Wednesday 11 January 2012

An Almost-Quilt

While sorting out a stash of random crafty bits and bobs that have lived in a suitcase under the spare bed for many years, I found a project so old that I'd almost entirely forgotten about it: a half-finished quilt!


I started making this quilt when I first started University about 10 years ago, using whatever cheap fabric I could get my hands on at the time and not really having a clue what I was doing - just cutting up bits of fabric and sewing them together rather haphazardly.

(During my student days I also knitted scarves, started a literary society, formed a baking club in my student hall, and hosted colouring-in sessions & Trivial Pursuit parties. Such wild times! Haha.)


The quilt top is about three-quarters finished (all hand stitched!), but there's still a huge amount of work still left to do.

Plus the fabrics are likely all different fibre blends and some pre-washed and some not (which is probably a disaster waiting to happen) and - perhaps most importantly - I think it's rather hideous so I've not got a huge amount of incentive to finish it.



But the thought of (gasp) just throwing it away makes me shudder, so finished it must be.

I'm thinking perhaps about making it slightly smaller than originally planned (abandoning those un-sewn squares) and maybe using a grass-stain friendly fabric for the backing so I could use it as a picnic blanket??

I've got so many other works-in-progress on the go at the moment that I won't be getting to this one any time soon, but it would be nice to come up with a plan so that I can get stitching when I do have time for it, and not end up with it still stashed in a box somewhere in another 10 years time!

11 comments:

C said...

I've made two of the ugliest quilts ever and I love them to death. One of them even has pride of place on my couch. I think whatever you end up doing with it, it'll be lovely. The picnic blanket idea sounds like a winner to me.

Unknown said...

oh i love it! it's amazing to find something like that forgotten! :d can't wait to see you finish it! it already looks amazing - the fabrics maybe are alldifferent but together they really look amazing! :D keeping my fingers crossed for you to finish it in the nearest future :D

Jopsy said...

Colouring club!! I so wish I was at Uni with you ;) I bet the Ugly Quilt will be a beautiful swan x

Ellieboo said...

Ha ha - it looks like we were doing the exact same thing 10 years ago/

http://ellieboo296.blogspot.com/2012/01/longest-project-ever.html

KathyH said...

I love quilts like this. I made 3 of them many many many (you get the idea) years ago. My scraps were from all of my clothing projects starting with the very first dress I made in 4H. It went to college with me and is still on my bed. Everytime I look at it I'm reminded of my projects. I plan on starting one this year using flannel leftover from the pjs I make for my son and daughter every year - almost 15 years worth of scrap flannel!

Unknown said...

Oh! I think it's LOVELY! The random mismatched fabrics make it look authentic, and true to the roots of patchwork quilts.

You could add some borders around the pieces you already have made up to make the quilt bigger, quicker to finish and more cohesive as a whole.

I'd love to see it finished. It has character and charm. :)

Beth said...

I've got a quilt project that I've been planning for nearly 15 years. The plan has changed several times since then, but I have been able to amass quite a stash of fabric.
I did cut out some fabric about 12 years ago, but the plan has changed a lot since then.
I was going to work on it during my summer holidays, but I've had several other things to do and it hasn't happened yet.

Made in Suisse said...

ha ha, I wish I'd known you at university, we would have had some pretty wild times together! Aren't quilts just lovely sewing projects?!

Queen of the Tea Cosies said...

Sometimes in the innocence of ignorance the most beautiful creations come.
I LERVE this.

Highland Monkey's said...

I think your quilt is brill. Once it has the backing on and quilting done you will fall in love with it!

Bugs and Fishes said...

Thanks for all the comments everyone, I really appreciate your input on this! I'm also glad it's not just me who wasn't the world's wildest student... or who has had quilts "in progress" for many many years!

After thinking about it for a while (with the quilt pieces on a shelf where I could keep looking at it) I'm feeling more positive about salvaging this project and turning it into something useable. It definitely has some ugly duckling charm about it and although I don't think it will ever be a swan it will be a nice memento of all those crafty times when I was a student :)