How to make Chenille!

I was so excited to learn how to make chenille.  And it turned out wonderfully!  First stack four layers of flannel.  I started in one corner and stitched diagonally across.  Then stitch about 1/2 an inch from that stitching line all the way across the fabric.  It is very forgiving so your stitching doesn't need to be perfect.

Now the work begins.  Get your scissors out and start cutting.  Cut through the top three layers, leaving the bottom layer in tack.                                                                                                                                

Looks like this.

 And after about an hour or so of cutting, it looks like this.

Here's where it really gets interesting.  Take the fabric and wash it in the washing machine and dry it in the dryer.  It will take a little longer to dry than usual but when it comes out it should be nice and fluffy.  And it really does look like real chenille.  Here is what it looks like after it comes out of the dryer.    I actually think it would still be good if you only use three layers of flannel instead of four.                                                                                                                                                  

Stay tuned to the next day or so to see what I make with it!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

I am so happy to join in Amy's blogger's quilt festival again this year.  It is such a wonderful place to go to see beautiful quilts and meet talented quilters and read their blogs.  Thank you, Amy.  I can't imagine the work that goes into this.  Just click on this link and sit back and enjoy.

http://amyscreativeside.com/2012/05/18/bloggers-quilt-festival-spring-2012/

I have blogged about this sweet little baby quilt before.  But I thought it would be a nice addition to the festival.  My daughter, Misty, is expecting her third baby. This will be our seventh grandbaby.  I believe no matter how many babies there are they are all special and this baby is special, too.  When I started making this quilt, we didn't know if it was a girl or boy and Misty said she wanted to wait until the baby was born to find out.

When it came down to it, she just couldn't wait to find out.  So the first oppurtunity she got she found out she was having a girl.  Maybe that is a good thing because I think this quilt is a little girly.  It is my own design.  I found this large rickrack and thought it would look adorable stitched to sollid strips of solids.  On the white strips I stitched down the two different sizes of yoyos.  I love to hand quilt, so I used coordinating colors of perle cotton to stitch around the yoyos and white perle cotton to stitch on the colored strips. 

I love this fabric I used for the backing.  It is some I have had in my stash for quite some time.  I needed the perfect baby quilt for this fabric and I think this is it.                                                    

Baby Lucy will be joining our family in August and I hope she gets lots of use out of this sweet, baby quilt.