Springy Striped Rag Quilt

I think sewing has become my form of therapy.  This sewing project has brought all these self-revelations to the surface.  I've noticed that I like to attempt sewing projects that are a bit beyond my current set of abilities.  I like to try projects that challenge me and force me to learn something new.  I have also found that I work obsessively to complete projects.  I hate the idea of leisurely stretching the project out - I want to work on this single-mindedly until it's done.  I worked on this quilt all through the weekend, stopping only for sleep and Sonic drinks!

I found this project at Do It Yourself Divas and I thought the baby blanket was adorable and then I saw the striped springy colors and I was obsessed!  I loved the look and wanted to make a bunch in pretty spring colors, just like they did.  Luckily, I decided to just start with one.  It was definitely more time consuming than I expected.

Here are things I loved about this project.  First I got to use my new rotary mat and cutter. 

Since it was my first time using one, there was a learning curve, but it was perfect for cutting out the various strips needed for this project.  I did that Friday night while watching Private Benjamin. 

 

I really like the rag quilt look and had been wanting to try to make one.  Both my niece and my nephew-on-the-way received one as a gift and they're so adorable, I wanted to do a practice one to see if I could make one.

 

 

I've been afraid of making binding out of fabric - it seems so confusing.  So up to now I've used bias tape or self-binding fabrics.  The blog above posted a really great YouTube video with instructions on how to make your own binding.  I think I'll get better with practice, but it feels good to have done it. 

 

 

Now we get to things I did not love about this project.  I lost three needles during this project.  Two broke and one is lost somewhere inside my machine...  Apparently the layers of flannel is hard on needles.

Cutting the little fringe was a LOT of work.  I did half while watching Argo and talking to my mom and the other half while catching up on Community but it really hurt my hands. 

 

 

 

 

The washing process opened a whole new set of problems.  Fringe got everywhere - it stuck to my washing machine walls and filled my dryer lint trap and settled on the ground in the laundry room.  Also, several of my rows came apart in the washing machine, so I had to do a lot of re-sewing.  Finally, you know those little fuzz balls that form on sweaters?  They covered the blanket after washing and wouldn't come off until I went over the entire blanket with one of these fabric shavers.

But overall, I had fun doing this and I was really proud of myself for the accomplishment and I love how it turned out!  What springy color combination would you use for a blanket like this?