If you have been a fan on Craft Passion Facebook’s page, perhaps you already knew that I just bought a Bernina quilting sewing machine. This trapunto baby quilt blanket is the first project I did with this superb machine I have ever owned.
Before decided on Bernina, I have been eyeing for a good quilting sewing machine with long arm space and durable for my kind of usage, where, I sew from thin to very thick fabric. My departed sewing machine might not heavy duty enough to go through my torture, it gave ways and died on me when I was just started with this baby blanket. I was disappointed and upset because I need to haul off at this early stage of my new interest.
With desperation, I went for a test drive on my friend’s Bernina and when she showed me the Stitch Regulator (BSR), I fell in love with this little gadget the moment I tried on freehand motion with it. Wow… that’s amazing, I never thought that freehand motion can be done so smoothly with so little practice.
The stitch is so perfect that I can hardly archive it with my retired machine. Immediately, I called up our local Bernina and they sent up a B 550 QE to me 3 days later. I was so happy as I was able to continue with the baby blanket for my distant best friend who is expecting a baby boy 🙂 [If you are in Malaysia and would like to know more about Bernina, contact me for reference.]
If you are curious what’s so special about this baby quilt, I used trapunto technique to quilt this baby blanket. The trapunto makes the prints on the fabric “pop up” or inflated to make it looks more dimensional. The technique is quite easy but required more steps and works.
Look at the sun that “float out” off the blanket at the photo below, that’s the effect trapunto quilting is giving. I wish I can show you the before and the work in progress photo, but stupid me, formatted my camera’s SD card before knowing that I haven’t transferred them to my computer. Hope that my descriptions are clear enough for you to understand, otherwise, I will make another detailed tutorial when I finished my kids’ blanket.
Trapunto Baby Quilt
Material:
1. Panel fabric
2. Backing fabric
3. Binding fabric, 2″ wide, slightly longer than the baby quilt circumference [don’t have to be bias cut]
4. High Loft polyester batting
5. Cotton batting
Tools:
1. A sewing machine that able to do free motion quilting and able to lower its feed dog
2. Curved safety pins or spray-on temporary adhesive
3. Ruler
4. Roller cutter
5. Cutting mat
6. Iron
7. Clover 1″ (25mm) bias tape maker (optional)
High loft batting is for trapunto on the prints that you want to make it pops out, and, cotton batting is for the whole baby blanket.
Determine which objects/prints you want to apply for trapunto, cut a piece of high loft batting slightly bigger than the print.
Place the batting at the wrong side of the fabric, under the print. Secure with the curved safety pin and make sure it covers the whole print.
Change sewing machine presser foot to darning foot, if you are using Bernina, change it BSR (Bernina Stitch Regulator). Lower your feed dog. Stitch around the outlines of the prints with thread color closest to the print main color or the outline color. I used grey or blue.
Follow the outlines and free motion stitch 2-3 rounds, don’t worry that you can’t follow exactly. Make sure the beginning and the end thread were overlapped, clip them off near to fabric after you have finished, or, you may bring the thread to the back, knot it and cut.
Turn to the wrong side and clip the batting near to the stitching lines outside the print.
After you have finished trapunto all the objects, sandwich the cotton batting with the top fabric and a backing fabric. The batting should be around at least 1″ bigger than the top fabric and the backing fabric is bigger than the batting. Secure with curve safety pins or spray-on adhesive.
Stipple stitch the area that you want them to “sink”, for these instances, the sky, the sea, and the border. Start from the center and work towards the edges. When you reach the trapunto outline, go around it a little outside of its outlines.
Notice that the cloud, ship and the white part of the sea have no high loft batting underneath them to make the trapunto effect, it give a little raised effect but not as high as those with high loft batting underneath them.
Trim the quilted blanket to the correct size with proper right-angle corners.
Change presser foot to normal sewing foot, raise the feed dog.
To make the 1/2″ binding with mitered corners, follow this video I found on Youtube. Or, follow this photo tutorial at Craft Stylish.
A quilted blanket with trapunto effect is done, faster than I thought it would take.
Thanks to Bernina, I really love this new toy.
Where did you get the Noah’s ark panel? I could not find the same one anywhere.
What a beautiful thing. It may be your new machine is great but it is YOU who is the artist. The little faces on those whales gorgeous.
Thank you, Elizabeth 🙂 I am floating around now 🙂
Where can I buy the panel for Baby’s Boat Ride?
I bought it from a local quilting supply shop, Yee Button. Perhaps you can contact them to see if they still have the stock and able to ship internationally if you are not located in Malaysia. Good luck and happy quilting 🙂
Oh! This is so beautiful! Thanks for sharing with us 🙂
Oh my gosh. Your secret garden is amazing!! I’d love to make it but I have only done one quilt before and have never done trapunto. Can you recommend a youtube video or other instruction to help me learn this technique? thanks
OMG …you are very tallented
I WOULD LIKE TO GET AN UPDATE ON THIS QUILT.
Hi,came across ur website and this lovely baby quilt. I’m planning a kid’s blanket but don’t wish to use batting as it’s too warm for malaysian weather. What do u think using cotton flannel as backing with panel front?
I haven’t done that but it could be a great idea to use cotton flannel 🙂
I will be trying out my BSR tomorrow… Hope I can manage cos I have never done any quilt at all… 🙂 Will we get to see ur new home when it’s done? :p
That’s great, I am glad that you are staring to try BSR!!! I can tell you that you will never look back at ordinary darning foot for quilting.
Of course, you will get to see my new home, I will share it here when it is ready. In future, you will get to see more as I take photos for my crafts 🙂
Super lindooo!!! Muchas gracias!!
Translation (by Google):
Super lindooo! Thank you very much!
wah!that is great!:P
Justsewfun Handicraft, practice with some scrapes and you will master it very soon. I tried BSR2 with hand start/stop button, it is better in controlling since it stops when I stop moving the fabric but I find that the beginning stitch is always taken too long for the needle to start moving. Currently, I am using BSR1 with foot start/stop, the stitches spacing is so perfect now.
Joanne! This blanket is so nice and the composition is perfect! Lovely, I liked it!
You’re so pro….I got problem controlling the BSR…Sigh….
SUPERBE J AIME TROP TES CREATIONS MERCI
Translation (by Google):
J LOVE TOO BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS YOUR THANKS
Wow..tot u were busy wt renovation and you still managed with a beautiful quilt … Cant wait to try it out as I hv 2 panels with me long overdue… Hope I will complete it before my baby outgrow the quilt..
Amelia, you should try this out, I once thought that it is going to be hard on me. Of course, need some practices before I can get along with the free motion controls.
Yup, I am busy with the renovation but nothing stops me from crafting, especially at this time, I need to create more for my new home!!!! Luckily, I have a good Interior Designer to take care most of the renovation designs and works. All I need to do is feedback on her design, feed her my ideas, she will process it can come out with the design. We are coordinating very well so far 🙂
You are very talented. Thanks for sharing.
WOW… I cant take my eyes off this . Its too gorgeous.
great job !!! absolutely adorable! ~~~