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If you are joining me from the Bloggers Quilt Festival a warm welcome. My name is Vicky, I love to sew and create using former clothes/items. Normally quilts intimidate me – the idea of precise sewing over a large area just seems too much. I am super excited to share with you my shibori quilt – transforming two old duvet covers, a denim blue and a white (it had some stains I couldn’t shift). My previous experience of quilt making is limited to a denim rag quilt, a pattern review of Watkins Star Quilt and a cot bed quilt made from old shirts
When I found the blue duvet in a charity shop (thrift shop) I felt I had hit the jackpot, beautiful denim colour with a nice weight. Almost too good a find to use! I contemplated using it to make a jacket but once the idea of making a shibori quilt formed my mind was made up.
Shibori is a traditional Japanese method of dying fabrics with indigo dye, using resists to create patterns. I bought a kit from Amazon.
For non-quilters like myself, this is how I made my shibori quilt – step by step. If you are an experienced quilter please do share ways to improve the results/process.
How to make a shibori quilt
- Twenty-five 13″ white/cream cotton squares
- Twenty 4 by 13″ strips
- Four 4″ by 75″ strips
- Backing 75 by 75
- Wadding 75 y 75″
- Binding strip
- Shibori kit
- Quilters ruler, cutting mat rotary cutter
- Temporary fabric adhesive
Fold your square white fabric in different ways to create a variety of patterns. I made five patterns on six pieces, for the quilt you will need 25 pieces but this meant I could choose my favourite.
Fabric gathered and held with rubber bands
Fabric folded, and then folded into squares. Wooden squares held in place by rubber bands.
Fabric roughly gathered and tied with string
Fabric gathered and held by rubber bands
The last design I folded as per instructions in the packet.
Once you have followed the instructions and dyed your fabric its time to decide on a layout of your design.
Trim your squares (if needed) to using a rotary cutter, cutting matt and quilters ruler.
Create panel, placing the right side of a white square to the right side of a 4 by 13″ strip, stitch, add a further white square. Repeat until you have five white squares joined by strips of denim. Press. Repeat until you have five strips of fabric.
Join these strips together, laying right sides together.
Once you have finished the top of your quilt create a sandwich of backing, wadding and top. I held mine in place with a temporary fabric spray and quilter pins.
Quilt around the squares using a walking foot. I found it helpful to roll the sides of the quilt to fit in around the foot fo the machine.
Lastly, bind the quilt. As I said earlier I am no expert quilter – to bind your quilt cut strips of fabric 3″ wide. Press wrong sides together. Place the raw edge of the binding along the raw edge of the quilt. Follow this great youtube tutorial for mitred corners.
We had fun trying to photograph the finished quilt, this is my six-year-old holding it up for me!
My quilt is not perfect, my squares are not exact and my edge a little uneven but I am delighted with the result, once on a bed no-one will notice.
Honestly, if I can make a quilt so can you!! It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to have a go and try something new. Reuse what you have.
Your quilt is beautiful!! I love that color. I’m a quilter but have never dyed fabric before. Thanks for sharing how you did this.
Your headboard is pretty.
Hi Vicky, Your quilt is just lovely. I love it. And your headboard is very pretty. I enjoy your blog so much. Have a Blessed day.
This is beautiful! I love shibori. Thanks for the inspiration!
Ooh thank you:) it was great fun although rather messy!
This is stunning Vicki! Love , love, love the design and the fact that you created it from recycled materials puts the cherry on top so to speak, lol! Thanks for sharing Karen x
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love your bedstead … love your quilt.
I think your quilt looks wonderful and I appreciate seeing how to do the shibori dyeing. Thanks especially for the youtube link – I have really struggled with binding but that video makes it all so clear. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
like those blues… (which don’t make you blue!!!)
Hi Vicky,
Love the blue and white! Thanks for sharing the process!
Diane
My quilt group does a Dye Frenzy event every year. I still keep hoping for shibori. LOVE your resulting quilt!!!
Thank you – I think I will be making another!
Oooh, love the fabric after the dying process. It made interesting fabric for your quilt and it turned out wonderful! All a quilt really needs for it to be good is loved. Yours certainly is.
I love that thought “All a quilt needs to be good is to be loved” Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful work with the fabrics. What a great result!
This is absolutely beautiful Vicky, what a work of art. It’s tiny imperfections are what makes it perfect.
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Imperfections are what makes an item handmade:)
Hi Vicky, just to let you know your gorgeous quilt is one of the features at Handmade Monday 🙂
Julie recently posted…Handmade Monday #45
This is so gorgeous! So simple and yet amazingly effective. It looks brilliant decorating your bed!
Thanks so much:) My daughter is eyeing it up – may find myself making a second in time for Christmas!!
So great. In fact, we can make fully use of a lot of things in our daily life. It is loveable that you share this with us.
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Vicky, thanks for sharing. I have had the idea for a similar quilt, but using different shades of blue dye. You have given me the inspiration to finally (after about 20 years in planning) get moving on my own project.
Oh I love this, what a great project!
Your quilt is simply stunning so do not knock yourself for a few imperfections. In fact if everyone was happy with something a bit less than 100% perfect I think the world would be a much better place, happy to accept the home-made, upcycled and reused things earlier generations took as normal! Thank you for adding your beautiful blue tie-dyed quilt to #GoingGreen
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I’m a lover of indigo dyeing too! You can save some time and just dye a duvet cover. It just takes a bit to fold it. I love mine. https://www.madebybarb.com/2017/06/10/diy-shibori-dyed-duvet-cover/
I have always been a green and yellow person as far as favorite colors, but I think I’m entering my “blue” period. Recently bought an inexpensive quilt at the big box store that has large squares and is predominantly blue. I love it! I may leave it on the bed all summer and forget the summer quilt this year. Your quilt is beautiful and I’m saving this in case I get inspired to try it. I can at least use the directions to make a quilt out of material I have on hand if I don’t want to dye fabric. Thanks!