How to Make a Patchwork Quilt for Zero Dollars

 


Last year, in October, The Girl came to visit and entertained herself doing visible mending and making dishcloths for me. In the comments I noted that she had also been making a quilt and that I would devote a post to it soon. Well, here we are. Soon is now. We started making this quilt, The Girl and I, when Red was four. Red is now fifteen, but who's counting, right? Really, apart from the planning, I am pretty sure that The Girl made just about all of it. Back when Red was four The Girl cut out all the squares and sewed them together in strips. Each of the squares is cut out from pairs of flannelette pyjamas belonging to all the girls and to me over the years. Yes, I save all the non-worn out parts of all our old pyjamas. Everyone does that, right? Our idea was that Red could have a quilt made from all of our pyjamas so it would be like we were always right there with them. 
Last year, when she took up the project again, The Girl had a quilt's worth of long strips of sewn-together squares. She sewed all the strips together, and there was the quilt top. My favourite squares are the ones with the pockets.


For the quilt batting she used an old doona cover that once belonged to The Boy, so that he could be part of the quilt as well. It is a cotton waffle weave which gives the quilt an interesting texture. You can see it here where The Girl made the left-overs into dishcloths (still going strong nearly a year later). The one other thing I have used in a quilt instead of 'proper' quilt batting is an old woollen blanket, but I am sure there are also many other solutions. Let me know!


The quilt edging was more flannelette stashed in my hoard - white with blue stars from Red's baby sheets, and the backing, also from the hoard, was a piece of pink flannelette that I believe was one of the children's single bed sheets back in the day. The Girl sewed all of this together with a couple of rows of stitches both on the edging, then about a hands-width in from the edge. She didn't even quilt across it, which raises the question - can it technically be called a quilt? It has held together perfectly and washes well, which is what matters. It is beautiful and warm, and it is a great comfort to Red who sleeps with it and is often seen draped in it. What it says is "I love you" from a beloved sister, with cosy reminders of all the siblings, a gift that was a long time in the making, and which shows that you don't have to spend money to keep warm or to give a gift of love.

Comments

Mary said…
Maybe not technically a "quilt", but who cares? It's certainly one in spirit. It's a lovely collaboration. And I'm especially charmed by the barefoot peeking out beneath it in the photo.
Treaders said…
Oh that's just lovely. I quilt (badly - I'm not very accurate) and I buy a lot of my fabric, but I would give my right arm for a mismatched quilt made of old clothing belonging to my family. It would be so sentimental for me!
Deborah said…
A loving and lovely gift. Such a clever momento of childhood for Red.
simplelife said…
It's gorgeous. What more can I say. Full of love and memories, there's nothing better.
Cheers kate.
Anonymous said…
What a beautiful idea. Maybe if I stopped wearing things until they disintegrate I could make a quilt too!

Madeleine
simplelife said…
You could just make one with tiny hexagons Madeleine
Jo said…
Mary, yes, well, it was my favourite kind of collaboration where sewing is concerned. The Girl and I had a good idea, then she did all the work:)

Anna, isn't it lovely? I had a quilt like that when I was young, made from all our old clothes by my mum, and I wanted to recreate that feeling. And of course, originally, that was what quilts were - ways to keep warm using bits and pieces of scraps and old clothes.

Deborah, yes, Red certainly treasures it.

Kate, on one level it's the simplest thing, but on another it's all about love and family and the good energy that always goes into a hand made gift, especially one from a beloved sister.

Madeleine, clothes do wear very unevenly though. Pyjama pants always go before the tops, and even when the tops wear out there's usually areas that survive well, like the front panels. And even on the PJ bottoms the legs below the knees are usually fine. As Kate said - smaller patches! There are some old Victorian hexagonal and crazy patchwork quilts with such tiny patches they are like jewels! Much more work required, though!

Anonymous said…
Just love it! What a beautiful gift! I am not a quilter, but I come from a long line of quilters on my father's side. In my minds eye, I see myself quilting, and to that end I have kept my late husband's cotton shirts in hopes of making quilts for my daughters. We shall see, if this ever becomes a reality. Maybe the girl needs to come and visit and take aver? :)
Patricia/USA
Jo said…
Patricia, oh, what a lovely, lovely idea! To have their dad right there with them, wrapped around like a big hug. And I think your plan is a good one - invite your daughters for a quilt making weekend, get very busy making cups of tea and they'll have the quilts whipped up in no time:) xx
Anonymous said…
Red's quilt embodies everything a quilt is all about. Making a quilt for someone else is every bit as rewarding for the maker as it is for the recipient. I've made many, mostly simple scrap quilts, and the time spent in the handling of the fabrics, the colour play, and the quietly busy time spent in the assembly of each one fills me with joy. My favourite is one made from several of my husband's business shirts when he retired - yes, complete with pockets, buttons, and the labels, removed, then stitched on to some squares. Your idea and planning, and The Girl's diligent stitching, have made a precious thing for Red to treasure.
Linda in NZ
Jo said…
Linda, I love the business shirt quilt concept! Yes, I do agree that scrappy quilts are the best. Limitations can encourage creativity, and having to use up whatever is in the rag bag is a wonderful opportunity to come up with creative solutions.
Meg said…
I have never made a quilt, Jo, though if I did I'd love to make one from stories and memories like this one. It's gorgeous and I imagine snuggling up in it wraps one in a pretty special feeling. Meg
gretchenjoanna said…
I love this so much - the colors, the flannel, the idea and the execution, the family life represented by the pajama-wearing and the final sewing together. Wonderful, wonderful! - and BEAUTIFUL! Thank you both.
gretchenjoanna said…
I've been thinking of your Visible Mending art even more, since I gathered a half dozen flannel nightgowns that need help. Why do my nightgowns always wear out at the elbows? It makes me wonder what I am doing in my dreams...

I think I will need to use parts of the oldest ones to repair the newer ones, and the creative aspect of mixing colors and patterns in places that will get me through the winter nights is making me want to get to sewing sooner rather than later.

I'm planning to do it by hand, because the difficulty of getting a sleeve neatly done on the machine takes all the joy out of the anticipation. And my sewing machine is not in a cozy corner of the house! Thanks again for your good example aka inspiration!
Wendy said…
I am so happy to see some of my old blogger friends are still around. I used to blog at http://happilyhome.blogspot.com and was pretty active, but kind of fell off for a while.

Love the quilt! It's such a lovely piece!

Happy to see you're still around!
Jo said…
Gretchen Joanna, I do hope your winter visible mending project was fun and successful. I love the image of your nightgowns with contrasting floral elbow patches!
Wendy, great to see you here! I miss your stories of the simple life, but i also totally understand the impulse to not blog! Happens here frequently:)

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