Upcycled pyjama quilt
11:49
Let's rewind a bit. Once upon a time there were some pyjamas. The brushed cotton kind. Well, we call them brushed cotton because that's what the shops call them. They're actually flannel but we all know that we wouldn't buy flannel pyjamas if they were called flannel pyjamas.
Anyway, so when they get a bit tired I move on to new ones. At only £7 a pair it's easy to go through two or three pairs a year. Well I couldn't bring myself to throw them away, I knew I could do something with them.
When we moved house though I came across the stack of pyjamas and before we had our internet connected I decided to get around to making them into the something I'd been planning on for well over a year. A patchwork quilt. A king sized patchwork quilt.
I'VE NEVER SEWN A QUILT BEFORE!!!!
For my newest followers here's what you've missed about me.
1) I hate making patchwork, I feel like I'm going to die of boredom while sewing the bits together.
2) I hate quilting, I feel like I'm going to die of boredom while sewing the lines of quilting.
Good, so it was a project doomed from the start. That's always a good basis to start any major sewing project.
Ok, so first I cut my old (clean & ironed) pyjamas into 5" squares. Thank goodness I have a rotary cutter. Even then I thought I was going to die of boredom before I even got to the sewing stage.
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| These squares have been piled in order for sewing each line. |
I may have just realised I'm an attention deficit disorder crafter...ho hum.
Then knowing how many squares of each pattern I had I did a design in a book with some wiggly lines of colours.
I sewed each line top to bottom together then sewed two lines together then sewed two lots of two lines together so I had a section of 4. Then I repeated adding the sections of 4 onto the existing bulk. Except for the middle section of 5 which confused me no end!
I always press my seams open on a quilt as I think it helps the corner joins to sit much neater on the top side. I don't know if that's the proper way to do it, I'm a bag maker not a quilter!
Anyway, so this is what I've ended up with. A quilt top that just needs (just ha ha!) quilting and binding.
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| I fussy cut around the pyjama pockets to incorporate them into the design. There's three in total. |
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| Just right for when you're a bit peckish in the night...oooh, that's a thought. |
So there we go...just the quilting to do now. Actually, the hardest thing about the quilting for me right now is finding a space large enough to lay the layers down flat so that I can baste them together!
Do you like quilting or do you feel you're going to die of boredom like me?
Samantha xx
At home with Mrs H
26 comments
Congratulations on your half-century of followers!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea for reusing old PJs! Slightly gutted because I put a couple of knackered sets (including one of my faves!) into charity textile recycling a couple of weeks ago! Now I feel inspired...lol
ReplyDeleteYour quilt top looks fab, anyway! I love the pyjama pockets :D
I love it! It's interesting, though, that you press your seams open. I always press them to one side. And then, the next row, I press them all to one side the opposite direction so the seams are easy to match up.
ReplyDeleteBut it's a beautiful quilt! Well done, button!
That is interesting. One lady I follow is a seamstress and she has recently been talking about good practise always having been to press seams to one side to set the stitches and then press them open. It must be a dressmaking thing though as far as I know she only makes clothing. Interesting.....more trialling needed me thinks! xx
DeleteThis came out so great! I'm with you, I would probably only have the attention span to make a place mat. :)
ReplyDeleteA few blog friends and I are hosting our first link party tomorrow to finish off the Imagine the Impossibilities Challenge, we go live at 7amET. Today I revealed my project for the challenge, a gallery wall with only one screw in the wall. It would be great if you have a chance to check it out and link up! http://thespacebetweenblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/the-one-screw-gallery-wall-is-here/
Karah @ thespacebetweenblog = your newest follower
Such a beautiful way to recycle, and make memories! Glad I found your blog, so I'm now following. Please stop by and follow too, so we can keep in touch, Lori
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is lovely! You would never know that you don't like quilting. It's nice that you were able to get more use out of your pyjamas. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteLooks great! And I'm glad you didn't die ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's a great quilt! And I love the treat holder. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this quilt ~ it's just beautiful! I would love for you to visit and Link Up at http://www.twindragonflydesigns.com/2012/01/inspiring-creativity_31.html
ReplyDeletexo
Heather
www.twindragonflydesigns.com
Um..this was your first quilt!! It looks great :) I love it. And I featured it on Sugar Bee Crafts today (reader feature)!
ReplyDeleteHow fun and I love the colors, great post !
ReplyDeleteSo pretty!! Great design and recycling!
ReplyDeleteYou did an amazing job!
ReplyDeleteMrs. Delightful recently posted: My Memories Giveaway @ ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com
That is a fantastic idea!! I am so going to do this down the road when my kids are a older and I have PJ'S to use:) I am a new follower.
ReplyDeleteI currently have a link party going and would love for you to link this and anything else you would like!
http://twoyellowbirdsdecor.blogspot.com/2012/02/thursdays-temptation-link-party-3-some.html
Jill
I can't sew a stitch! You must be very proud of what you have made, this is lovely! Reminds me of the quilts the settlers made from worn and torn dresses.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun idea--this turned out fabulous! I love quilts with meaning, and I love that you recycled pyjamas! Thanks for sharing at oopsey daisy!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THIS QUILT!!!!! Especially the midnight snack holder! I'm a big fan of upcycling too - so think this is just the perfect project!
ReplyDeleteI found you through your interview today over at Leigh's blog. Have to mention this on facebook as I love it so much! Oh and I'm going to follow your blog too!
Lovely to 'meet' you!!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/
Hey - just had a thought - could you link this project up to my clothes upcycling linky.. It's an ongoing linky for any projects that involve upcycling clothes - a great resource for people looking for ideas of what to do with old clothes they don't want to throw out! There are close to 300 links and still growing. I get a lot of traffic through there so link up and get some of that traffic through here too!!
ReplyDeletehttp://jembellish.blogspot.com/p/clothes-upcycling-projects.html
What a great job for not being a quilter - I love the snack pocket.
ReplyDeleteIt looks brilliant, well done!
ReplyDeleteI realize that this is probably too late, but I made my first couple independent quilts last Christmas (and I've helped with others). If "quilting" makes you bored, something you could do instead is to tie it. It might still be boring to you, but it's mindless enough that you can watch movies while you tie (which is exactly what I did). Also, (this may be helpful in the future??) I found it helpful to do what's called "chain-piecing" when I put my squares together. It's a lot less tedious that way.
ReplyDeleteThe quilt looks gorgeous, by the way. I have some flannel PJs I've been hanging onto too long--I may have to make my own! :)
ReplyDeleteWell now you have a fabulous looking quilt, boredom rewarded by using items too precious to part with ;-)
ReplyDeleteI love love quilting, the piecing and designing part. I send my quilts to a long armer and happily pay for the process. But the piecing and designing is the fun (not boring) part! ANd you did a lovely job!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this idea!! As a Primark pyjama enthusiast, I regularly have old pyjamas that I wouldn't wear any more. Like you, I hate to waste them and have been saving them but wasn't sure what I could do with them. Saving this into my bookmarks for when I get the energy and enthusiasm - looks a big project!
ReplyDelete