After securing copyrights to use the original design as inspiration for this quilt, and after making a pattern and putting it on my Etsy site in January or thereabouts, I'm delighted to report that I've sold 72 patterns. I'm not sure what is normal for something like this, but for me, this is a blessing. Most of them went to the USA, but some to other parts of the world and to Canada of course. The link to my Etsy store is on this page.
The pattern is about 36" wide, but can be enlarged and made in three panels like this photo. This particular version is about 84" wide. The pattern is also available in digital files, which saves on postage but needs to be printed on a wide printer. A nearby Staples store does that for me.
I've asked those who purchased the pattern to send me a photo of their quilt when it is done. So far, nada, but I'm sure these quilters are at work on it. It is not difficult but does take lots of time.
I'm hoping to offer more patterns soon. I've secured a copyright for an amazing design that needs to be altered to make it 'quiltable' and then I need to make a sample with directions. Lots of work, but it is neat to be able to do this.
Our city has a group called "Basically Babies" that makes one-year layettes for babies in needy families. They accept quilts, so I purchased some panels and am planning to give them to BB. This one is my third so far, a cute lion with cubs. I didn't need to do anything to it except trim and add borders. I put a flange in there too, just for the color. The outer border is about 4.5" and the same rusty color in the shadows on the lions.
Actually, piecing the backing took longer than assembling the front. It will finish at about 44" x 50" — a nice size. Quilting panels is good practice on my longarm also.
Btw, a tip for some: My dryer has two steam cycles that I thought I would never use. However, when I take fabric out of my stash (I don't wash it when I buy it) the wrinkles are heavily impressed... so 20 minutes in one of those cycles 'irons' it perfectly! It probably does a bit of 'shrinking' too. I'll have to do a before & after measurement. This has been a huge time-saver and likely saves electricity too. Give it a try if you haven't already!
For the background on this one, see this post. I decided the only way to figure out how to show my friend the way to make this was by making one myself. I went to the nearest store with kid's clothing and bought a pair of "Frozen" theme pyjamas in a small size, found the necessary fabrics for background and backing in my stash, and started cutting. This was the result. . .
This quilt is about 32" x 50" and was so much fun to make, much easier than it looks. After trimming off the backside and adding a pocket to the top, I pinned and appliqued the pjs to the background, made a sandwich, then quilted it on my mid-arm. The bits left over worked for the binding.
I'm delighted with this one. It is cute (but way too pink for my taste) and some little girl with enjoy it. I've never seen anything quite like it and have to credit my friend for the idea. She is not a quilter so has no quilt police telling her "You can't do it this way." Her version has four pair of little pjs on a background of her daughter's beloved blankies.
