My Epic I-Spy Quilt with Pleated Border

This quilt took me almost two years of work.

Mind you, I wasn't working continuously--I did have to cook and do laundry--but I did work on it a lot.

Each square is hand appliqued on. Each block is fussy-cut. Each border block was pleated. (Have I mentioned that I love pleats?)

I had this little Le Kit box (a pencil box from the 90s) that I put one square in. So when I was out and about with my four kids (only four at the time!*) I would sit on the sidelines and stitch. And stitch. Eventually, there were 24 blocks that each had 16 little hand appliqued squares on them. That's 384 little hand appliqued squares.

 *And now I'm feeling old because my daughter has stared to quilt! You can see what an instructional quilting video from a 5-year-old looks like here! (Don't worry--it's edited and only four minutes long.)

Detail blue pleated borders in I-Spy Quilt
www.prettypleatquilts.blogspot.com

At the Regina Quilt Show, this quilt won Best Use of Colour. (In Canada, we spell "colour" with a "u.") Before this, I would have gladly told you that I had a terrible sense of colour. But then I won this prize, so I had to quit saying this.

Red Pleats and detail of I-Spy quilt
www.prettypleats.blogspot.com

I love colour! And I love pleats! And rainbows! So vote for my little quilt as best in ROYGBIV!

Also, please look at my other entry here for Modern Quilts where I use spray paint (gasp!) on a quilt made of recycled dress shirts!

Thanks for coming by.

An Instructional Quilting Video from a Five-Year-Old Girl

My little 5-year-old made a quilt for her baby brother, Felix.

Having recently discovered the fun of iMovie, we decided to film part of it. Then I cut it into a four minute masterpiece.

Okay, masterpiece might be a bit of a stretch. But we did have a lot of fun doing it. For extra hominess, you can hear my furnace coming on and off in the background. I think we need a sound studio! I'll run this past my darling husband...

Giveaway Day: Citrus Pleats Quilt Pattern

What a great day for giveaways!

I have another new, original pattern to give away on this blog! And it could be yours!

Citrus Pleats wall hanging with an elegant pleated border.
www.prettypleatquilts.blogspot.com

This pattern makes a wonderful wall hanging 28" x 28". Notice the elegant pleated borders and the mitered corners.

Well, folks, both the mitered corners and the pleated borders are easy to make using my techniques in the pattern.

Detail of the pleated border--with this pattern, any experience crafter can make this beautiful quilt!
www.prettypleatquilts.blogspot.com

Contest is open everyone! In the comments, tell me your favourite memories of citrus.

If you do not win, but would still like to buy the quilt, you can do that at Etsy.

*My favourite memory of citrus is going to Sorrento, south of Rome, Italy, and standing in a ripe lemon grove. The smell was unbelievable!

Citrus Pleats Quilt Pattern
www.prettypleatquilts.blogspot.com

Thank you for all the entries. The contest has now closed.

The winner is comment #14!

Toohey May 13, 2014 at 6:33 AM

Oh, thanks for the giveaway. Love the bright colors on your wall hanging. My favorite citus memories are all about the smells! Orange blossoms from the orchard that wasn't far from where I grew up!

Giveaway Day: Pleated Apples Quilt Pattern

If you are new to my blog, welcome! We are a new blog trying to bring pleats into the quilting world.

If you like the wonderful look of beautiful pleats, then this is the place where you can find inspiration, patterns and helpful hints once a week.

(On Sundays, because I like to relax and sew on Sundays.)

Pleated Apples Quilt Pattern
www.prettypleatquilts.blogspot.com

But today, you can win one of my brand new patterns of pleats! I am offering one free pattern of my Pleated Apples quilt. This makes a great baby quilt for either a boy or girl in its vibrant fabric and cuddly minky.

Pleated Apples detail of the pleated blocks. Fun textures and colors for a new baby!
www.prettypleatquilts.blogspot.com

If you don't win, you can buy it at Etsy.

In the comments, tell me why you love pleats for your chance to win. Open to winners worldwide!




The contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered!
The winner is #7!

Andrea May 12, 2014 at 9:44 PM

Thanks! I've wanted to use pleats but have been intimidated thus far. But it would make a great texture for a baby blanket! My baby daughter would love it :)

Pretty Pleats is Here!

I love quilts. And I love pleats. To the best of my knowledge, no one combines pleats and quilts. Pleats give a wonderful texture and pizzazz to anything they are added too. Imagine a pleated handbag or a pleated dress. But a quilt?

Pleated Quilt boarder on my I-Spy quilt
www.prettypleatquilts.blogspot.com

Why is no one doing this? Pleats, if used right, add elegance and sophistication. They add bounce and fun. They add new and novel.

Let's use pleats in quilts. There are so many possibilities!

My passion is quilt making, but I work in other fields as well like teaching children to sew (often my own) and mathematics.

Join me on this journey to bring an old design element to quilts!