I recently flew home to New Zealand for a long weekend of child-free relaxation. There were brunches, there was a massage, there was a movie and a glass of wine, and there was mum's lamb roast. All wonderful luxuries that I enjoyed every moment of. The best part of the weekend though was this gorgeous patchwork bedspread. Mum and my sis made it for me based on the design in Kelly Dousts's book The Crafty Minx and I absolutely love it.
If like me, you love quilts but lack the patience for all of that perfect cutting of squares, then this bedspread is the project for you. It's a basic envelope design - the back is a plain sheet (mine is Queen size) and the front is a series of squares sewn together. The bottom has ties to keep it all closed. At home we call this sort of bedding a duvet. Here in Australia, it's a doona. They're easy to make and easily removed for washing, and the best part of this project is that you can make it out of your fabric scraps and favourite vintage pieces. Because the squares are small it makes it affordable to splash out on a small amount of that designer print you can't stop thinking about.
To make one of these bedspreads choose your size and buy a good quality plain flat sheet for the bottom. Measure it and work out how many squares you want to use and how big they'll need to be. Drawing a diagram can often help. Now that you know how many squares you need you can think about whether you want to use a limited palette of colour or go for it with all of those bits of fabric you've been saving up.
Once you have your squares cut out, lay them out on a large table or the floor and have a play with the design. To sew them it's easier to do the horizontal strips first and then sew them all together being sure to match the seams. Press/iron after each seam that you sew. When you have your front piece completed sew it to the back (right sides together) leaving an opening down the bottom. Sew your ties - these could be rectangles of scraps of your fabrics, ribbons, or you could use buttons.
For more detailed step by step instructions see The Crafty Minx by Kelly Doust.
Happy crafting everyone and thank you mum and sis!
That is gorgeous!! Lucky thing, what a very caring and cool family you have x
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, I will be checking back regularly to look for updates.
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