Train Panel Quilt

                                                      
                                                          

My son is mildly obsessed with trains, so when he came with me to Spotlight at Everton Park to purchase some backing fabric (for different quilting project); I knew that I had to purchase this train quilt panel to suppress my guilt for yet again dragging my child to the fabric shop.

The train cot quilt panel was $15.00, so not such a bad deal.

 The trickiest part has been being mindful of when I want to work on it (often when he’s in bed asleep). As on one occasion I have had little hands trying to grab at it from under the sewing machine whilst I’m still working on it.

This isn’t such a huge project, but still I’m still glad to finally have it finished for my son to enjoy.

Of course now I wish I’d made it a single bed size instead of just cot size; as it would continue to be a more functional quilt, instead of just another play time blanket.

 The quilt measures 33.5 by 42.5 inches, or 86cms by 108.5cms. The backing is left over pirate/treasure fabric that I have previously made a library bag for my son with last year. (see blog post from Feb 2012) This fabric was originally earmarked to be the backing of my son's first single bed quilt (see blog post from April 2012), but last minute I decided upon using another fabric instead.

I’ve quilted a basic grid on the quilt in a blue cotton thread, before heavily quilting other random areas of the quilt, with colours that blend into that section.

 I have quilted the trees with green thread in random sewing style. It’s become more of a practical way for me to practise the quilting attachment for my machine more than anything. I’ve also quilted the trains and some of the carriages.

 I was originally going to continue quilting this one until I’d used a range of different coloured threads and sections on the quilt. But I did have a very impatient little boy asking me when I would be finished with his quilt as he needed his new train ‘blankie’.

The wadding is bamboo. I think I’ll always end up using in every quilt that I make from now on as it’s the ultimate in wadding. It’s a renewable resource, it’s hot or cold when you want/need it to be and it’s just so amazingly easy to quilt with.

To make the quilt sandwich I’ve used my favourite tried and tested method of spraying the 501 spray and smoothing the fabric on to the wadding. I’ve learnt to always do this on an old sheet as the one time that I haven’t I’ve had to use sugar soap and a scrubbing brush to remove the sticky residue off of the floor.

It’s just much easier to throw down an old sheet, then wash said sheet in the washing machine afterwards.

The binding is an orange and white striped print, which is actually poly cotton; thankfully it didn’t stretch too much loose its shape. I’ve just machine stitched the binding on as I was in a hurry to finish this project due to a very excited little boy asking me when I would finish off his train quilt. Usually I love to be able to tack on the last part of the binding my hand.

I would make this type of quilt again (and recommend others too as well) if I was setting out to make a cot quilt with very little time available to me. The quilt top is done, so it makes the whole processes quicker than designing, cutting, sewing (piecing) a quilt top.