Union Jack Recycled Sweater Quilt

I put this quilt together in May - if you remember I used scrap cotton on the back of the felted sweaters to help keep their shape after they were cut and while I was piecing them together  and then you saw me layer it in June with my trusty cardboard roll.

This quilt has been sitting staring at me from our spare room waiting until I felt confident enough to take it on with my improving free motion quilting skills. 

I quilted the quilt from the back. The backing is mostly a light blue paisley pattern with a scrappy strip along one edge. Following the paisley curves gave a very fluid soft quilting pattern on top. My thanks to my quilting teacher Teri who suggested this idea. It is something I will surely use again - using the backing as an outline for quilting patterns. 

The finished quilt measures 86 x 72. I used flannel instead of cotton on the top as I wanted something with a soft/fuller texture to blend in with the felted sweaters. The flannel & felted sweaters give it a heavier cosy feel - perfect for the winter which unfortunately will probably soon be here. 

The Union Jack is placed on the bottom 2/3rds of the quilt so once you put it on your bed the Union Jack isn't covered by comforters or pillows.

It felt good to make a Union Jack. I've lived in New York for nearly 10 years now. I still feel very British at heart.

Technical Info:
Batting: Warm & Natural 100% Cotton Batting
Backing Fabric: Blue Cotton Paisley from stash
Top: A E Nathan 108" Wide Flannel Quilt Backing Navy
Border & Binding: 108" Wide Flannel Quilt Backing Red
Thread: Aurifil Quilting Thread 50 wt Dark Navy & Sulky® Clear Premier Invisible Thread

Review: The Ultimate Sweater Machine

Have you seen these machines advertised? Have you seen the cost of them?

 

I've wanted to try a machine knitting for the longest time - but the sheer cost and complexity of one has put me off. After much research and talking to lots of people - I decided to give this machine a chance. My Bernia cost a pretty penny and I haven't regretted any moment of that investment (in fact I would recommend a Bernia to anyone) but I was very worried about throwing away $ on this purchase (a birthday present from my husband.)

It took me about 3hrs to set up and figure this little beast out. If you are considering this machine I would only recommend it if a) you know how to knit b) you are patient and relatively calm and c) machines do not intimate you.

The knit is surprisingly good. Here is the test patch I first made with the yarn they provided in the box.

I have to say - so far it has won me over. It is plastic and it is not finely engineered - but for the $'s it is pretty amazing. Here are my tips ...

• don't bother with the wax they give you reach straight for the silicone spray
• keeping the tension on the edges of the hanging knitting is key (invest in some knitting machine weights asap)
• slower is better - don't rush - check each row for dropped stitches before starting the next- ignore their advertised speed - slower is better
• don't force the carriage - or press down too hard - you should be able to move it side to side with one hand
• watch every video on You Tube you can find  BEFORE buying or setting up to learn about its quirks and limitations
• keeping practicing, breath lots and have chocolate/diet coke on hand

I would say that I am a pretty avid fan of handing knitting. I find the process incredibly peaceful and soothing and I love making big projects and designs that my friends and family look at me as though I am crazy to take on. So why get a machine? I'm so horribly time bound these days with the little kids - I'm desperate to knit again - but I want to spend my time doing the fiddlier bits of cables and corners and all that fun stuff - I want to be able to produce large plain stockinette stitched areas.

I just knitted 60 rows of 130 stitches each in about 40 mins - which is much slower than their advertized rate - but I was being ultra careful.

Stay posted for some projects I have planned with this little machine.

WIP: Recycled Sweater Union Jack Blanket

I know - you have heard it from me before - but I save everything. Old shirts, sweaters, ties, blankets, curtains, any kind of fabric swatch or scrap - you name it - I have a box with 'stuff' in it waiting for a suitable project. Sometimes I wonder if I have a hoarding problem - but my husband has yet to arrange an intervention!!

This post is about a quilt I am creating out of recycled sweaters. 

For this project so far I have used 3 sweaters (they would be called jumpers in England!) A wool red fair isle sweater, a blue & white striped wool sweater and a small amount from a plain blue wool sweater. I washed the sweaters on the hottest setting possible in my washing machine and then tumble dryed them on hot. After that they were good and ruined for any possible wearing and quite felted!

 

I deconstructed the sweaters carefully and ironed each piece. Then I used 505 spray to stick them on scrap pieces of cotton. I was careful not to stretch out the pieces when laying them on the cotton. (This particular piece of garish green cow emblazoned scrap cotton was from a pillowcase I made my sister some years back - pillowcases make cute gifts and can be made out of all sorts of novelty prints.)

The cotton enabled me to cut perfect squares (2.5" each) and they have stayed in perfect squares while I have been laying out the design. I am going to keep the scrap cotton on the back of the squares when I sew the pieces together.

This is the beginning of my recycled sweater blanket. If you know what the design is going to be I've succeeded so far. Now to sew it all together! 

Ouch - I've spotted a mistake ... do you know what it is? 

Here is my design. Each square is 2.5". (I can e-mail you a larger excel file if you are interested.) It could be used as a patchwork design or base for a knitting design too.

Here we are - mistake all corrected and the first part of the blanket sewn together. 

 

I'm a lover of different textures - and I used every bit of each sweater - ribbing and all. 

The wool hasn't stretched or warped during the sewing due to the cotton on the back.  

 

Of course everyone likes to stand on things when Mummy is trying to photograph them. 

Looking forward to finishing this blanket/quilt. I will post once it is completed.