Denim Birthday Quilt

So delighted to have this done, gifted and out into the world! 

Since I made my first denim quilt back in 2016, I always wanted to have another go at it. Steve's mum mentioned feeling the cold more a few winters back, and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to make one for her. Denim quilts tend to be weighty and warm. 

As with the last one, I used worn out jeans for the denim (and salvaged all the zips while I was at it). All but one pair were donated to me (or from our family), and I bought the last pair for $7 at an op shop. I'd been hoarding the denim for a few years and it felt very good to finally cut into it. 

I actually started cutting the circles of denim at least two or three years ago now, and then they sat in a box under my sewing desk waiting. I knew I didn't have enough and would need to add more as the girls grew out of their jeans or Steve and I wore out of ours. The fabrics for the inside were a mixed bag. Some new from Spotlight, some left over from Sophie's quilt, and some that I just had in my stash. 

Under each square of fabric is a piece of batting that again, I was using scraps up for. I had a stack of obscure cut offs that I Frankenstin-ed together to make the squares, and my mum had a slew of random shaped smaller rectangles that I used up as well. This kind of quilt is perfect for that, since the batting doesn't have to be one huge sheet like a regular quilt would. 

After having this under the sewing desk waiting and in the back of my mind waiting for literally years now, it was so good to get it done! Even though Maria's birthday isn't actually until October, we gifted it early so that she would be able to use it this winter. I feel like I've learnt a lot in sewing in the ten years since I made the first one, but there were still things about this that weren't exactly perfect. Maybe in another ten years I'll give it one more crack.