The Strawberry Shortcake Quilt really came out better than I expected it to look like when it was finished. My DIL really loved it. It was part of a set that I made and presented to her at the Baby Shower on April 3, 2010. I was a little late for it because I slept in. Was up unntil after 4 AM putting the finishing touches on the set, with making up the pillow last. Was supposed to have been there at 11 AM, but, was close to an hour late. All was forgiven, after they saw the hand made quilt set that I made for my granddaughter to be, who should be arriving around June 24, 2010.
Click on the photos for larger views of them.
Making the Quilt
The first step was to cut out the fabrics for the front and the back of the quilt. Squared them off to a little over 40 inches wide and long. Next was to cut the Batting. Had bought the precut 45 X 60 inch Morning Glory High Loft Quilters Polyester Batting a couple of months ago when I decided to give machine quilting a try.
Next step was to cut the batting to a 45 inch square. Then, pinned all 3 pieces together, the fabric front, fabric back and the batting. After that, trimmed the batting down somewhat.
Next step was off to my Brother 350 Embroidery/Sewing machine. Left the original foot on it that came with it. Ran a row of stitches around the outside parimiter of the fabric and batting square.
Then ran rows down the back fabric design, going from top to bottom every time, trying to keep inbetween the two rows of red stripes.
When getting past the six inches to hit the machine sides, it started curling up.
When it was about ten inches or so from the needle I started to hand roll it up and used a couple of hat pins to hold it in place, which I had to keep on doing.
It sorta looked something like a jelly roll you might say.
Straightened it out as much as possible, on both sides of the sewing machine, so I could follow the red lines as I sewed along. The machine quilting took the longest time to do. Everything else was a breeze.
I just ran strips around the edges, doing first the top and then the bottom. I added a row of pink rick rack when doing them up. When they were done. I repeated same on the sides. My baby quilt was done.
The bedding/crib skirt/duster
Then proceeded to do up the other parts to the bedding set. Made up the bottom ruffle/bed skirt. Used the Strawberry shortcake fabric remenant that was 4 1/2 yards long for same. Removed 1 1/2 yards and put it aside. Used 3 yards of stripping on each side. The Strawberry blossom fabric design ran sideways rather than up and down on the fabric, so the edging pieces didn't have to be pieced together. They were just long strips that I had hand pleated.
Rather than sitting there with a pair of scissors measuring and cutting the long strips, I just measured the side strip, 17 inches and tore it down the 3 yards of fabric. Did that twice. Once for each side. Spaced the pleats about an inch from each other. Didn't pleat all four sides at once. What I did do was to pleat each side individually, sewing them onto the center piece, the pink fabric with the butterflies on it.
I previously cut that part to the standard matress width and length for a crib and youths bed. After doing up both sides, I cut and tore the top and bottom sides from the 1 1/2 yards of fabric that I had put aside previously. Then, individually hand pleated them and sewed them in place.
I also hemmed each section as I worked on it. I hand pinned each hem with straight pins after joining them to the center butterflies fabric. Didn't join the 4 corners together. Finished off their edges and left them open. When doing my hand pleating and pinning the hems I sat in front of the TV on the couch, watching TV, and not at or near my sewing machine that sits on top of the table in the kitchen.
The sheets
There was nothing to doing them up. Made many of them up over the years. Making the sheets:
Just cut the corners out, sewed the sides together, did the casing/edging and added the elastic. That simple.
Made them the crib/youth bed size, 28 inches wide by 52 inches long for about 8 inch thick mattresses. Made the first one up from the pink fabric with the red butterflies on it. Same fabric I used on the bed skirting. The Strawberry Shortcake fabric has butterflies on it is how this one ties into it.
The fabric was about 44 inches wide. Used 2 yards of fabric for the length (72 inches) with the cutouts being 7 inches ( 3 1/2 inches cutouts) on all corners. Used 1/4 inch elastic, 24 inches on each of the ends. Didn't run the elastic all the way around the edges. Just ran the elastic across the top edges and about 10 inches down both of the sides. Did the same on the bottom half.
For larger youth beds, they'd have to be pieced. Measure the mattress and cut a piece of fabric out abou an inch longer and wider. Then cut and sew on about 10 inch strips to the lengths of each side and to the top and the bottom sections. Sew up the sides, make casing, add the elastic, with increasing the elastic length a wee bit more.
Used a different fabric on the second sheet that also matches the Strawberry Shortcake fabric that has flowers on it, not exactly the same as one ones on the main piece. Sewed this one up the same way that I did up the first one. Since the baby isn't due until June, I still have time to make up more sheets, too.
Laundry Bags
Next items were the laundry/single draw string bags. Made up 4 of them. Did up each one individually. Started these the night before the Baby Shower. Took me several weeks to get to this point.
Used a completely different fabric for them. I Frenched seamed the bags. Instead of putting button holes in the fabric for the draw string to come out of, I added other fabric strips to the tops of the bags. Each one has a different fabric strip/casing.
Plus I used 3/8 inch ribbons in place of shoe strings or cording on them too. Put a little tag on each one of them after inserting the items that were heading to the baby shower. Had other goodies to put in them too, including some stuffed animals for my granddaughter to be. Of course, my cat, Velvet, had to check them over..... More sewing instructions below.
The bedding set was in the one with the top fabric strip casing that matched the back of the quilting set. Still have enough of this fabric to make a sheet from same.
Lastly, the baby pillow.
That was the easiest and the quickest thing to do up.
I Covered up one of those 12 X 16 inch Fairfield Poly-Fill pillow inserts that I had bought recently for this sewing project.
The front of the pillow matches the Strawberry Shortcake fabric.
With the back of the pillow matching the fabric that I used on the back part of the quilt. Also have a 16 inch square pillow sitting on the side that I also bought that I still have to do up to match the set. That's another one of Fairfield's pillows.
My DIL at the Baby Shower
The first Baby Shower gifts that my DIL opened up were my four laundry sacks. The first one she opened up was the tallest one, which happen to be a large frog holding onto a smaller frog. I bought them seperately and used a large green elastic band to join them together so they appeared as mother and baby frogs. Both of them were green and yellow, which sorta made them a good match.
MAKING THE LAUNDRY BAGS
Sewing instructions for the laundry bags continued: Two of the laundry bags were about 30 inches tall, one of which just held these two frogs in it. It's at the fartherest end in the photos. The other two were just about 24 inches tall. Used the fabric width, 44 inches wide that was folded in half for the bags. The shorter 24 inch bags corners were squarred off to 8 inches by doing 4 inch cutouts on the bottom corners.
The 24 inch bags have mini plastic laundry bags in them for shaping the bottoms that are about 8" wide by about 11 1/2" long. They can actually be left inside those two bags and the upper sections hanging loose inside the laundry baskets to give them a covered look if left on a shelf or the like in the baby's room or can be used as large tote bags or grocery shopping bags as well as just plain ordinary laundry bags for the babys room.... Multi uses for them.
If you go back to the top of this, to the beginning, you'll see my DIL holding up the baby quilt, along with a photo of her with my son, who arrived later on to help load their car up and a cargo van with all of the items for their daughter to be, who will be my first grandchild.
