Time to design

I have more bonus quilting time, and rather than pull out another UFO, I wanted to start designing my next project.

I usually begin with a Google Image search. This time I searched “barn” and came up with photographs of unique and interesting barns. I wanted a variety of shapes, settings, and seasons. I printed off those that my husband and I agreed on. I have a good start, but I’m going to need a lot more. For fun and laughs, I included a photo of the Fallasburg Covered Bridge, near Lowell, MI, and I’ll probably include the Ada Covered Bridge as well. Both are old buildings, interesting shapes and settings, and both are buildings I have visited in person as a child.

Next, I taped the photographs, wrong side out, to the glass on my French doors to the back porch. With the nice white snow in the background, it’s very bright today and creates an eye-level light box. I traced the lines on the back side that I wanted to include in my blocks. Then, by taking the paper off the door, I could see how my block will look without the extra detail that I don’t plan to include. In some cases I will change part of the setting, and even some of the structural features of the building.

I managed to complete 5 tracings of barns. I plan to trace many more, but I got so weary of searching photographs on the internet yesterday that I don’t want to do any more of that.

Most of these will be applique, but I may try to design a paper-pieced barn or two, and there will be patchwork elements such as the doors. Some of the detail will be stitched in, probably free-motion. Before I can start to sew, however, I have to decide what size the blocks will be, what width the sashing will be, and how many I will need to complete a queen size quilted duvet cover. I’ll be busy today!

Figuring it out for myself

We have a comforter, and it needed a duvet cover. It turned out to be an odd size that I couldn’t find a ready-made cover in, so I had to make it myself. Sometimes I’m not sure what I’m getting myself into, and when it’s over I’m usually happy I attempted what seemed difficult at first.

I had to use an empty bedroom floor to lay out the fabric. I used the selvage edge for my first straight seam, used rulers to show me a 90 degree angle, and repeated for the third side. I also measured my width (93 inches) from the original seam to be sure at least those two would be parallel.

Another way to handle the massive amount of fabric was to use a folding table. I could shift it around easily and pin, measure, or mark where I needed to.

Now it gets tricky. I noticed at the top and bottom edges of the comforter there are loops, to keep it in place inside a duvet cover. I decided to use some scrap, make straps, and put a button and buttonhole in each strap. I can thread the strap through the loop and button it to itself.

We chose two mottled fabrics that came 108 inches wide. When it’s complete it can be reversible. I decided to have the lighter side (tan) fold over the brown side and button close. Here is a closer look at the top edge where it buttons closed.

Now that I have experience in making a duvet cover, I plan to piece one like a quilt. We’ve had a plan to eventually have a quilt with barns. Since we will not need a quilt, I’ll make a pieced side to a duvet cover.