I'm having fun making these mini activity quilts from this adorable Camp Woodland pillow panel.
See the previous post.
Step 1) Install a zipper. I sewed a piece of fusible interfacing (glue side up) a bit larger than the size of the tent to the front of the quilt, using this exposed zipper technique. I drew out and stitched a long rectangle the size I needed - shorter than the length of the zipper, about 4" long, and wide enough to accommodate the teeth of the zipper, about 1/2" wide. Next, I made a long slice through the stitched rectangle and clipped to the corners so I could turn the seams to the inside. Then I trimmed the interfacing so it was at least 1/4" larger than the printed tent, and pressed the interfacing to the back of the panel, making a nice, finished hole for the zipper to peek through. If I do this again, I may use regular cotton fabric instead of the interfacing. We'll see how it holds up.
Next, I centered the zipper, glued it into place, then top-stitched. I positioned another piece of fabric large enough to cover the tent and stitched all three layers together, outlining the tent. A quick pocket that zips!
Step 2) Draw a marble maze. Had to take into account the critters playing around the fire, and the width of the channels for the marble to go through. Let's just call the maze on the right side "The Narrows", haha!
Step 3) Add chenille strips for texture. I folded a 10-inch square of fabric diagonally in half with wrong sides together. After pressing the fold, I stitched lines 1/2-inch apart parallel to the fold. I used a rotary cutter and ruler to cut halfway between all the lines to make chenille strips. See the full tutorial HERE. Then I glued the strips to the trees on the panel, and it was ready to quilt!
Before I quilted the panel, I slipped in a little strip of a crinkly-sounding candy bag beneath the fire so it will "crackle". Then I quilted a little outline-stitching around the stars, trees, tent, critters, and lettering, plus some freemotion stars and swirls in the background. I "Appli-Quilted" the chenille strips in place, stitching each strip on the same stitching lines, and backstitching at the beginning and end of each strip. Lastly, I slipped a marble in between the panel and the batting, then basted the channel closed.
When the quilting was finished, I spritzed the chenille strips with a little water and used a stiff-bristled brush to fluff it (say that fast three times... "spritz the strips with a stiff-bristle brush...") I will say, it worked better than expected, as I used a printed fabric instead of solid for the strips. I think it gives a cute texture to the trees.
Before adding the machine-binding, I basted some trim at the top edge, glued a couple of small prairie points to show the beginning and end of the marble maze, then made a pocket and handle to attach to the back of the quilt. See the example in the previous post.
Add Velcro to the bottom of the pocket and fold up the quilt to determine where to sew the other half of the hook and loop tape. Stitch through all the layers. Remember the purpose of this quilt - no kid is going to care where extra stitching lines show up on the front of the quilt.
Let the Adventures begin!
Can you think of other activities for this panel? Let us know what you think!
That’s really cute. How about a sun that reverses to a moon?
ReplyDeleteExcellent idea! Thank you!
DeleteWhat a lovely panel! Thanks for the chenille tutorial.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely brilliant! So many super ideas!! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete