Sunday, January 24, 2010

Wonky Mendocino


Wonky Mendocino, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

Yay! This quilt was made for Avery's toddler bed....when she gets out of her crib. And I don't know when that will be because I like that when I put her in bed, she can't get out. She's also going through a phase where she has lots of excuses to not go to sleep...her fave is "I'm hungry! Noodles, applesauce, yogurt!"

I backed this quilt with Minky.....I quilted the top to the batting then added the minky on the back and binded it. I learned a big lesson though...the top and batting shrunk a lot more than the minky, so it's kinda floppy. Oh well! Now I know i need to prewash next time use use minky on the back.

11 comments:

  1. I made a quilt with Minky on the back once and prewashed everything (but the batting -- I never prewash that) and it still turned out floppy. I think the key must be to really stretch the minky when you lay it out to baste it, contrary to how you wouldn't stretch your regular fabrics. Though I've never tried it, so I'm not 100% sure that would work. That minky feels nice but I think is a bit of a pain to work with!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've quilted minky and haven't had any troubles with the quilting - and it washes up fabulous with the batting and fabric. Just make sure you pin baste it super well before quilting it.
    Love the quilt - it's really pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the color and fabric combinations. I'm using some of the same oranges in a baby quilt for my best friend. I love seeing other people's work -- it's inspiring! :o)

    ReplyDelete
  4. this is so pretty..i love the mendocino fabrics! i had my son in a crib for as long as humanly possible, for the same reason. he could not get out

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fabulous wonky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Makes me want to go home from work and make one right now, Lucky little one for getting it! Em

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Nikki! I saw you commented on my blog regarding the sexy hexy quilt pattern. The pattern isn't incredibly difficult, however, it is quite time consuming and pretty fussy at times. For example, sewing the center hexagon was a bit challenging. I had a hard time pinning the piece on, but once I did, sewing it with the machine wasn't too bad. She actually mentions that you can do this part as hand applique. I'm not much of a hand sew-er, so I opted to use my machine. Now I did not get to the point of sewing the larger hexagons together. That includes Y-seams, which I presume are somewhat fussy at first until you get the hang of it.

    So, that is my honest experience with the pattern. I hope I have not discouraged you too much! I do think it is a beautiful quilt and having it finished with be quite a reward for whoever perseveres through the fussiness. Good luck! I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love this quilt! I have a bunch of Mendocino I have been hoarding forever now - someday I'll get to it! Thanks for talking about your minkee experience. I have always wanted to back a quilt with it because it is perfect for babies but I absolutely detest working with the stuff. Maybe someday I'll get enough guts - and remember to prewash!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Cute quilt, love the wonkyness (is that even a word?! lol). Wonder if it would have been better to quilt the minky too? I have never worked with it, but many friends have just chucked the batting & quilted the tops right to the minky. Let us all know if you try something different next time, I am thinking of trying it out finally. Good for you that your little one is still in a crib...my DD will be 2 in a couple of months, and we swapped out the crib for the toddler bed in early fall. Wanted to wait, but as she was found several times with one leg over the ledge, we just bit the bullet & switched over. She stayed in it for quite a while, but now also has excuses..."I'm hungry," "Milk please," and her all time fav (we've started potty training a little) "pee, Mommy!" haha. Thanks for the inspiration you provide, and good luck with the bed switch!

    ReplyDelete
  9. It looks so great!
    I have made three quilts with minky. The first did not get wonky, the second did, so I pulled out the binding and re-stretched the minky. The third, I just basted the minky on , washed it and re-stretched it. I was scared to throw the quilt top in the washer with the batting exposed. Minky is a PIA, but it's worth it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your quilt looks great and I love Minky fabrics for the back. It is so soft. I never had problems quilting wiht the Minkee fabrics. My tip will be not to stretch the Minky fabric when you are quilting it.

    ReplyDelete