T IS FOR TIGER, J IS FOR JOSHUA
Made for my new Great-Nephew, due March 6th, 2007
This is the finished quilt, size 30" x 36".
Began January 22, 2007 and completed January 28, 2007
This darling Cuddly Quilt Kit is called "T is for Tiger", made from a JoAnn's Fabrics kit that included the
fabric and instructions. It was so simple to cut the large pieces of fabric into the appropriate sizes and
assemble. Although the orange color seemed shockingly bright at first, I love the feel of the plush and think
it's as soft as a kitten's tummy...a very orange kitty. I hope our new little tiger thinks so too!
It took about six hours to cut out and machine sew the quilt, assembled like a pillowcase,
not requiring binding.
I altered it a little, sewing Warm & Natural cotton batting inside when I assembled the final sandwich.
It felt so nice as it was, like a warm blanket in a good duvet, but once it gets washed a few times, the batting
may ball up or distort, so I following the W&N instructions to quilt at least every ten inches. I
decided as a labor of love, this will be hand quilted - my first attempt. I began quilting with the "stitch
in the ditch" on the edges of the 6" blocks around the sides, averaging about five stitches per inch.
I also stitched the inside of the large center piece of fabric by making a box about six inches in, and then
I stitched around several of the animals for extra batting stability. I was concerned that with my arthritic hands, doing a lot of tedious hand sewing would be difficult, but on the contrary, hand quilting was much easier than I
expected and I enjoyed the experience very much.
Total sewing time, including quilt assembly and hand quilting took me about twelve happy hours. As simple as it was, I LOVED making this little quilt. Maybe it was the textures, or the print, or the simplicity, or maybe it was the hand quilting, but I have to say that it was a true joy creating this little jem.