This weekend I finished my first quilt of the entire year. I used to bust out about 12-15 quilts a year, but this is my first completed quilt in 2015!
If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you may have seen all the videos and photos I posted as I worked on a Concerto crib quilt for a baby gift. But, for those of you who did not see the posts I figured it would be nice to share my progress making the Concerto quilt here on the blog too.
First, I starched, pressed, cut all my fabric, and laid the rows out. The mom-to-be picked out such a wonderful sophisticated color palette for her little boy.
Next I got to work labeling and glue basting all of the rows.
Then I was able to quickly chain piece all of the blocks in each row together.
Then I set and pressed my seams.
With the rows pressed in alternating directions I glue basted the rows together, one at a time.
Within no time I had a pieced quilt top ready to be quilted.
I knew if I stopped there I might not have time later on to finish the quilt, so I continued on. I decided to use a soft minky back. I chose to quilt basic straight lines outlining the seams to keep the quilt very sophisticated.
Only took me two days to make a finished Concerto quilt!
I was asked quite a few questions while posting the progress of this quilt, so here are some extra details about the project.
The quilt pattern is my first pattern from years ago called Concerto. I made the 51.5" x 57" crib size.
I used the following fabric from my stash. Blues: Kona Cotton in Windsor and Nautical, Crisscross in Blue, Geo Braid in Navy, Dottie in Jean Jacket, Pointelle in Navy, XOXO in Nightowl, and Dumb Dot in Navy. Greys: Triangularity in Stardust, Crosshatch in Shale, Confetti Dots in Stone, Eyelet in Grey, Heath in Metal, Confetti Dots in Charcoal, Sketch in Ash, Kona Cotton in Ash, Iron, and Silver. Golds: Netorious in Goldilocks Silver, Dottie in Goldilocks, and Opal in Gold. Low Volume: Lightning in Blue, Cuneiform Script in Aged, Remix Crisscross in Gold, Heartfelt in Snow, Laced Remains, Remix Crisscross in White, Branches in Ash, Handdrawn Lines, and Symphony in Natural.
I used my Juki TL-2010Q, which sits in my absolutely favorite SewEzi table.
I am using a Rowenta Travel Iron. The handle on my iron is broken from accidentally dropping it, so I am due to get a new iron. I love how hot this iron gets and that it is lightweight and small, but I have had three students in different classes tell me they had this iron and it caught fire or started smoking. Since then I have been meaning to start trying out new irons. I plan to post about my findings when I do.
You can learn more about glue basting in my past tutorial here. I am using a Fineline® Glue Applicator Tip on a bottle of Washable Elmer's School Glue.
Absolutely! In fact when I teach a beginner quilting class this is the quilt the students make.
I hope you enjoyed watching the making of this Concerto quilt. Feel free to comment or email me with any further questions!
Alyssa Lichner
Creator of Pile O' Fabric
Alyssa Lichner is a graphic designer turned avid sewist. She writes modern quilting tutorials and shares techniques and inspiration on her blog, Pile O’ Fabric. Alyssa has a passion for exploring different techniques and applying them to modern designs. She is thankful to have the opportunity to share these techniques, through her tutorials, patterns, and classes with quilters around the world. She always encourages her readers and students to challenge themselves to try new things and to approach quilting with a fearless attitude.