October 20, 2015

Custom Twin Checkerboard Quilt {Finished!}

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This quilt is made from the shirts of my customer's husband who passed away. This is the first of two identical twin memory quilts.  It turned out so snuggly!


Cutting shirts into usable fabric takes quite a bit of time, and I was so thankful for my Accuquilt GO! which made cutting perfect strips a breeze after I had disassembled the shirts.  I bought the 2" finished strip die specifically for this project and will be using it on a regular basis.  It may become my favorite die!  Those perfect strips are fantastic, especially after recently working with some jelly rolls that were not exactly 2.5" wide.


Quilt Stats:
  • Pattern:  Checkerboard using 16-patches made from 2.5" strips.
  • Fabric:  Mens shirts and Kona Snow
  • Size:  66" x 90", generous twin
  • Batting:  100% cotton
  • Quilting:  Allover medium meandering stitch on Mrs.Singer, my antique 31-15 mounted on a long-arm quilting frame.
  • Binding:  Vintage Travel Blue Crackle Texture by Deborah Edwards for Northcott Fabrics
  • Backing:  Vintage Travel Cream Advertisements by Deborah Edwards for Northcott Fabrics
  • Value:  Warm memories!
This quilt is a custom order.  I will be making another twin identical to it but will be using either 9- or 25-patches rather than 16-patches because the seams should nest together better than with 16-patches.  I am leaning toward 25-patches because more sewing is done at the strip stage {my preference} than at the block piecing stage.  The difference in 9 vs. 16 vs. 25 is that using odd-numbered patches requires two different blocks, and even-numbered patches use only one identical block.  Alternating two different blocks means seams can nest together when all of the seams are pressed in a certain way.  It all comes down to whether I remember which way to press the seams.  I'm using this tutorial at Red Pepper Quilts for guidance.

ETA:  Oh, humbug, in reading this post, it appears that seams will nest on a 16-patch if I press them right!  Quilt more, learn more!

It's true - Spend more time sewing and less time cutting with an Accuquilt!

Cut Faster - Sew More!
Linking to:
Let's Bee SocialNeedle & Thread ThursdayFinish It Up FridayWIPs Be GoneCan I Get a Whoop Whoop?!?TGIFFLink a Finish FridayFabric Frenzy FridayCreative GoodnessMOP MondaysWhoomp There It Is ♥ 

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13 comments :

Shannon said...

I love the backing on there! Great job Myra, this is a very nice quilt!

Kat said...

Looks lovely! I'm sure your customer will be thrilled.

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

It looks awesome! You did a fabulous job.

Jasmine said...

Congrats on getting this finished! It looks great.

Sandra Walker said...

Disassembling...not my favourite thing to do, but wow, glad you did do this for your customer, as this quilt is awesome, and contains SUCH memories and I can almost feel the cuddliness through the computer screen!

Heidi said...

Beautiful! Classic square patchwork, this pattern is a fave, especially in checkboard,

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful memory quilt. Your customer will be very pleased.

Julie Bagamary said...

Impressive!

Jenn @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge said...

Have you considered using the piecing technique that uses gridded fusible web? It might help with all those little squares... I've seen it used for pixel quilts and for postage stamp quilts. Thanks for linking up with TGIFF!

Dresses and Spurs said...

Great job!

Unknown said...

great finish. I love these classic patterns -so scrao friendly!

Zenia Rene said...

Looking good. 👌 I've used the Accuquilt Go! And 'tis verra handy. I'll have to remember to check out that tutorial whenever I plan to do a patch quilt. I'm visiting from Let's Bee Social. 😏

AlidaP said...

Beautiful quilt! I had issues with jelly rolls not being 2.5 inch too... so annoying especially because I buy them to have precise piecing without my wonky cutting! Thanks for sharing you beautiful work!!