Hello from Stag Studio!

I spent the weekend sewing through the winter storm and I’m sharing a quilt FAIL that taught me a whole bunch and gave me new inspiration.

First, the quilt fail - it was my first time using gauze. Soft, delicate - I had to try it. I buy my fabrics locally and not one of my go-to stores had gauze. When I finally got my hands on it and finished the project, I learned it requires a top stitch, not a traditional edging. Below, you can see how after the wash the gauze shrunk and pulled away. I had anticipated this so I used a zigzag stitch but even so, it was fray city! I should have listened to Melanie Ham!

It can be a bummer when a thing doesn’t turn out but I’ve ruined so many paintings and drawings, I know that it’s a part of being creative. An instructor at art college told me, “you will learn more by finishing something than starting over.” I don’t abandon projects, I always use the rest of the project to practice and learn. I’m a finisher. The good news is, that when I make big mistakes like this, what I learned sticks with me.

The blanket plopped into the scrap pile but I still wanted to complete a project with the colors I was working with. I was planning to make a quilt for a friend’s new babe and decided to use the same colors. I bought my fabric in solids and quickly decided on triangles. Jotting down a pattern for myself - the cutting and sewing became straightforward.

The triangles look modern, especially in bold colors against the cream. Still, the piece has that “quilted” feel. The color blocking also enhances the mod look and I think looks perfectly playful for baby.

I quilted using a golden thread, bravely sewing on the diagonal. Admittedly, this was a last-minute choice - no regrets!

A part of this quilt that may be overlooked is how I used rounded corners on two sides of the quilt. It created a swath shape and enhanced the "mod” feel of the quilt.

Stay warm out there snow bunnies!

Sending smiles,

Kirbi