had been all cotton.
*I used Quilter's Dream Poly batting in Select loft.
9 comments:
It looks gorgeous and what a great way to use a dress from the wedding! The triangles keep it modern and the other prints you chose look perfect!
The idea worked great, I did a quilt from baby clothes and it was a challenge with the polyester in the clothes. It worked out but it was hard for me to cut up clothes that were still good to be used.
ooooOOOOOoooo! Great idea!
What a wonderful result to your challenge. I think you did a great job.
What a perfect way to use a dress that would never be worn again!!! Great memories for the mom/bride! Great looking quilt - you chose the perfect design for this baby quilt!!
I'm surprised how lovely this turned out. Great job working with that fabric and pulling it all together. It's lovely
Well you did a great job Nikki, even if it was a challenge! Is the blue a satin?
Fabulous quilt and quilting!
It's beautiful! You did a great job. Wow, that's a bright blue for a bridesmaids dress. It is really pretty. My bridesmaids photographed that colour, but in real life they were more of an iris blue. A pity cameras can't catch the colour of all fabrics perfectly.
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