IU Quilt Template

With college basketball season fast approaching, I would like to have something warm and cozy to wrap up with when the Hoosiers hit the hardwood.  I doubt I will be snuggled up in the quilt while they are playing (I am usually at the edge of my seat) but it will be nice to have while I am basking in their victory.

I considered several options for this quilt, but I think I have settled on a design.  I contemplated a cream logo with a crimson background, but I think the crimson logo with cream background looks better.  I also thought about what the back of the quilt should look like, and I still don't know if I have decided. 

I wanted to buy an IU pattern fabric for the back, but learned that it doesn't exist.  A solid cream or crimson back was also a consideration.  What I am leaning towards right now is a cream and crimson candy stripe back similar to the IU warm up pants.  Time will tell.  For now, it's time to start cutting!

Princess Zelda Quilt

I first started working on the template for this quilt in March of last year and posted the final template a couple months later, complete with measurements.  One year later, it's finally finished.  I wanted to try something new with this quilt by including a flower block pattern in each of the four corners of the quilt, but soon realized that my skills were not up to that level.  Unfortunately, I cut the fabric for the flower blocks before I came to that conclusion, so that cost me some time.

The abandonment of the flowers turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  I still wanted something different in the quilt, so it wouldn't just be an image of Zelda.  The image of the Triforce quickly came to mind.  For those who don't know, the Triforce is the ultimate source of power in the Zelda series and serves as the balance that weighs the three forces: Power, Wisdom and Courage.  After thinking about it, how could I not include it in Emilie's quilt?

Integrating triangles into the quilt posed it's own set of challenges, but I figured it out and I think it looks really nice.  I also love the colors in this quilt, very bright and cheerful.  Emilie is happy with her new quilt, too, and she has slept with it every night since I finished it for her.

Quilted Memories Body Pillow

After dabbling in pillow coverings with the Indianapolis Colts pillows, I really wanted to make a body pillow for myself.  I decided to use fabric scraps from all of the past quilts I have made.  My original idea was to use the squares in their original size, so I wouldn't have to cut as much, but configuring a pattern was a lot more involved than I was planning.  So, I decided to cut the scraps to the same size squares and go from there.

The body pillow cover took a lot longer to make than I thought it would.  I had to do a lot more cutting, plus I just didn't have the time or energy to do much work on it during the summer.  I am so glad it is finished, though.  It looks even better than I thought it would and it is so cool to see the fabrics I used in the quilts I made.  It makes me smile every time I look at it.

Princess Zelda Quilt Template

I have finished the design and purchased the fabric for Emilie's princess quilt.  I am stepping out of my comfort zone a little bit by adding some flower blocks to the front of the quilt.  The directions for constructing the flower blocks can be found here.  Otherwise, it is the standard square procedure I have used many times in the past.

For Zelda, I am using her likeness from the "Oracle of Ages" and "Oracle of Seasons" video games.  I did not stay true to her original colors as I wanted to have a bit of variation.  Overall, I really like the way the design turned out and I can't wait to see it come together in fabric.

As for the template itself, I want to show how I go about designing my quilts.  I use Microsoft Excel and just fill in the cells with the colors I want them to be.  Once the design is complete, I divide the size of the quilt by the number of squares in the row to see how big the squares need to be.  For this quilt, I want it to be 4 1/2 feet wide, or 54 inches.  So, I divide 54 by 24 and I get 2.25.  I add a half inch to account for the overlap from sewing the fabric together, and I know I need to cut 2.75 inch squares.  The length of the quilt will be 6 ft.

To determine the amount of each color of fabric, I first add up how many squares of each color I will need.  I then determine how many 2.75 inch squares I can expect to get out of a yard of fabric.  36 divided by 2.75 is 13.09, which I rounded down to 12 to account for cutting errors.  Most fabric widths are in the 40 to 44 inch range, so I then divide 40 by 2.75 just to be safe, and I get 14.  12 x 14 is 168, so I can expect to get 168 squares for each yard of fabric.

Finally, I divide the number of squares of each color by 168 to determine how much of each color to purchase.  As you can see from the picture above, I don't need very much of some of the colors, and luckily, I already have some white on hand from previous projects.

Phew, that's a lot of math.  I'm glad I wrote it out, though, so now I have a reference for if I forget how to do it in the future.  It really is easy, though, and the square patterns to design from Nintendo characters are practically endless.  Yay!  Plus, by using the method above, you can make the quilt any size you'd like.  I'll be sure to keep you posted on my progress.

Princess Zelda Quilt Templates

To put it lightly, Emilie is a big fan of princesses.  She knows all the Disney princesses, goes crazy whenever she sees Princess Peach, and likes to play Zelda on the DS.  When she started sleeping in her 'big girl' bed, she picked princess bed sheets; and we just put some Tangled wall clings up in her room.  So, I thought it would be fitting to make her a princess quilt for her bed.

Having success with with the square patterns from early Nintendo characters such as Mario and Link, I decided to check out what the princesses looked like.  I first looked up Princess Peach from Super Mario Bros.

Even though the squares are easily defined and not too small, I didn't like the looks of this Princess.  The other images of Princess Peach didn't really impress.  I then moved on to Princess Zelda to see if her 8-bit representation was any better.  I first checked the original Zelda design from The Legend of Zelda.

Although I thought this Princess Zelda looked better than Princess Peach, it still wasn't what I was looking for for Emilie's quilt.  So, I searched for other images of Zelda and found a couple that would translate well to the kind of quilt I want to make. 

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons

 

Four Swords series

These two iterations of Zelda are both from handheld Nintendo systems, so the images I was able to find were all very small.  They were also quite blurry when I magnified them, so find the block pattern was a bit difficult.

I couldn't decide which pattern to use for the quilt, and I had a grand plan to take it to a vote here on latent chestnut.  Then it hit me, it's Emilie's quilt, I should let her decide.  So, I called her over to the computer and asked her which princess she wanted on her quilt.  She decided on the Zelda from Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. 

I'm thinking about incorporating some new techniques with this quilt, as well.  I have found some flower patterns the I may put in the corners or around Zelda somehow.  Whatever I decide, I am definitely looking forward to me next quilting challenge.

Brotherly Love: The Luigi Quilt

Remember the stack of squares I showed you in May?  If not, I can't say that I blame you.  If so...thanks!  Well, what I didn't tell you at the time was that stack of squares was for both a Mario and a Luigi quilt.  I initially planned to keep the Mario quilt for myself and give the Luigi quilt as a Christmas present.  What I didn't know is that Ari would eventually claim the Mario quilt as his own, leaving me without the new quilt I was wanting.  He was so excited when it was finished and it looked so good in his room, I more than happy to let him use it.

I decided to keep the Luigi quilt for myself, and I ended up making the Link quilt to give as a Christmas present.  Even though I had all the squares cut for the Luigi quilt, I made the Link quilt and the Colts quilt first since I needed to have them finished before Christmas.  After those quilts were made, it took me some time to get motivated to finish Luigi.  Much to my surprise, once I finished the Luigi quilt Ari claimed it for himself, preferring to have it on his bed instead of Mario.  I gladly indulged the boy, and I ended up with my Mario quilt after all.  It's funny how things work out sometimes.

The Indianapolis Colts Quilt

1680 squares.  It was a daunting number when I finished the final planning for the quilt.  It was the only way I could get the Colts logo to look good by using squares, though.  I knew what I had to do, so I bought the fabric and started cutting the two inch squares.  Once all the squares were cut, the stacks of two inch squares were even more intimidating.  It wasn't difficult, just time consuming, but I got it done.

Another Christmas present, the Indianapolis Colts quilt is the most challenging quilt I have made to date.  It is the quilt I have learned the most from making as well.  Most important of all, I now have a better understanding of how the fabric behaves and responds when sewn together.  There were some times of frustration while making it; but now that it's done, I am really proud of it and happy to give it as a gift.

The reverse side of the quilt is Indianapolis Colts fabric (I should have taken a picture of it).  So it is in a sense, reversible.  I modified the design of the back slightly after I purchased the fabric, so I ended up with enough to make another quilt.  I'm sure I'll get around to it, I just don't know when I'll be ready to cut another 1680 squares.

The Legend of Zelda Link quilt

Why stop at Mario? There are so many other 8 bit Nintendo characters out there just waiting to be turned into a quilt!  Link, from The Legend of Zelda, is almost as iconic as Mario, and a perfect character to be made into a quilt.  I gave this quilt as a Christmas present, so I didn't do any progress posts in order to keep it a secret. 

These 8 bit character quilts are easy to design, though.  I just do a Google image search for the character I am looking for, then insert the picture into an Excel spreadsheet and color in the squares of the spreadsheet to match the pattern of the character.  From there it is simple to calculate the size of the squares to make the quilt as big or as little as you like. 

The Link quilt couldn't have turned out better, and I was delighted to give it as a gift.  Even though a small part of me wanted to keep it.  One can't have too many quilts, right??

Super Mario Quilt

The Super Mario quilt is complete!  I am so happy with the way it turned out, too.  I love the colors, plus having a life-size quilted Mario is pretty cool.  It didn't take me as long to complete it as I thought it would, and it wasn't nearly as tedious as I was anticipating by using smaller squares. 

Even more happy to have the quilt completed is Ari, who had been asking me when it would be finished since I bought the fabric.  The night I finished it, I took it up to his room and covered him with it so he would be surprised when he woke up.  He was pretty thrilled the next morning.  It fits on his bed nicely, too.

Hmmm...maybe I should make a Princess Peach quilt for Emilie...

Mario Head Start

I am half-way finished with the front of my Mario quilt; and Ari and Emilie would be happy if I stopped here.  I have to admit I have had the most fun making this quilt because I am able to see Mario come together with each square. Stay tuned...

Mario Quilt Design

I've come up with a design for my 8-bit Mario quilt. I'm very excited about making it.

I basically just took the image of Mario from the title screen of 'Super Mario Bros.' and zoomed in on it. I moved the green hill over a little bit because I wanted to some blue sky behind Mario in the quilt.

I'm still debating whether or not to go with an all blue background so Mario would stand out more. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. When it's done it should measure about about 6 feet by 4.5 feet. Now to buy the materials. Onward and upward!

Time for a Mario quilt?

I've been fighting the desire to make another quilt for myself, but I think now is the time to get started. Inspiration calls, and who am I not to listen? Don't get me wrong, I still love my R.E.M. quilt, I just want to make another. I would like to make a smaller quilt this time since my R.E.M. quilt is the size of a queen bed comforter. Inspiration struck when I was looking for ideas for Ari's Mario bedroom. I stumbled upon this pattern:

Ah-ha! A Mario quilt! How cool. I looked at Google images to see what other people have done, and there were quite a few Mario quilts out there. This has been in the back of my mind for some time and I am ready to get the ball rolling on it.

With Super Mario Bros. for the NES being an 8 bit video game, all the images are made with the combination of distinguishable different colored squares. Since quilting is basically cutting squares of fabric and sewing them together, I can use game images as a reference to do any design that I want. All I have to do is sew the different colored squares together to get the image that I am looking for. Easy, right?

I am still thinking about the different designs I can do, and narrowing them down will be a challenge. I don't know if I want to do one big Mario, or incorporate other characters or objects. The sky is the limit, it just depends on how many squares I want to cut. When looking for ideas, I came across this cross-stitch pattern:


As you can see, this design is just made up of little squares as well, so I could make it into a quilt. I really liked this design until I got to counting all the squares I would need. I did some math and found that I would need to cut 30,000 individual squares to complete the front of the quilt. A little bit more than I was bargaining for. Plus, it would be 200 squares wide, and 150 squares
tall. So, even if I cut 1/2 inch squares, it would still be as big as my R.E.M. quilt. In other words, not gonna happen.

So, my search continues for a pattern, and I'll most likely come up with one on my own. I'm looking forward to this new endeavor, though, and will post updates as my new project continues.

A Quilt for Emilie

Before I started work on my R.E.M. quilt, my original plan was to make quilts for Ari & Emilie. The R.E.M. quilt was just going to be something to get me started so I would know what I was doing and not mess up the quilts I wanted to make for my kids. I learned a lot from making my first quilt and did a few things differently this time around. The R.E.M. quilt turned out better than I expected, so that gave me a lot of confidence and excitement toward making more.


Emilie's quilt is now complete and I must say it was much easier making a quilt without using t-shirts. I used the same basic concept as my first quilt by essentially just cutting squares and sewing them together. I then made a solid colored backing and tied the quilt layers together. It came out beautifully! I think it is just the right size for her.
I was able to get it done rather quickly and she absolutely loves it. She already knows that I made it for her, and I hope it becomes special to her as she grows up.
I am planning on making Ari's quilt out of his Mario shirts when he outgrows them. Yes, he has that many! But I don't get a break. We have already bought the fabric for me to make a quilt for Valerie. Stay tuned...

The R.E.M. Quilt

My quilt is finished and functional! No longer are my old R.E.M. shirts destined for a life of darkness and squalor in my bedroom closet. No! They have been given new life, a breath of fresh air and a chance to be apart of something so much bigger; united as one. Their destiny has been fulfilled and they will live on to be enjoyed by all who snuggle in their warm embrace.

Well, maybe I shouldn't be so dramatic...

I am happy though, a project that started in January after being conceived the month prior is finally finished. With the invaluable help of Eva and Katie, my dream was realized, and I truly couldn't have done it without them for so many reasons. Thank you Eva and Katie for all you have done for me!

I ended up tying the quilt layers together which proved to be quite time consuming. I'm sure I did more than a few things to make the traditional quilter cringe, but I got it done nonetheless. I ended up using two colors of embroidery thread to make the ties because I couldn't decide which one to use. That decision alone caused me many more hours of work.

Here is a peak at the back of my quilt to show the ties:


Pictures I took of the quilt didn't look a whole lot different from my last post showing the completed front, so I took a picture of it folded to show it is quite a bit thicker with the three layers.
I am also glad to report that is fits perfectly on our queen bed.
Looks pretty good, huh?

I absolutely love my quilt and I am so glad I decided to do it. It was so nerve racking cutting that first shirt, but the payoff was more than worth it. The memories ingrained in those shirts and in making this quilt are priceless and I will cherish them forever.

Please click the 'r.e.m. quilt' label in order to see the different stages of the quilt.

Back in action

I've gone solo on my quilting project since Eva has been in France longer than she first anticipated. On Memorial Day, Katie and I got to talking about quilting and she offered me a sewing machine to use at my house so I could finish it. I politely declined because I wanted to wait for Eva to come back. I enjoyed our Thursday night quilting get-togethers as much as I liked the quilting itself, so I wanted to finish it with her. When Eva told me she had found a job in France, I decided I could not wait any more and asked Katie if the offer for the sewing machine was still on the table.

In my heart, I still wanted to wait for Eva to return, but I kept seeing my half-made quilt neatly folded in a bag in the den. It was just eating away at me; I had to complete it. I could not let it turn into a project that I would never finish and I just didn't know when Eva would be back. Katie brought the sewing machine to my house and gave me a refresher course on how to operate it. I was surprised how much I had forgotten since I last used it. Katie told me it was Eva's sewing machine I was using, and that Eva said if would be fine if I borrowed it. I tell ya, a guy couldn't ask for better cousins. You two are the best!

I have since completed the front and back of my quilt. It is almost finished! I have also had to fill the bobbin and rethread the machine a couple of times; something Eva always did for me. So I'm pleased that I'm getting more comfortable with the machine, too. I bought the batting last weekend, so all that is left is to sew all the pieces together and tie the quilt. These last few steps are making me quite nervous because I've come too far to mess up it all up now. I want to complete it all in one sitting because I don't want the batting to get discombobulated inside the quilt. I know that fear is probably irrational, but it would make me feel better to get it all done at once. I plan on sitting down and knocking it out this weekend, so stay tuned for an update on my completed quilt!

The beat goes on

Here is the progress I have made on my quilt so far. With Eva away, I am going to have to go it alone for awhile. I have sewn together the four columns of t-shirt material and now I am ready to cut the long strips I will need to sew the columns together. For some reason, this new challenge seems daunting. I keep looking at the fabric I am using to sew the shirts together and I don't know how I am going to cut such long even strips. I am sure I will find a solution though. I just need to do it. Anybody have any advice for this quilting novice?

And so it begins...

I recently became inspired to start quilting. My dad still has a quilt his grandmother made him when he was young. The back side is made entirely from his old blue jeans. It is a wonderful quilt and he cherishes it. The memories that must exist within the fabric and the love and care that went into making the quilt are evident every time he wraps himself up in it's warm embrace. So, I thought that I must have a quilt of my very own!

I decided to make my quilt out of my old R.E.M. shirts. I have many memories of those shirts, and I wore most of them quite often; especially when I was around 16. I can remember where I bought most of them, which one's were given to me as gifts and by whom.

Alas, over the years, I have outgrown all but two of the shirts. They sat, neatly folded, on my closet shelf for about 10 years, only to be disturbed a couple of times so my wife could were them as maternity shirts. I wanted to give them a new life, so that they could be loved again.

I developed a pattern the size of a queen size comforter by laying out the shirts so they would all fit. After I had the layout, it was time to cut the fabric. The hardest part was that first cut. It seemed wrong to cut all of my shirts, but I knew it was for a greater good. Now, I have all the blocks cut out, and I have now started sewing the blocks together. I will give more updates and pictures as I make more progress.

I am not doing all this alone, I have had a great deal of help from Eva and Katie; I really couldn't have gotten this far without them. Katie has quilting experience and I like to bounce my ideas off of them. So far, they haven't steered me wrong. We get together every week and work on our quilts and other creative projects. It's really a lot of fun, and I know these wonderful memories will last forever within my quilt.