Wednesday, December 31, 2008

an experiment

Mama Urchin and I arranged a little swap a few months back. She is making me hand knit socks(!!!) and in return, I am quilting a baby quilt for her. She wanted it backed in chenille, and I wasn't sure how quilting that would work out. She wanted the crinkly quilt look with a chenille back. And in this experiment we achieved both. (This idea was inspired by Oh Fransson.)

Here's what I did....

I basted, and quilted as normal...(with batting + backing)

Then I sewed around the perimeter of the quilt (twice) with my walking foot to make sure all the edges were tacked down.

Then I threw it in the washer, unbound.
I threw the chenille in the same load, since it wasn't pre-washed.
And I held my breath.

All was fine after the wash cycle. Phew.
I popped everything into the dryer.


I laid out the quilt (again) with the chenille on the back this time.
I used my walking foot and sewed around the perimeter of the quilt.

And here it is...one crinkly quilt with chenille backing.
It's warm. And snuggly.
I'd definitely try this again.

edited to clarify:
the quilt layers are as such:

quilt top
batting
backing
chenille

the chenille is not connected anywhere else on the quilt-just the edges.
the quilt will be bound just like any normal quilt with traditional binding.

55 comments:

Three Birds Inspired said...

You are one smart cookie! The quilt looks terrific and I bet any baby would love to be snuggled under it!

Victoria Findlay Wolfe said...

It's lovely! the orange on the back just makes the whole thing HAPPY!!
:-}

Jessica said...

This turned out great!!! It looks so comfy and warm! Perfect for a little babe.

jacquie said...

this is a great idea. i have some pink minkee i've been afraid to use. i might have to give this a try. have a great start to your new year.

Valerie said...

I'm in love with that happy fabric - who makes it?

Abby said...

I'm super excited you posted this - I'm about to start a quilt with a minkee backing but really want it to look like a quilt. Thanks for a boost of confidence. It can work! :)

Wendy said...

hmmm... having trouble visualizing here. So you have layers of

quilt top
batting
backing
chenille?

It's beautiful, by the way!

Jane's Fabrics and Quilts said...

I am just about to start a baby quilt for my first grandbaby, love this idea, so you make a quilt then add the chenile, is it tacked down anywhere elso or is just around the edges enough? I would love to do this too how soft and the quilt is darling!

Anonymous said...

it is just beautiful!
I love the colours.
What a great swap :)

Elizabeth said...

Oh that just ROCKS! I'll be adding that to my list of things to try!

house on hill road said...

you sure are smart! it looks great. happy new year, amanda jean!

Mama Urchin said...

It turned out great! I think it will make a little boy and his parents very happy.

The two circus prints are by Felicity Miller for Westminster. The other three prints were found on the calico wall at my local fabric store.

Now I just have the sad task of un-knitting one sock to remake it.

Kerri said...

what a great way to be able to have the krinkles on the front but have the chenille on the back. I've always wondered how I would do that since I love the softness minkey and chenille add. thanks for sharing!!!

thanks for your kind comment on my blog! :)

amy said...

I love this idea! It seems I can never make too many quilts for my daughter. This one is definitely on my list of things to make!

Amanda Jean said...

wendylee,

that is exactly right. :)

aj

Amanda Jean said...

jane's fabrics and quilts,

it is just tacked down on the edges. the quilt isn't all that big, so i think it will work just fine. i don't think i would try this technique on anything larger than a baby quilt, though.

aj

Jessica said...

What a great idea!! Did you then just bind as normal? I made my son a quilt with minky on the back and quilted in the ditch and it was a HUGE PITA ~ wish I had thought of your idea, first!! But I have several baby quilts I'm getting ready to make so I'm gonna steal this from you ~ k? :)

Linda said...

That turned out really cute!

Marie {Make and Takes} said...

Oh, that quilt fabric is to die for! Love the orange, so cheery! Thanks for experimenting for me, now I may try it too.

Anonymous said...

I love it! It looks so soft and cozy! I know it will be treasured for years to come!

Lynn said...

So confused - is this right - 1. made quilt 2. backed and quilted it
3. washed it unbound with chenille, then backed it again with the chenille? So does it have 2 backings? Do you bind it then or turn it? It would be a great way for me to use up some minkee I've had. If I just weren't so dense and could understand this!

Rebekah said...

thanks for sharing this! I've been wanting to make a quilt with an alternative backing for a while now

MichelleB said...

I'm dying to see how you do the binding! It really looks great. And you are so smart to do it that way.

Carrie P. said...

Good job. Very cute.

Karen said...

Wow, I am impressed! (as usual). Great quilt...love the colors, design and backing!

Anonymous said...

It's very cute! So, does that mean you didn't bind the quilt? I am all for quilts that aren't bound, since I suck royally at that.

Becky J. said...

what a little smarty pants you are. thanks for sharing and trying it out for us all!!

lera said...

VERY cool. I LOVE that orange chenille. Is it an old spread??

The Yellow Spoon said...

I love it! I might have to steal that idea.

Heather said...

Groovy! Now STOP!!! Do not quilt anything between this comment and Friday that needs to be washed. If you do wash on Jan.1st, you will wash your hopes down the drain. At least that is what my Grandma says. Maybe dirt is where we store our luck? Or she hates to do laundry? Anyway, Happy New Year and I wish you all the best (you deserve it).

Renee said...

Clever! Love the effect.
Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

Bonus Mom said...

The colors are so yummy! It looks great!

LeeAnn said...

I have the same questions as commenter Lynn has. If you have the time can you clarify if the top was prequilted with batting and backing then you sewn on the chenille as a fourth layer? Your the bestest quilter in the world! Do you know that?! Happy New Year!

crazyquiltlady said...

Love this idea!!

Karen said...

I did something similar to this last year for one of my co-workers. I think that the dbl stitching around the perimiter is the key, at least that's what I think saved me. I love the orange. Can't wait to see your socks;) I'm looking forward to much inspiration from you, again this year, and thanks so much for all that you've given this year;)
Happy New Year!

Mushyhed said...

really cute quilt. i've been wanting to work with chenille or minkee as a backing but i've been too scared. i guess the baby quilt is a great way to start. Happy new year!

Mushyhed said...

really cute quilt. i've been wanting to work with chenille or minkee as a backing but i've been too scared. i guess the baby quilt is a great way to start. Happy new year!

Vail said...

Awesome job. I may try that for one of my new grands -- I've got two coming in late spring. That will make eight. I just love grands and making quilts for them:)

vail in ms

Louise said...

A lovely snuggly quilt for a little one!

Anonymous said...

Looks great. I have worked with chenille to and I have quilted thru I had it as a back and also in some blocks and while it's messy it's totally doable and worth it since it gets nice and crinkly and soft. Glad your happy with the way yours came out too.

Anina said...

It looks great and is going to be SO soft and snuggly!

Dawn W said...

That's so great! I just was trying to figure out how to do that exact same thing for a friend of mine who is having a baby after trying everything possible for 11 years. Thanks for posting this to take the guesswork out for me! Great quilt!

Unknown said...

Great experiment! I've often thought that the chenille would be too heavy to quilt but great for a backing . . . this works beautifully :)

Jane said...

Clever girl. Awesome quilt.
~jane

Amy said...

I love the orange chenille. The quilt looks great. I get it, I'm just not sure I understand why there is a backing AS WELL AS the chenille...

Anonymous said...

Lovely quilt as usual! Is there a reason to wash it before applying the chenille and binding? Just curious as I want to make one of these for my baby girl too.

SuzyQSparkles said...

I just taught myself to knit in the past two years... my second project was a pair of socks... I relied heavily on http://www.cometosilver.com/socks/ and www.knittinghelp.com.

I know you knit and (while trading is nice) I know you could make yourself some socks too!!!

If you need a stash of double pointed needles (DPN's) take a look on ebay, I was able to buy a set of 12 sizes for under $20 shipped. Having the various sizes was critical since achieving accurate gauge is important in a project like socks. :D

Amanda Jean said...

jasonsmum,

i prewashed the quilt and the chenille before they were connected, because i was fairly certain that they wouldn't shrink at the same rate. i was afraid that the chenille wouldn't shrink as much as the quilt, and therefore it would be bagggy on the back. which would look really bad. does that make sense???

aj

~JoAnn~ said...

I have a dumb question, my husband bought me quite a few presser feet for my sewing machine for Christmas one of them is called an open toe walking foot, I have NO idea what it does or how to use it...would you be able to or do you already have a tutorial for using a walking foot??? I also got one called a side cutter.and a 1/4"one I Love my husband dearly and didn't quite have the nerve to say oh these are nice how do I use them...so I just said I loved them which I do I just wish I knew what to do with them. He knows that I want to learn how to quilt so maybe he knows that this is what I need. I guess I need to find a basic Learn to quilt book??? Love all of your quilts you do wonderful work. Very pretty colors on all of them. Sorry this is so long..
Blessings,Joann

Anonymous said...

Thanks! Yes, that makes total sense.

Water Runs Through My Soul said...

I have wondered about doing that, now I know I'm going to try it! Since you tested it out !!! hahhaa..KUDOS to you,,,LOVE IT

Katherine said...

It's beautiful! I love it with the chenille backing.

Kritta22 said...

So I'm a newbie here...how come it's not tacked down anywhere but the sides? Wouldn't that make it kinda airy?

Amanda Jean said...

kritta22,

yes, it's a bit airy, but not bad. the quilt is pretty small, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. i didn't want to have to quilt through all that chenille...i was afraid that the back would be skewed and look sloppy.

aj

sulu-design said...

The quality of the chenille backing is so neat - I like the nubbiness in combination with the playful colors and pattern on the front. Mama Urchin is one lucky swapper!