Mismatched Pieces

This week’s project was a compilation of tasks related to Zoe’s quilt I started last week: make two matching pillows, embroider a square for the quilt, and finish assembling the quilt.

After the front of the quilt was put together, we had a noticeably jagged end. I didn’t want to cut it and make it shorter, so I decided I wanted to add a few squares to even it out. I figured my embroidered square would go nicely as the new corner next to the square with the butterfly.

Since we ran out of some of the different patterns of baby blankets we used to make the quilt, Zoe and I gathered the remaining squares to see what types of patterns we could make. Eventually, we came up with two different checkered patterns and a different colored backing for each pillow – one purple and one teal – to match the colors on the checkered backing of the quilt. Well, not exactly matching, but definitely corresponding. We topped them off with a heart cut from the last two white squares (traced with my heart-shaped cookie-cutter), and sewn on the center (ish) of the pillows. Sewing together the thirty-two squares for the pillows went significantly faster than the 216 squares for the blanket. I would say my sewing skills have also improved.

Next, I wanted to get started on the embroidery. I’ve never embroidered anything before, so – you guessed it – I turned to Google and learned the four basic embroidery stitches. Easy enough. Luckily, I decided to practice those stitches on spare scraps of fabric to see which stitch I liked the best. I wanted to embroider something simple, like “To Zoe, Love Mom xoxoxo” but the simplest way I could figure out to do that was to write on the fabric in washable ink. As it turns out, I can’t write cursive in a straight line in the same size on fabric. I was tempted to print something in MS Word and somehow transfer that to the fabric, but I ran out of time. Plus, I didn’t like how my embroidery was turning out, so I wanted more time to practice.

I switched back to the pillows and knew I had to sew the white hearts on the center of the pillows before sewing the pillows together. I didn’t want the stitch to look like a seam, so I thought it would look best with a tight whip-stitch (yes, I had to google what that stitch was actually called) …evidently, I need more practice making whip-stitches because the ones I made are far from perfect; however, I don’t think the hearts are coming off any time soon.

Finally, I was ready to sew the two sides together…or so I thought. After googling yet more videos, I learned that when you use an edging such as the kind I had bought (double folded bias tape), you are supposed to sew the back side of the tape to the backing material first, then sew the front of the tape to the front of your project AND through the back. It seemed like an extra step to me, but I figured there was a reason, so I followed the directions as best I could. But first, I had to pin the edging to the backing of my pillows. Did I mention I’m not a fan of prep work?

I quickly figured out that the reason you are supposed to sew the tape on first to the back before sewing it all together is most likely to make sure you get a solid attachment with your stitches because when I finally put four layers through my sewing machine (front, back, and both sides of the bias tape), my machine needed a little extra push to keep moving forward without getting stuck on the same spot. By the way, I have no idea why they call it “tape” because there is nothing sticky about it. Also, while I had bought purple embroidery thread which matched the color of my bias tape, I failed to buy the matching color on a spool; hence, I had to use white thread to sew on my bias tape.

I sewed most of the edges of the first pillow together but stopped when I had about four inches left. I figured that would be large enough to shove several handfuls of stuffing into the pillow while it was still attached to the sewing machine because, quite frankly, whenever I had to stop and start, the stitches definitely showed all inconsistencies. The last few inches of the pillow were a little awkward since the rest of the pillow was stuffed, so I sewed it by hand…let’s just say you can definitely tell a difference between the machine stitches and my stitches. But I eventually got it finished.

Oh, wait. Then I had to do the other pillow. I repeated the whole pinning-taping-sewing, pinning-taping-sewing process on just three sides of the next pillow before I shoved in roughly the same amount of stuffing as I had for the first. I figured I’d sew the final side all by machine since it comes out nicer than my hand-stitches, plus it was a larger area which would go faster by machine. Note to self: the whole pillow is harder to sew together once you put in the stuffing, despite my pinning attempts. Oh, well. You don’t know what you don’t know until you learn, right?

I decided to call it a day and, while I still haven’t done the embroidery or put my quilt together, I am quite proud of my two wonky pillows. Plus, Zoe loves them. Meanwhile, once I finally get the guts to embroider and attach the final square of the quilt AND sandwich it together with batting and backing (I’m certain I will be praying the whole time that my sewing machine doesn’t break), I will upload pictures then…hopefully it won’t take another ten years.