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The Rainbow Matrix Picnic QuiltI've got to love a quilty request and how could I say no to this one? My daughter, Ella, requested a picnic blanket with a waterproof backing to take on her adventures. I've made smaller versions with waterproof backings, like little changing mats but nothing quite so big, so I thought what a great excuse to test it out. I must say, despite my reservations it worked well. I'm not sure how waterproof the fabric is now it has holes punched in to it with the needle, but I'll settle for more waterproof than a traditional cotton and call it a win!
fancy making one click the download link for a PDF of the pattern, it's free too, so lets spread some rainbow love! |
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So here you go, this is how I made the slightly over the top Rainbow picnic blanket .
First step was to come up with a design for the front, and as I'm a little bit rainbow mad I delved deep in to my minds sketch book and pulled this one out. I don't know if you are like me and are constantly thinking of designs, but I swear my mind is now full of mostly half finished quilts. Ella loves a rainbow too, so this felt appropriate and I've also been obsessed with 'cheats nine-patch' so I could combine the two nicely. The quilt is made of 6 different blocks, all nine-patches, so its a great quick project, if you cheat. I love a quick cheat, or efficient process as I would have said in my old job, anything to skip the long bit. |
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Backing and Quilting
I made this quilt with a waterproof fabric which I got from Profabrics, it's called 6oz PU Coated Nylon and is very like a medium weight Ripstop. It worked really well as it wasn't sticky like some waterproof fabrics can be. You can also get it in lots of colours which is a bonus. I basted the quilt in the same way as usual, using spray baste, I'm not sure how pins would work as they would puncture holes in the waterproof side, but spray baste worked really well. It was quite interesting (for a quilting nerd) to see the spray on the waterproof fabric, its really fibrous, which I hadn't appreciated.
I thought quilting this would be a real challenge, but to my delighted surprise it was fairly simple. As the waterproof fabric wasn't sticky it slid through my machine really nicely and the walking foot kept everything together. I did choose to quilt it simply as I didn't want to mess it up half way through :) I went with diagonal lines going through the centre of the blocks and then back the other way to create a cross.
I made this quilt with a waterproof fabric which I got from Profabrics, it's called 6oz PU Coated Nylon and is very like a medium weight Ripstop. It worked really well as it wasn't sticky like some waterproof fabrics can be. You can also get it in lots of colours which is a bonus. I basted the quilt in the same way as usual, using spray baste, I'm not sure how pins would work as they would puncture holes in the waterproof side, but spray baste worked really well. It was quite interesting (for a quilting nerd) to see the spray on the waterproof fabric, its really fibrous, which I hadn't appreciated.
I thought quilting this would be a real challenge, but to my delighted surprise it was fairly simple. As the waterproof fabric wasn't sticky it slid through my machine really nicely and the walking foot kept everything together. I did choose to quilt it simply as I didn't want to mess it up half way through :) I went with diagonal lines going through the centre of the blocks and then back the other way to create a cross.
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An update on the life of a rainbow quiltI'm happy to say that two years later the picnic quilt is still going strong and getting plenty of use. It is owned by my 21 year old daughter now, so is enjoying lots of park picnics and Peroni. Or as we called them in my day 'liquid picnics'
Don't forget to download your pattern if you fancy making one and tag me on instagram @paulasteel.quilts |
