The YW quilt project

 

 Twice a week I get the chance to be able to get together with a group of teenage girls from the ages 12-18.  We talk about church stuff, work on projects, and have tons of fun.  I have been "called" to do this for my church.  I love being able to spend time with them.
   When I started my calling I wanted to do something special for the girls.  I decided that I would make all of them a quilt.  My goal was to make something special that would let each girl know that they are special and that I was thinking of them.
    I put all 26 young women's names on my white board and I thought I would start with the oldest and make my way down the list.  It didn't quite work like that.  As I would start a new quilt I would instantly have a young women's name pop into my head.  Even though she wasn't on the top of the list, I would start to make her quilt.
    On one particular quilt, I had just finished piecing the top and was about to be done for the day.  I had the strongest feeling that I needed to finish the quilt quickly and take it to the young women.  It was a lot of work, but I quickly finished the quilt and delivered it.  The young women's mom answered the door, and whispered to me that it hadn't been a good day.  She told me her daughter might not want to see me, but she said she would ask.  The young women came to the door with puffy swollen eyes, and I could tell she had been crying.  I gave her the quilt, told her I loved her, and left.
    Late that night I got a text from the young women telling me about her bad day at school, and how she felt like no one cared about her.  She said that getting the quilt had made her realize she had so many people that love her and care for her.
    It has been such an amazing experience for me to be able to make quilts for the young women in my church.  I have learned a lot about them and have been able to feel more love for them as I make them a quilt.
    Quilters are givers.  It is in our nature to make something beautiful with our talents and give it to others.  Sometimes we give to people we love, and sometimes to a stranger.  What do you do to let others know you care?

 

Skateboard quilt

   We love Missouri Star Quilt Company!!  They always have such great quilt tutorials that are fun to watch and easy to do.  

    One of their tutorials recently was a skateboard quilt that they made with guest, Rob from Man Sewing.  Let me tell you...Rob is a blast to watch!  He has quickly become part of our "must watch" for his fun style and quick tips.

     Penney followed the tutorial for this quilt, but she found a neat way to make the wheels.  Instead of lots of cutting and sewing on small pieces of fabric, she used a black and white stripe fabric from Ikea.  How clever!!

  The other fun touch that Penney used on this quilt was to embroider the little dude's name on the quilt.  That is a personal touch that any people love to see on a special gift.

Hope you enjoy this skateboard quilt.

💗 Mama Bear 

How much does it cost?

"How much does it cost to make a quilt?"

     I answer this question a lot, and guess what?  I still have a hard time answering it.  How much a quilt costs depends on so many things.  But I thought I would have a go at explaining it a bit.  

     Let's start out with a recent customer that wanted a quilt.  We will call her Jill.  Jill is not a quilter but she would like a quilt for her daughter's bed.

      She wants an easy four patch quilt like this one-

So...how much is it going to cost?

Let's break it down together!

First there is the actual fabric for the top. It will take around 20 fat quarters and one honey bun.  My favorite shop online Missouri Star Quilt Company.  On their website this is how much 20 fat quarters and a honey bun are-

We are also going to need batting and backing fabric.  The backing fabric is from Missouri Star Quilt Company and the batting is from Joann's.-

Now we have all of the material to make a quilt.  Just for the material is has cost

$112.85

Next comes labor cost-  I charge $10 an hour for labor cost.  It can take 8-12 hours to make a quilt like this from start to finish.  Let's say it takes 12 hours.  The cost for labor would be $120

For materials and labor it would cost $232.85

You can see how all of these prices can change depending on the size of the quilt, the pattern that is used, and how much time it takes to finish the project.

So if you are wondering "how much is a quilt going to cost?" Get in contact with me and we can work it out together!!

Fabric choice

When I am making custom quilts for customers, sometimes they buy the material and bring it to me, but often times I am buying the material for them.

I often get asked, "Does it matter if I buy material at a discount store or a quilt shop?"

I quilt will both types of fabrics.  I think the most important thing is that you are making something you love!  If that means discount material then go for it.  BUT... You get what you pay for.

Just like most things, the higher costing material is better quality.  I make sure to either buy from my local quilt shop (I live in Utah and I ADORE Elaine's Quilt Shop), or a reputable online store.

The better quality will wash nicer, keep their color color better, and last longer.  

I know some quilters stick to 100% cotton only for their quilts, but I have found lots of different materials that are fantastic for quilting. 

 

So, figure out what type of quilt you want to make, who it is for, and how much you want to spend on materials.  Then get out there and start a project!!

One of my clients found this fun fabric at a discount shop.  It was exactly what she wanted for a quilt for a brother-in-law.

I bought this material from an Etsy shop called FabricCadabra.  The line is from Cotton+Steel.  My client wanted to make sure that she had the best quality material for a special bed set for her daughter.

Square in a square

I adore this pattern, and Missouri Star Quilt Company has made a tutorial on it.  It works up really cute, and fast.

This fabric line is Cotton+Steel

Hard to find fabric

Have you ever bought a fabric, and then gone back to get some more and have it gone?

I often will buy fabric and not get around to using it for........awhile. Then when I do use it I often  need more.  What to do???

Here are some ways that I find that very hard to find fabric:

1-Keep the selvage!!  The selvage has information about the maker and sometimes the fabric line.  It will help you track it down.

2-Etsy is a great source for hard to find fabrics.  Lots of small business owners that have just the fabric you need.  It might be hard to find, but keep looking.

3- take a picture and put it on your social media page and ask you friends/ followers.  I have found some very nice people that are willing to part with some of their fabric stash.  

So, tell me...how do you track down fabric?

This is a fabric line that my Mom made her grandson a snuggle quilt.  He moved into a full size bed wanted the same material as his snuggle quilt.  Even though it was out of print, she was able to find some layer cakes on Etsy.

Baby quilts