Project Quilting 5.2: Let's Face It

Let's face it.  There are a few facts about Project Quilting that you should know.

1.  It is my goal this season to make larger more useful quilts.  That pretty much means no tiny art quilts.




2.  One week interrupted by real life during build season for the robotics team is NOT much time.

3. I struggle to be precise under the best of conditions.

4.  These are not the best of conditions.

5.  The upcycle challenge where TWO elements of your project must be something never intended for a quilt is a really bad week to be making a larger more useful quilt.

6.  Billboards are big  Even if you have been shaving bits off for years, they still cover much of your living room when unfolded.

7.  Blue jeans are heavy.  Very heavy.  Particularly when you choose to use up all of the fiddly bits with seams and pockets and rivets and the like.

8. Delicate little machines, used to sewing on refined quilty fabrics are NOT happy when asked to sew across the jointure of two flat felled denim seams.

9.  The closer you get to the end of a project the harder it is to thread the needle... and the more often you need to do so.

10. By the end of the project I figured out how to it.  

This week's quilt doesn't have a good title.  It could be Family Reunion  or Let's Face It or Keep Your Pants Dry or just plain old Picnic Blanket.  Many stories went through my head while constructing it.

The quilt measures 45 x 60 inches.  It is made of old blue jeans, old shirts, badges from the booboo bucket, a billboard, a bit of very old rescued gros grain ribbon and one hand forged iron s-hook.

The billboard is one of the modern sorts.  A tarp like thing that wraps around the billboard structure.  It was the perfect thing for backing a picnic blanket.  It forms the backing and binding.  The blue jean bits were stitched in essentially a raw edge applique fashion to a piece of cotton sheeting that serves as the batting.  It technically isn't recycled or upcycled but since it is entirely concealed within the quilt and is the only batting like element, I figure it counts.

I used up bobbins of many colors and ends of spools of thread.  Things that have been hanging around in small amounts for way too long.


The ribbon and s-hook make up the closure/handle that keeps the blanket nicely rolled up in your trunk awaiting the  next picnic.  The hook will also be useful for hanging the quilt to dry as it can't really be washed, only hosed off and it certainly can't be dried.  The hook is made by Far Creek Forge.











Obligatory art shot!