Water's Edge Quilt

This is Water's Edge, designed by Marion Patterson in the quilting book, Simple Stitches Quilting. I did add the borders around it though. This quilt is black, white, grey, and purple. I totally changed the color scheme so that would be why this quilt doesn't really look like the "Water's Edge"! 

The front:

The back:

I only have one complaint for this pattern: if you don't use a layer cake  (40 10" squares of fabric pre-cut) it is best to lay out the pattern as you cut your fabric and the pieces that lay horizontally you'll want to cut a 1/4" shorter. 

You can purchase this quilting book which has "18 projects for the new quilter"! I just received it as a gift and have found many patterns I am anxious to make. 

Below is a picture of the book as well as a link to it on Amazon:

A Quilt from The Purl Bee

Here is my version of The Wedding Quilt, by Purl Bee:

I was asked to make a quilt - one that would have colors of a rainbow and colors of a sunset. So here's my version of a sunset on a quilt! 

Pros of This Pattern:

This is a queen size (I added two rows to each side) and it came together rather fast! The quilt is put together by sewing strips end on end and then sewing those together.

There are a lot of different ways to choose fabric - the original on The Purl Bee website has white as a background color whereas I have no background color. Plus you can change the pattern of how fabrics are laid out - for instance, I have dark in the middle going out towards light colors. Someone else might do dark on the left going over to lighter colors on the right of the quilt.

It's free! Visit the link above my pictures!

Cons of This Pattern:

Deciding where to put what color, how much of each fabric I needed, and laying out the quilt took me almost a whole morning! And I'm pretty decisive!

When cutting the fabric, I would have cut the top and bottom rows (going across the quilt) to size rather than leaving them 12" and not cutting them until AFTER you've sewn each strip (going down the quilt).

When on The Purl Bee's pattern it said to take off so many inches per each strip on the top and bottom rows, I had to scratch out those numbers and focus on how much fabric I needed to leave there instead! One suggestion I received to do was leave those strips 12" and just mark where you would be cutting so you can make sure it is even before you do any permanent cutting!

Quick-Tip: Batting

I have been purchasing the cheapest batting at JoAnn's - you know, the one they have rolled up and it is normally $12.99, but with your 40% off coupon it is a steal of a deal? I'm sorry I don't have details, apparently I need to pay more attention to the batting I am buying! Anyway, this particular batting was part cotton and polyester as well as about a half inch thick. It worked well enough for me until one day I decided to buy a thinner batting for a baby blanket. (Quick-tip within a quick-tip: thinner batting is nicer for baby blankets because it is easier for the mom to wrap the baby up in the blanket. Something I determined after having my first child.) 

So I bought something like this:

This batting is more like 1/4" thick and made of cotton. When I went to do the stippling on the quilt it was 10 times easier, my fabric (top and bottom) didn't bunch and create folds, and it was easier to trim up the edges for binding. When it came time to bind the quilt, I couldn't believe how much easier that was to do! I had no problems at all! Plus my binding didn't have any folds in it and my corners turned out perfect. 

I've been seriously quilting for 3 years now and I have always had some type of issue when it came to binding. I couldn't believe the difference a change it batting made. So now I will be changing my batting purchasing habits! 

Quick-Tip: Thread

Here are a few quick-tips when it comes to thread! 

1. Use the same type of thread in the bobbin as well as on top for an optimal sewing experience.

2. Use cotton thread when working with cotton fabric

3. Black thread can have more issues when sewing because it contains more dye on it (to make it black).

4. A good neutral thread is grey. Grey works with any color of the spectrum!