need some advice on putting this quilt together
 

So my 6 year old DGD came to me and gave me the following sheet of paper, and shyly said "This is what I want my quilt to look like." And she wanted everything in purples and pinks. So I set about designing her quilt, and together with her, came up with the following. I haven't included the horse or the butterflies--will applique those on after. I designed it in EQ7 (and thank Penny at EQ7 for all her help with so many projects!). My question is, how the heck do I put this quilt together? I thought I might use a very thin black bias strip to cover the lines between all the different parts--like in a stained glass quilt. But I wanted to hear ideas from some more experienced folks.
I haven't really chosen the fabrics yet--I just used stuff from EQ7. I have a purple fabric with silver stars that I will use for the sky.
Thanks in advance!
Carol

I don't know but it sure is wonderful.

I hope this question doesn't offend, but can't you use her drawing directly? Or was she just giving you a rough sketch?

She was trying to draw from a kind of castle/closet that they play in in their house. She's been overseeing the development of the design, and loves it as it's come along.

Thanks. I know some kids who would want THEIR design. Congrats on her wanting to design at her age!

That's going to be a beautiful quilt!

What is it, with little girls and purple & pink? LOL Those have also been my GDG's favorite colors, for the past three years (at least). I hope your Pink & Purple quilt progresses faster than mine has! :p

try this link to turn your picture image into a patchwork quilt design. that should give you a good start to designing this quilt. your dgd will love it all when it's done. i hope you let her work on some small part of it to help deepen her appreciation of the quilt and perhaps consider embellishing with bows, buttons, ribbons, lace, etc. good luck.

mary

my own two cents are this, change the darker pink floral fabric for something lighter/ more youthful fabric. And I would use the purple fabric for the castle instead of the yellow and do a blue for the sky. I do like your idea of outlining the castle in the black i think that it would set it off very well. the yellow door i would do in a pink. but that is just me. I would maybe even put her name on the flags/banner. I love purple, not a big fan of pink but my dd just loves it. I have actually been collecting butterfly fabrics and have probably 5-6 different fabrics. mostly purple though. maybe find some really nice butterfly fabric for a final large boarder. I have one that had realistic butterflies on it and is a goldish back ground with the butterflies on it. good luck though. maybe take her with to pick out a couple of the fabrics that you are going to use. She will really love that. My dd who is 4 loves to pick out fabric for quilts. I have to help me all the time. (usually she gets to pick the first fabric for someones quilt and then I get the rest of them.)

Looks like applique would be your best choice, especially for all those "teeth" in the castle. What a wonderful project for the two of you to create together, imagine the memories she'll cherish for the rest of her life! I'd let her choose what colors to put where - after all, it is HER quilt, right? :)

I would use fusible applique to make the center. Cut a piece of fabric the size of the center (it should be the color you want for the top background) and then layer the other pieces on top of that. You can print the pieces from EQ and then trace them onto fusible or directly on the fabric. Just make sure to remember to reverse where appropriate.

Does that make sense? I don't think trying to piece it will be very much fun, and it's all about fun, right?

How clever of your GD. I made one several years back for my DGD and I may have gone about it the hard way but this is how I did it and it turned out very pretty. I was making a garden with little girls playing in it. I took a solid blue fabric the size of the sky and cut green for the rest of the length cutting the top of the green to look like hills and sewed them together with the blue. I the cut everything else and appliqued everything on. I had a lot of fussy cutting for flower beds, trees and the puppy's and kitty's, and lots of butterfly's. I was very pleased with how it turned out. I am making one now for my two year old DGD doing it the same way only putting each little girl in her own block in her own garden.

Justa tip: there's a pretty fabric called "Castle Peeps", it would make a nice border, Try searching Google images

IMHO The black lines would take away from the child look you'd want for a 6yo and it'd start looking too adult-like.

Why wouldn't you go with applique? .... layer the fabrics on and satin stitch in matching colours around the edges. Of course, it could be all hand applique, though for a child you might prefer the durability of the machine stitching.

I would do applique. I don't know how big you intend this to be. I did a castle for my granddaughter, and it was all pieced. I have no idea where that pattern is. LOL Then do raw edge stitching.

It will be a twin size bed quilt.

Your DGD is pretty creative. I would cut it half between the pink bottom and top purple and sew those two together for the background. Before you sew those two together fuse pink squares to the purple for the block parts of that wall. Then fuse every thing else. I would look for fabrics with butterflies and a horse or even a unicorn to cut out and fuse for the rest of it. You can use a zig-zag, blanket stitch or a satin stitch to finish the edges of all the fused parts.

I agree that it might be fun to let your DGD HELP you pick out the fabrics for each piece. I think you might have to direct her as she might pick some colors that wouldn't go well together. I think you are a great grandmother to go to all this work for your DGD. I only wish I had had a DGM who would have done something like this for me. She didn't quilt. She was a nurse and worked full time, even with 7 children. And my other DGM was deaf and lived on a huge farm and had so many chores that she didn't have time to quilt. She made her and her childrens' clothes though.

Fusible applique with satin stitch

I too would do it applique'. I would outline it in black 'cause it would look like it came from a colorin' book. Whatever ya do it will make it wonderful just for your DGD. :)

I don't have any different ideas, but I just love the design. This will be so special to both of you since you are spending time together in the design phase. I bet she will be with you every minute she can as she watches it grow and become her idea. You are a special lady!

First of all I love it! It is kinda like the skateboarder quilt I am doing for my dgs. He had artistic license but now as I make it I am changing a few colors and such.
Secondly I would do a steam a seam applique cutting out the centers of the steam a seam to keep the pieces soft or use misty fuse to adhere the appliques in place.
Third I would then do a blanket stitch by machine in matching colors around the appliques.
I would embelish the large areas with machine quilting to add to the interest of each element!
Good luck it will be a wonderful quilt.
Luann in CT

Just read somewhere about doing the black outline with black yarn over stitched with a zigzag so it looks like the stained glass window. Would that work for you?

I agree with crafterrn1 and urge a fusible applique with machine buttonhole stitch. In stead of black, and to keep from changing colors, you might try a gray thread instead. Black is a bit stark.
Cute quilt!

Jan in VA

That is the best, most fun and loving thing I have seen in a long time. Wish I could see your DGD's face when she sees her quilt.

[QUOTE=LyndaOH;5298258]I would use fusible applique to make the center. Cut a piece of fabric the size of the center (it should be the color you want for the top background) and then layer the other pieces on top of that. You can print the pieces from EQ and then trace them onto fusible or directly on the fabric. Just make sure to remember to reverse where appropriate.
I agree with Lynda - fusible is the way to go. You could just put the fusible around the edges of the pieces so as to limit the stiffness that could result. Then once they are in place machine applique around them. Your quilting could be outlines of blocks of stone in the area of the castle walls and that would hold the fabric in place. Then quilt some scalloped tiles in the turrets (yellow area) to mimic roof tiles and, and, and, well, gotta go now, I'm inspired!

I don't have much help for you but I would like to say I noticed fabric.com has some castle stuff that might work well for this. It's cute. I love it when they draw stuff like that for you and you can make it for them. My little granddaughter drew me a couple of purses she wants that I am going to try to make for her. Good luck and don't forget to share the pictures.

It looks like her drawing would be easier to produce. Either way, I'd trace shapes onto fabric backed with fusable and applique.

I agree that appliqué would be easiest and would look great. She is going to treasure this wonderful quilt.

Just to change things up a bit.
How about using a Ricky Tims type construction. If I understand it correctly, you draw the design on freezer paper, cut out the shapes, iron to your fabric choices, cut those out leaving seam allowances and sew back together.

We Grama's are miracle workers aren't we!!!

Forget the black stain glass outline as it would take away from the picture, so put the horse and butterflys in and call it a job well done. Beautiful colors you have picked.

I have never used EQ7 but I assume the design can print out. Will it print out as a grid or can you print it on graph paper? Its a simple and clean lined picture so once you get the actual measurements for the size quilt you want you can draw the design (with a ruler, additional shapes and a little free hand) on freezer paper or stabilizer, cut out the different parts, iron on and machine appliqué using black thread where you want the outline or bias tape as you mentioned. You DGD can help iron it on the backing and maybe help stitch the longer straight lines with you. Just seems to lend itself to appliqué more than patchwork in Mho. It's going to be adorable please post pics when you're done!!!!

i would probably applique it as well. What fun. I'm thinking about making my dgs a quilt and he is artistic. perhaps i should have him draw what he'd like.

Mary did the work for you in the design. As she mentioned, click on her link & you'll see where she changed the quilt you designed into a quilt with blocks. Good luck.

Good luck I'm sure it will please her how ever you quilt it.

Don't change the darker border, frames the quilt! You could use raw edge applique, or any other applique. Me, I'd be drawing out on grid paper (or freezer paper with lines drawn on it) and, after printing the saved picture as a poster, full size...I'd trace that to the freezer paper...mark placement lines across the outline on the freezer paper...and then cut on the outline. Iron the freezer paper to the FRONT of the fabric, cut out with a 1/4" seam allowance added...copy those hatch marks to the front of the fabric (will be in the seam allowance), then once you have the pieces cut out...snip at the hatch marks 1/8" in...Pin the pieces and sew, making sure not to sew into any seam allowances at the edge of a piece...hard to explain...but you end your stitching 1/4" from the end of each section you sew....take one or two backstitches. when you join each new section to an older section, you stop right at the spot the other sections ended their stitches. You want all seam allowances free of stitches. If you do happen to stitch to an end, or stitch over previous stitched area...you can pick out when you press the section. Leaving the seam allowances open let's you twist the bulky seams (where four sections, or a corner meets) to get them to lie flat.

Applique would be easier...but I like the process of sewing together bigger sections like this.

Actually, won't EQ let you print full size paper piece templates?

That is going to be a beautiful quilt. I am no expert by any means, but I would so paper piece.

I think that it is WONDERFUL!

What a wonderful story! it looks like it will be a darling quilt. Congratulations on trying to "meet her demands." I love it.

I would absolutely choose fusible applique. I think piecing this would be too much work. Although it can be done.