i recently received a shopping spree opportunity with ConsumerCrafts.com, an online craft store.  it took me forever to decide what i wanted to buy because it was like walking around a craft store and being told, “get whatever you want!  what are you going to make with it?”.  kind of stressful, but oh so fun!  the site is amazing and i had to focus on making a fun craft – i kept getting distracted by all the supplies that would be great for a variety of homeschool activities.

since my strength is in sewing, i deciding to narrow my focus on something i could sew.  i found the section with bandanas and was lured in by all the color options!  and at 97 cents a piece, i was able to get a bunch!   Consumer Crafts has amazing prices!

with us smack in the middle of soccer season, i thought we could always use another picnic blanket to throw on the grass for watching games.  i really wanted to do a rainbow colored pattern, but decided to go much more masculine since 2/5 of my family members are of the male species ;)  i chose navy, grey and white.

after making this quilt with a little strip of chevron on the back, i really have been wanting to do another on a larger scale.

i ordered 8 navy, 8 grey, and 3 white bandanas for this project.

materials needed:

21 bandanas

full size sheet for backing

quilt batting (i prefer warm ‘n’ natural brand)

thread

sewing machine, cutting mat, rotary cutter, and ruler

patience ;)

 1.  first things first, wash and press the bandanas.  and because bandanas are never truly square, i needed to even them up a bit.  i followed a thin black line on the outer printed section of the bandana, measured an inch out and cut off whatever was beyond that.

2.  next i cut the square into 2 triangles, cutting from one corner to the next, using the rotary cutter.  its ok if it doesn’t line up perfectly straight since you’ll be squaring it up later.

3. & 4.  cut the 2 triangles in half again, making a total of 4 smaller triangles from each bandana.

 1.  see those angled lines on the cutting mat?  i used those for the first time!

2.  i stacked up the smaller triangles 4 at a time, lining up one corner and the base line.  then i lined them up along that 45 degree line and whacked them off so they were all even.

3.  then i turned the stack of triangles around and evened out the other side along the 45 degree line.  then i did this to all the other bandanas.

 1.  now comes the fun part!  i just wanted one row of white chevron and then alternating rows of navy and grey.  as you can see in the first pic, i basically made a bunch of squares out of all the triangles.

2.  then when all the squares are lined up, they make rows or chevron stripes.  now this is important:  take a picture of this part!  you’ll use it soon…

 1.  now comes the sewing, and even though its a lot, it goes really fast.  just a bunch of straight lines.  first i sewed each of those squares, then set them right back on the ground in their place to make sure i kept the pattern in order.

2.  once i sewed all the squares i pressed all the seams open.

3.  then i layed them all out again in order (referring back to that picture i took earlier).  then i stacked them all up in their rows.

4.  working at my machine with my computer right next to me so i could refer to the picture, i started sewing all the squares together in strips.

1.  next i pressed those seams open and then sewed all the strips together.  then i pressed those seams open and voila!  the quilt top is done!

2.  i just wanted to show you a picture of the quilt batting i use.  its so much softer than the yucky cheap batting.  i used a 40% off coupon at my local fabric store.

3.  i layed out the batting nice and flat, making sure that there were no wrinkles, then spread the quilt top (right side up) on top.  i started at the edges and smoothed it out nice and flat.

4.  then i trimmed the extra batting off and pinned the top to the batting at each triangle point.  i pinned a ton because i didn’t want the batting to shift at all.

this next section is where i cheat as a quilter!   i don’t like to bind quilts (ok, i’ve never bound a quilt!), so i figured out a way around that to finish the edges:

1.  i bought this sheet set on sale at target – it just went perfectly with the bandanas.  i like to use sheets for quilt backs because they are inexpensive and huge!  for an inexpensive option, you can get flat sheets at walmart.

2.  now i spread the sheet out on the ground, face up, and layed the quilt top/batting on top, face down.  i pinned the sheet to the top/batting around the edge.  then i trimmed the extra sheet off.

3.  starting in the middle of one edge, i used a slightly larger seam allowance (to make sure i captured all 3 layers) and stitched all around the edge, leaving a gap about 1 1/2 – 2 ft wide.

4.  see the opening?  thats where i turned the quilt inside out.  i was really careful to go slowly so i didn’t stab myself with the pins i had on the quilt top.

 1.  i trimmed the excess fabric off the corners.

2.  then i used a chopstick to poke out the corners.  tools of the trade ;)

1.  see the opening?  i pressed the edges under while i was pressing all the edges of the quilt to make them nice and flat.

2.  i stitched the opening shut using a really small seam allowance, going as close to the edge as possible.

3.  then i topstitched all around the perimeter.

4.  then i layed out the whole quilt flat again and repinned the pins that were still holding the quilt top to the batting so that they now went through all 3 layers. next i did what’s called “stitch in the ditch” – where i stitched down the middle of a seam.  i did this along the chevron pattern so that on the backside of the quilt had a chevron pattern stitched in it.

last step:  wash it!  i love the way a quilt puckers and puffs when its been washed and dried a bunch of times.

 right now consumer crafts is running a “Refer-a-Friend Contest”. who doesn’t love free crafts supplies?

you can find consumer crafts on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.