Did you guess that this was me?
This was my entry in the “fabric round” for Crafting With the Stars!
I love love LOVE how it turned out.
Unfortunately it didn’t get enough votes to make the top three projects, so the contest is over for me.
This whole thing was really out of my comfort zone and at first very intimidating for me.
But I’m glad I did it and I will proudly take 4th out of hundreds of original entries.
The best part is accomplishing a few big projects.
Jenna wanted her room painted and a new quilt for her birthday (in September), so because of this round, I got it done by November. I’m so, not on the ball. Her only requirement for this room was that she wanted turquoise walls. So I picked some fabric with some turquoise in it. I have been “thinking” (procrastinating) about how I could make this room, bright, fun and a reflection of her.
This bed before… not a reflection of her.
She is blessed to have such a happy disposition and is always optimistic.
Her teacher once told me, “Having Jenna in my class is like having a ray of sunshine in the room.”
I have also sung, “you are my sunshine” to her since she was a baby.
So when I found this fabric combination with yellow in it, I knew I had to sneak a little sunshine into her room.
(From top to bottom, the fabrics are: Heather Bailey, Amy Butler, Dena Designs, Free Spirit, Michael Miller, Michael Miller and Dena Designs).
This bed… is much better suited for my sweet girl.
I didn’t use any patterns and kinda made it up as I went. I’m working a little more like Kathryn these days, but I will give you some tips and “how to’s” starting with the quilt.
Since it’s a daybed, I wanted it to be long enough to tuck in on both ends, so I measured how long I wanted it to be. I also knew the length of the fabric would not make it wide enough, so I would need a border. I accounted for this and lined up my strips on the ground. I cut as I went deciding which fabric and width would look best, next. The different strips are 3″, 4″, 5″, and 6″ wide. The length of the stripes was as long as the fabric, with the selvedges cut off. I wanted a random look, so I didn’t go in a particular order. I did this until it was about 80 inches long.
Then I trimmed up all four sides so they were straight and clean, and added my 8″ border.
The quilt top with the border ended up 96″ long and 58 ” wide.
The back was pieced with 3 large pieces of my favorite fabric out of the bunch.
Then I took it to my mother-in-law’s to quilt it. This picture is from my phone, so forgive the quality. If you’ve never used one of these before, you have to try. It’s to fun to hold onto those handles and freehand all over the quilt! Before I had one in the family, I used one at the nearest quilting shop. They would charge $10.00 an hour to use it and help me get it on and off the machine.
Then I did the binding by machine sewing it to the top layer, then slip stitching/invisible stitching it to the back. Hand stitching the binding is the most time consuming part.
I also personalized a message on the border that says, “Jenna, you are my sunshine!”
It’s my sentimental touch that I couldn’t resist. She loves to look for her name in it.
I intended for it to stay tucked in, but it looks good with the border hanging out too.
All of this new bedding has made her give careful attention to making her bed. She does it very carefully and places the pillows in the same order. I’m sure that will wear off in about 5 minutes.
I don’t know if those details help anyone, but I will post some instructions and measurements on the pillows and pennant banner in the next few days.
I have to say that buying fabric is just as fun as using fabric for me!
If you would like a link to where I buy my fabric, I use Kensie Claire Fabrics and Creations!
She always stocks the most current designer fabrics, her selection is endless and the prices are great!
Thank-you to all of you who voted and cheered me on in this little contest.
Especially Kathryn, who I dragged into it, the week of Halloween, making her life crazy!
Cheri, my partner was such an inspiration and a great teacher to me!
Tam and all of the other contestants/stars were so fun to get to know and I’m sure you’ll want to keep going back to their blogs for more crafty fun.
Gorgeous! What a treasure for your sunny girl. Well done, Ashleigh. What a project to tackle!
This is beautiful! Your daughter is precious too!
ataidye original
I guessed right!!
Love the bedding it is so bright and fun, but I am so sad that you both didn't make it to the next round.
I LOVE this bedding Ashleigh! I was so sad to see you go. You did AMAZING!! Thanks so much for being part of Season 1!!! I'll still be blog stalking you to see what else you come up with in the future.
What a beautiful bedding set. You might have not won the competition but I bet your daughter's smile made it all worth it. I have a lot of respect for people who can quilt!
P.S. Love the personal touch, very sweet!
Your project was my favorite. I thought it might be yours, but I'm not very good at guessing. You've done a fabulous job and should be very proud. I'm sad to see you out of the competition, but I'm sure it is a relief at the same time.
Ash! I love this! I love the excited expression on your sweeties face and I love the writing around the edges. I honestly thought that you were going through. It crazy, but at least I got to know you!!
love your guts
mandi
What a beautiful room and that quilt is just sensational, all those cute cushions and the personal note to her on the quilt are so sweet!
Sorry to see your not going through to the next round, but you should all be proud of your efforts to make it this far – congratulations to you!
Sometimes being taken out of our comfort zone is good for the soul!.
Cheers
Nic
This was my favorite project! I didn't know you called Jenna your sunshine. I love how bright and fun it is. I also loved your fabric choices-gorgeous. It was fun watching you guys 🙂
This is absolutely fabulous!!!
I love this bedding its so cute! Good job.
I'm so shocked you didn't win. Yours was by far the best! (And not just because the room was painted my favorite color…but tell Jenna I love her color choice.)
The whole thing was absolutely amazing and is totally Jenna! So perfect!
Actually, I didn't guess this was you, but it is one of the projects I voted for. What a beautiful, happy bed!
LOVED this…and I voted for it, too! Hope you will post the pillow tutorials, I think they are all gorgeous! Such a special gift for your daughter!
Really super incredible. Just cause you didn't move doen't mean your project wasn't amazing.Perhaps people wanted a craft they could tackle and this seemed to hard?
so adorable, the blue walls really make it all stand out too. And the quilting on the quilt is awesome. 🙂
I like how you carried out your theme in the bedroom makeover. Nice colors and fabric choices and love the pillow ideas! Thanks!
You've totally inspired me to create something similar for my almost 2 year old. She'll be getting a 'big girl bed' for her birthday and is going to need something to cover it with.
You have a great eye for putting colors and patterns together.
Thank you for sharing your talent with us!