QuiltsbyNini Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 I am in need of some help for my 7 year old daughter. She has 8 fat quarters f Sharon Schamberg\'s hand dyed fabrics. She wants to make a quilt with them, but I am completely scared to cut them up! The colors are so beautiful I just want to leave them out to look at all the time, but they do belong to Brianna and I guess I have to let her make the quilt with them. Her last quilt was made up of pre-cut 5 inch squares I got from ebay ( for a different project) so all she had to do was to sew them together. This will be her first time cutting the fabric as well... I hate to think of her ruining the fabric with a cutting mistake! The only simple thing I can think of is rail fence (it has been a very short night for me!). I have never used hand dyed fabric before and not really sure where to start. I hate to think of ME ruining her fabric even more! Does anyone have any ideas on 1- a simple design my daughter can cut on her own, and 2- tips on using hand dyed fabric, and 3- how I can get over my fears of destroying the fabric? Thanks... now MORE coffee! Nini Morris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stagecl Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 A nine patch block is also simple...not as simple as a rail fence, but just as easy. You didn\'t mention how old your daughter is so I don\'t know what to say about the cutting issue. As for goofing up when cutting...it even happens to the best of us. Don\'t worry about if there is a cutting mistake. When it happens worry about it then. I know when I plan a quilt I always figure extra to allow for an error. If a cutting mistake happens you can always buy another piece of fabric...it may not be the same in color...but often out of our mistakes something better evolves. Cheryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 9 patch, hole in the barn door, pinwheels. These are all simple and will require minimal cutting. If she\'s worried about goofing up, have her allow 1/2" seams instead of 1/4". That way there is margin for error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 Nini, oh how very exciting! Pretty hand dyed fabric to play with. I know how you feel about being afraid to cut it up. I have some that I like to "pet" occasionally but one of these days I am going to take the cutter to them and make something with it. Before getting into the good stuff, if you want to let Brianna "practice" cutting on some older scrap fabric first, to get the motion down, that might be a good idea. Make sure Brianna understands that using a rotary cutter is very dangerous and she must be careful when cutting. If you have a lower table that fits her height so she\'s comfortable standing straight and directly square behind the ruler and the rotary cutter is cutting straight up and down/not sideways so it doesn\'t slip. Maybe fold the fabric in half so it\'s shorter and not so far to run the cutter. Maybe mommy can help the first few times. She can push down on the ruler while you cut so she gets the idea how hard to push down with the ruler and cutter so she has the best (and safest)control possible. Then you can switch and she can cut. You can help her build confidence that way. Have fun, mom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 Here is a thought--trim each FQ into a square (as big as possible but all the same size). This way there is a lot of pretty fabric to see. Either sash the squares or sew them together as they are-- in a nine-patch. Since you have eight fabrics, make the center square special with an easy iron-on applique of your daughter\'s name or a machine embroidered front-side label telling the story of the quilt. So, there will be a center square surronded by the hand-dyes. With the extra fabric left over (probably 4 inches by 18 inches or so) sew them end-to-end and cut down the length to make either the binding or a flange between the blocks and an outer border. What a treat for her to work on this special fabric--that in itself would hook me on quilting for life!!! And what a lucky girl to have you for her Mom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuiltsbyNini Posted March 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 I made a mistake... there are 8 half yard cuts...I knew something wasn\'t right when I re-read my post... I took another look at the fabric and started laughing! If that is how much fabric you get with a fat quarter... Anyway, I guess it is the whole rotary cutter thing that has me worried. Then there is so much variation in the colors, one piece ranges from deep blue through teal through purples and reds. I\'m having trouble finding a simple pattern she can work with. Short of \'fussy cutting\' each piece, I\'m afraid it is going to look like a mess... and I really want her to learn about making the piecing pretty as well... Guess I worry too much! Nini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 Nini, it won\'t look like a mess. It will be really pretty. I think the prettiest most interesting quilts are not "organized" and seem to have a life of their own when completed. Just let each color and piece be what it is (random) wherever you sew them together It will be beautiful, I know it. It\'s exciting, kinda like a "mystery quilt" you don\'t know what it will look like until you\'re done but have you ever seen an ugly mystery quilt? Not me! Here is a mystery quilt I made a few years back. It had random blues and greens and pinks. I used all scraps from my stash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryll Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 i always like to use Turning Twenty with younger quilters. i had a group of special ed 4th graders in an after school program. I did all the cutting which is easy cutting. They were very thrilled with the results. I did very little ripping for them. it is a real winner of a pattern. it really lets the fabric shine too. You can then really doll it up with the quilting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Nini a yellow brick road would be easy too. She would get some practice cutting it and I think you would have enough to make a baby quilt if I remember correctly it only calls for fat quarters. I would pre-wash my fabric using synthrapol and then starch it before cutting which will help a lot! If you are completely against pre-washing, some are, then I would definitely soak with synthrapol like Sharon recommends just to be safe! Be sure to post pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 These were hand dyes. I bought a package and the colors were pretty close, but there was some variation in each color. It was really simple to make and had a good look to it when finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuiltsbyNini Posted March 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 Thanks for all the help and suggestions. The fabric is almost tied-dyed looking with very bright colors. I took the lazy way out. She had seen a quilt in Pottery Barn Kids a while back that she loved, so when we started talking about patterns, that is what she wanted. She is very headstrong, and has her own sense of \'style\' so that is what we did. It is basically 3 inch strips sewed together. For the cutting, we tore the fabric (please, I know that wasn\'t the best solution, but since the fabric had already been torn I figured it couldn\'t hurt) and started the sewing project last night. Unfortunately, the tornados last night kinda put a halt to the project, we are hoping to get back to it later this afternoon. Again, thatnks for all the suggestions. I will keep these in mind for her next project... Nini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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