Color Catchers for the Win

A Quilt for Kayla

80" x 100"

Started December 28, 2020

Top Finished December 31, 2020

Quilted by Val Halpin

Delivered February 16, 2021

Kayla has been working at LivingWell for 6 months and has become very dear to me. When I volunteered to make her a quilt, she was ecstatic.

 I told her that if she supplied the materials, I would make it and not charge for any labor.

I had her look on Pinterest and decide upon a quilt pattern. She said she wanted something with a bit of Southwestern flair. She found a design called Sequoia Quilt by Nancy Purvis (Quilting from Every Angle).

When I asked her what size she would like, she requested one to fit a queen size bed. This was turning out to be a bigger project than I originally thought. I had promised her a quilt so I had to accept the challenge.

I ordered the pattern and found the layout was for a twin-size bed. I took the measurements and multiplied by 1.5 to get the size of the blocks so I could calculate the yardage.

I was also making a quilt for Sheila at the same time.

We went to Joann Fabrics in Roseville so Kayla and Sheila could pick out their desired fabrics.

I began working on both quilts over the Christmas holiday. Although Tiffany, Jimmy, and Spencer were home for the holidays, there were pockets of time when I wasn't making meals or keeping up with home tasks allowing me time to sew.

Because the kids were using my sewing room, I set up my machine downstairs in the basement. With the heater going, I was nice and cozy and happily sewing along.

The 1.5 times the measurements resulted in a larger quilt width then what I thought it should be. I decided to make the seams 1/2" rather than 1/4". This new measurement was much better. In essense, half of her quilt had double seams. The original 1/4" and then the additional 1/4" inch.

Usually, the math wouldn't be a problem, but in this case, I just couldn't wrap my head around how large the quilt blocks would be once the rows were done since I had to factor in the seam allowance. The next time I enlarge a pattern, I will do one or two test blocks and then calculate the measurements from there. 

When the quilt top was finished, I found that I had quite a few scraps left over. I made additional blocks and made a backing that incorporated these blocks.

The quilt back and the quilting

I asked Kayla if she would mind if I made her some throw pillows with all the scraps. She said she would like that.  I had been gifted a yard of fabric that had the same pattern as Kayla's quilt that would be perfect for the backside of the pillows.

Finally, I made a jean pillow with all of the jean pockets I had collected.

Using the scraps to make the quilt back and throw pillows

I knew I couldn't quilt Kayla's quilt on my sewing machine, so I decided to have Val Halpin do the quilting for me. Since Kayla's quilt would get the professional treatment, I had her do Sheila's quilt as well. Again, a much larger project then what I had anticipated when I started.

I knew I didn't need the quilts until February, in time for their birthdays (2/21 & 2/22) so Val had a month to finish the quilting.

I'm sure Kayla and Sheila were wondering about the status their quilts because they knew the tops were finished. But this was my special surprise for them.

Nevada City experienced a snowstorm the week the quilts were to be delivered back to me. With communications back and forth for a week and a half, we finally arranged to have Val drop them off at my office. The surprise of the quilting wasn't kept secret now because everyone wanted to see the quilts.

However, the binding still needed to be done.

I finished her quilt a week before her birthday. Kayla was living with Scot and Char Andrews at the time. I arranged with Char to take the quilt home. While Char & Kayla were at Bible Study, Scot went into Kayla's room and put it on her bed.

That evening, Char followed Kayla into the room and filmed her reaction when she saw it for the first time. It was a wonderful gift for me to see her enthusiasm.

Once the quilt was finished, we found a problem.... The red color looked like it would run once it got wet.  I had never used color catchers before but heard this would solve our dilemna. Kayla and I talked about what she should do to wash the quilt. I instructed her to use 4 color catchers the first time she washed it and to wash it on a cold-gentle cycle and no heat.

Kayla sent me photos during the washing process. I panicked again when I saw the pink color catcher. To my relief, she said that other than one tiny pink spot, the quilt turned out perfect and just like when she received it.

If I ever do another red quilt, I will definitely prewash the fabric. From here on out, I will also send along two color catchers for every quilt I make for the first two washes. 

Every quilt tells a story. This is the story of making a quilt for a friend, learning about enlarging a quilt pattern, and the importance of color catchers for a red quilt.

Every Quilt Tells A Story
Whether it is the fabrics chosen, the design, the colors, the occasion, the recipient, or the people I quilt with, every quilt tells a story. This blog captures in images and words what has been created for others and for my own home through the hum and stitching of my sewing machine.