I was very lucky to borrow an amazing animal alphabet quilt from Kellie Wulfsohn of Don't Look Now for the Australasian Quilt Convention. It was just such a delight to showcase this quilt. What child (or parent come to that) wouldn't love this keepsake quilt and "what better way could there be to introduce the little person in your life to the Alphabet. You can play "I spy", help them learn the alphabet - so much to see share and enjoy! The pattern includes the complete instructions and full sized pattern sheets to complete the project using raw edge applique and trupunto that will have the animals almost jumping off the surface of the quilt. This is so worthwhile the effort as the trapunto just looks so effective, and it is easy to do! Not only could you use the pattern for the quilt, but also for decorating t-shirts, library bags, art smocks etc - the sky is the limit." (source Kellie Wulfsohn of Don't look now).
I spent very many days and stressful hours gathering fabrics to cut into kits for the quilt - and very many hours working out how much of each fabric to cut. AND very many hours cutting and packing the kits. All this hard work was well worth while as they make such a happy pack. Whilst not the same as Kellie's original fabric they make a fantastic set of fabrics for this kit. You can see the fabrics that I chose in the picture above in the height chart to the right.
Why not make the most of all the running around that I have done by purchasing the kit! It will save you time and money as you can't normally buy pieces this size and it would cost a fortune to buy fat quarters. You can always supplement it with some special "just right" pieces from your stash. The pattern is an absolute bargain at $22! (That's less than a dollar per animal!!! and Kellie's designs for the animals are all so cute with their own special features - each would be great on a cushion on it's own). It's available from my website (follow the link). The fabric pack is also available now and is $100 which includes the pattern, all applique fabrics and binding stripe, and another $25 for the white background (extra wide) hanky linen fabric.
If you like the rainbow happy height chart - this is also available as a pattern - coming soon.
So inspired was I by Kellie's raw edge technique (instructions included in the pattern) that I had a bash at turning my sister's wedding invitation into a special gift... let's hope she is so busy getting ready for the wedding that she doesn't notice my blog post. Many people ask how long this sort of thing takes to do. This took me about 5-6 hours all up! Superfast for a really fantastic effect. I do sew quite a lot, as you know, but with a little practice this is really within everyone's reach. I also used Kellie's trapunto technique in this wall hanging and was really surprised at how quick and easy it is - with such dramatic 3D impact. An Ikea frame completed it... I hope she loves it
Laura x
Kellie's quilt is gorgeous and you did a great job on your sister's gift.
Posted by: Di | April 27, 2011 at 05:12 PM
5 or 6 hours!?
You're gifted Laura:)
Posted by: Sonja | May 02, 2011 at 03:40 PM