Thursday, December 27, 2018

All is Well That Ends Well

You may be wondering what ever happened with that elephant project (not really a quilt, just a blankie)  I was working on.  Here is the cutie patootey that it was made for.  This is Bailey Mae and her mama is an elephant lover.  She loved it! (thank goodness)  That is all that matters.  I'm so grateful because that blankie gave me fits!!  So many things went wrong.  I definitely learned a lot making this blanket.  But mostly that I should stick with quilts.  ;)

Here is what it looked like before I added the back on . . .
So far, so good, right?  Instead of a quilt, my plan was to just add on a plush back to the front with no batting so it would be light enough for a toddler to carry around with them.  Things went down hill from there.   Somehow, I did not get the front and the back lined up together and they were different sizes.  Which caused a multitude of problems.  Unfortunately, I didn't notice this until AFTER I had sewed a decorative stitch around the entire border.   I'm showing you the one little section that looks good because I'm totally embarrassed about the rest.  As you can see, it would have taken me a lifetime to pick out this border stitching to redo the back so I had to just leave it on, wrong size back and all.  (sigh)

Wouldn't you rather see more pictures of the Bailey Mae?  She was 5 lbs and 13 oz at birth.  
She was rarin' to get into this world and came quite early!


Ok, back to the sad story.   The other mistake I made (and I knew better) was that I forgot it's never a good idea to mix different fabric types on the top.  I used both flannel and cotton on the top.  
Here is how it looks after quilting and washing it.  Lots of unwanted creases and tucks.


 The edges tended to fold over the area where the decorative stitching was used.  I forgot you need stabilizer when you're doing that kind of stitching.  I quilted the gray area and that's all.  I left the elephants unquilted (I didn't have the heart to  quilt any more after I saw the mess I had made), just satin stitched around them with hot pink thread.  I was so disappointed in how that turned out, I told Bailey Mae's grandma that I would make her another one.  And I will!  But this time it's going to be a real quilt.  I'm no good at blankies.

One last picture of cutie pie and thus endeth the saga of the elephant blankie.  
Sweet dreams Bailey Mae!



14 comments:

  1. sometimes we just stick with what we know how to do!! Overall though I don't think it looks bad - you notice because you made it - bet they love it and such a cute baby

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  2. We are all our own worst critics I think. You made mistakes, it happens to us all, only you are such an honest soul you tell it warts and all. Well done for being so honest, I applaud you for that. The baby is so cute, and you know it’s not the perfect quilts that are the most loved, because it isn’t perfect she will get to drag it through the mud on all her baby adventures, after all, it’s not the perfect quilt. She will wrap her dollies up in it and use it to wrap up the kitties and puppies too, after all it’s not the best quilt. And after all her adventures this will be the quilt she want to snuggle into when she is poorly and the one she will never want to part with, after all, this will be the quilt that will hold all her memories. It may not be the perfect quilt, but it may well be the most loved.

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  3. Sorry to hear it didn't work out as planned. But it's cute. As is that little face. Good luck with the quilt.

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  4. That is such a sweet project. Good for you for finishing it and gifting it. That baby can drag it around and enjoy it. My favorite blanket was all about texture. I'm sure she will love it, even if the quilt police might turn up their noses.

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  5. You are too hard on yourself. It looks amazing and Bailey is a cutie and will love her new blanket I amsure! Janice

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  6. I was sorry to read you had such fits with this quilt. But what a learning experience, eh! That is one precious little bundle of joy, oh my goodness! Enjoy the heck out of her, and just forget about that blanket. Big smiles for you!

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  7. Aw, what a sweet baby! Don't worry too much about a few little glitches in your blankie, I'm sure they love love love it! Perfect colors, perfect theme, and filled with love and good wishes :)

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  8. The blanket was made with love and it is very cute! I have a feeling that it will be one of the little baby's favorite.

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  9. What a sweet baby! The blankie will be loved and washed and will eventually fall apart and it won't matter. By then you could make a quilt for the baby's first bed, using the same design, and she will feel like she has had the quilt her whole life.

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  10. Oh my dear! Be gentle with yourself! Your blankie looks so soft, quilty, and cuddly! Made we want to jump in with Baby and cuddle with her!

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  11. Oh I bet you get lots of little Bailey Mae cuddles in and don't worry...after a little use and more washes your crinkles won't even show. LOVE the decorative border....I like to do those on receiving blankets.

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  12. when hubby bought me a new sewing machine, years ago, in the book it showed the heart that you used, but my machine did not have that option. SO bummed! Love it in spite of the fact there are mistakes. Life is full of them. they are OK.

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  13. It looks very snuggly, mismatches and all. It will probably still get drug all over the place. Have a very happy New Year!

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  14. It is SUCH a disappointment when we work do hard on something and it doesn't work out the way we hoped. I am sorry you experienced this. BUT, the elephants are absolutely adorable. When baby's dragged this around and spit up on it a time or two, no one will remember that the edges curled under. I think it is such a sweet pattern. What a special gift. I did have one thought - if you really hate how the edge looks, could you take it home, steam the whole perimeter and then cut off the decorative stitching? Then block it and bind it traditionally? Just a thought. I think I would probably just leave it be but I wanted to suggest it.

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