quilting | knitting by bicycle.

The first of many

May 1, 2011

Recently attended a bridal shower for a good friend and was not quite sure what to bring as an appropriate gift. Weddings are tough, gift-wise, for me. I do not have a lot of money nor do I want to merely pick something off of a list of pre-picked things. I’m even less interested in gifting something not on the pre-picked list that is bound to not be wanted or desired by the recipient. Basically, I like to think a lot about the giftee and what could be made lovingly and received lovingly.

I think I hit the nail on the head with this gift. Our friends are getting married this summer and have a great aesthetic in terms of fashion, home decor, and life. In addition, the bride-to-be is super crafty and appreciates all things well DIY’d.

I picked out some fun, bright cotton charm pack squares sitting in the stash and got to quilting a couple of potholders. Originally, this was to be a set of 3, but the third potholder was with fabrics that didn’t match these two as much…and I screwed up on the binding on that one so back into the WIP basket it went.

I had some cotton quilt batting sitting around and was unsure of how to use it, since it was crib dimensions and I am child-free. It was great to be able to cut off some of it to use here. I know I’ll be using the rest of that batting to make many more potholders. Some for us. Some for other people. They are just so fun! And a great quick gift.

I used a solid fabric for the back, as opposed to having a patchwork on both sides. Since I have never actually finished a quilt (please ignore those 4 quilt tops sitting in my office awaiting their completion), this was the first time I was able to sandwich the thing together, pin, chalk, and machine quilt. I was a bit nervous but followed the guidance on Oh Fransson! and was off! I pieced the tops of each so quick, since they are a simple 4 patch. They were received well and I am so pleased!

Happy May, everyone!