Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Giant Polka Dot Quilt


This quilt was a lot of fun to put together.  It's always awesome to sew a quilt for someone when you KNOW they are going to be super excited for it...and this was one of those quilts.  (Disclaimer: Quilt Sandwich Fabrics is one of my awesome sponsors, and they provided the backing fabric as part of their sponsorship fee.  However, I was not compensated for writing this post and all opinions are 100% my own.)

I've had the fabric for quite a while, and finally decided that Christmas was going to be my deadline to get it done.

YEARS ago...over 7 to be exact...my sister Kendra had a baby girl named Abbi who spit up a LOT.  So I went to Joanns and bought a couple yards of pink multi-colored polka dot flannel on clearance and sewed up a bajillion of these burp clothes (yes, that's a link to my very first blog post...a tutorial for how to make them.)  Okay, I think I made more like 20 of them, but they were all the same and Abbi nearly always had one with her, because she spit up so much.  Then she became attached to them as a comfort item, because they were always with her, and they became dubbed "Polka Blankies."



Over the years, Abbi has fallen in love with all thinks Polka Dots.  (You might remember her Polka Dot Cake we made her here.)  Out of the original 20 or so "polka blankies" there is only one left, and now that Abbi is getting so big, I decided it was time for her to have a "Big Girl Polka Blankie."  I told her months ago that I was planning to make one, so she's been waiting for it for quite a while.


One Christmas Eve when she heard there was a present from me under the tree, I'm told she hurried over to look at it and then put it back disappointed...because her package was hard, and if it was a new polka blankie, she expected it to be soft.

Well, we sure surprised her.  (And I suspect, she'll always remember that soft things can be hidden in hard packages.

I didn't take enough pictures for a full tutorial, but here's a quick run down of what I did.  I used one big piece of background fabric...in this case I used Kona Cotton.  (Sorry I didn't make note of the exact color!)  I prewashed the fabric.  Then I laid it out on my living room floor and pulled a bunch of mixing bowls and plates out of my cupboard.  I tried to get a good mix of sizes, without using any circles that were too small.

Then I cut the circles out of Heat'n Bond Lite using my rotary cutter.

I ironed them onto the back of a mix of solids, mostly Kona Cotton, that I had on hand.  Then I ironed them onto my background fabric and did a tight zigzag stitch around all the edges.

When I quilted it, I started by going around all the polka dots, but it didn't seem like quite enough, so I also quilted in some empty polka dots, and I really like how the finished quilt came out.

The back is Home to Roost Big Dots in Pink from Quilt Sandwich Fabrics.  (They also have it in cream and both are currently on sale for $3.50 for a half-yard.)  This was the closest that I could find to the original fabric in the Polka Blankies.  And I love how the quilted circles show on the back.

If you're looking for polka dots, Quilt Sandwich Fabrics have a lot of fun fabric with large polka dots (and small ones too.)
Clockwise from Top:  Hoopla Pink and Red Dots, Vintage Polka Dot in Blue and Grey,  Home to Roost Big Dots in Cream, Large Dots in Aqua and Red, Home to Roost Big Dots in Pink, French Bull Multi Dot.

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Create You Own Fat Quarter Bundle - Sisters and Quilters
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Kaffe Fassett Flame Stripe in Yellow - Quilt Sandwich Fabrics
Smitten Scattered Hearts in Pink - Quilt Sandwich Fabrics


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14 comments:

  1. What a super fun quilt! I love your style. You're going to turn me into a quilter yet!

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  2. It's so bright and cheery! The look on her face says it all. You are a real inspiration, Polly!

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  3. Polly, I love this quilt! And I love how it matches her little polka blankies. Simple fun quilts like this I think have such a great visual impact, too. Her reaction is great, I love how happy kids are for a special gift like that.
    I hope that you are staying warm out there this week!

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  4. Just saw Abbi last weekend - she LOVES her big polka-blankie! You are an awesome auntie. Love the circle quilting.

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  5. Love this! So sweet and fast to put together. And could be done with squares or triangles or about any fun shapes. It's on my bucket list:~)

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  6. What a great Auntie! I absolutely love it!

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  7. So sweet! I suspect she will always be a polka dot girl...especially now that her awesome aunt made her a blanket she can use and grow with! Great finish!

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  8. I love the photo of her big smile with her new blanket.
    It's such a fun design.

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  9. Adorable quilt! Love the giant polka dots! Sweet girls! Thanks for sharing tutorial!
    Hope you have a wonderful week!
    Hugs from Portugal,

    Ana Love Craft
    www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com

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  10. Very cute! Just pinned it!
    Melissa
    www.lovebugliving.com

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  11. I love your quilt! You did a fabulous job. Thank you for sharing on Create Link Inspire and I have featured you! I would love for you to stop by and grab a feature button. Thanks for sharing your talents. http://www.thecraftyblogstalker.com/2014/02/create-link-inspire-featuring-you.html

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