THE BAI
To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in the Northern part
of
Never made a
quilt before? Don’t worry you are NOT alone. This project is a crash
course in sewing and quilting for many of the participants. Your first stop
should be a quilting shop with VERY friendly workers! A recommended book is:
"Quilter's Complete Guide" by Marianne Fons
and
You may not receive 100 squares for your quilt, but that won’t make the quilt
any less “special” for your child. Someday your child will see and feel how
much they were wanted, loved and thought about even before they became part of
their forever family. This quilt represents the love given from other listmates, family and friends.
If you choose to participate in this activity you will send the squares to EVERYONE
participating.
Quilt squares are traditionally 5 X 5 or 7 X 7
Please send two 7 X 7 or 18 centimeter squares along with a smaller 1 X 1
square. The smaller square should be attached to your “good wishes”
message/card and is the quilters way of identifying
your fabric within the quilt. If you choose to send two different kinds of
fabric for your squares, then you'll need two of the smaller squares for
identification purposes.
Not only is the smaller square a way of identifying your fabric, it can also be
used in a memory/scrap book. One memory/scrap book way is to buy a large ringed
notebook and heavyweight pastel colored pages (acid-free paper is a good idea).
Memory/scrap books and paper can be found at any scrap booking store, hobby
store and many department stores are now carrying these supplies. Make a
separate page for each person who contributed to the quilt. This page could
include the wish, the fabric scrap, the name, city, state and relationship of
the person who sent the square. The pages can be arranged in the same order as
the blocks appear on the quilt or in random order. Of course there are many
different ways to make a memory book, as there are to make a quilt. Both can be
as creative or simple as you wish.
The Wish:
- Your
wish and the way it is presented can be as simple or as elaborate as you
want it to be. The wish might be a prayer, favorite poem,
a heart felt random thought or a quote.
- The
number of different wishes you choose to create is up to you, but only one
wish is sent to each participant.
- Many
participants are adding the wishes to a scrapbook so using acid
free/lignin safe papers, acid free pens and acid free glue will make them
very happy. :-)
- A
nice touch to your signature is the town/city and state you live in as
well as the DTC month. (Some of the participants within this exchange are
also in other exchanges so, adding our DTC month helps keep who's who
straight.)
Getting Started:
- Select
a fabric that is meaningful to you. 100% cotton fabric is best, as
it washes and wears better.
- Wash,
Iron and cut out your 7 X 7 squares. It is important that everyone washes
and irons their fabric before cutting the squares. This will insure that
the quilt retains its shape. If one square hasn’t been washed and ironed
it could shrink differently than the rest of the squares. Please do NOT use spray starch.
- Mail
your squares to all exchange participants.
- Wait
for your quilt squares to arrive and start looking for a quilting pattern.
- Create
your quilt.
- Select
a backing for your quilt. The amount of backing you will need depends on
the size of your quilt. Most quilting shops will assist you in determining
your needs.
- Email
me a picture of your finished quilt so you can show it off.
- Wrap
your precious child within the quilt and wipe your tears with a corner.
Helpful Tips:
- To
cut 100 7"x 7" squares from 45" fabric you will need 3.33
yards or 60" fabric, you will need 2.625 yards.
- A
rotary cutter, ruler and mat will make your project easier. (These are
available at quilting stops, Hobby Lobby, Walmart,
JoAnne Fabrics and any other type of fabric
store.
- Buy
a seam ripper.
- When
Machine Piecing, adjust your machine to sew 10 to 12 stitches per inch.
- Use
a neutral color of thread that blends well with all your fabrics.
- Use
a good quality thread. You want this quilt to survive MANY washings and
dryings.
Quilting
Sites, Free Patterns, Tips and Techniques:
There are literally 100's of sites for quilting across the web. I found these sites using a search engine and the
words “quilting” “free quilt patterns” and “quilting tips” (by using the “ ”
marks you narrow the search to using ONLY those exact words or phrases.)
Quilters Review Tips:
http://www.quiltersreview.com/tip_quilting.asp
Quiltmaker Magazine Tips:
http://www.quiltmaker.com/qm/tips.htm
The Quilters
Cache:
http://www.quilterscache.com/
All Crafts:
http://www.allcrafts.net
Quilting with
http://quilting.about.com/library/bl_freehere.htm?once=true&
Quick Quilts:
http://www.quickquilts.com/qquilts/index.htm
http://www.quiltersvillage.com/
Block Pattern from McCalls:
http://www.mccallsquilting.com/mccalls/bom/june01/block.htm
E Quilter
(they have also adopted from
 |
Jane Doe | This is a quilt I made that I did at this time because of these things. I thought this color would be good because of these reasons. |
|
Mary Jane | This is a quilt I made that I did at this time because of these things. I thought this color would be good because of these reasons. |
