As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I used to sew quilts. I enjoy the repetitive quality of patchwork. Sewing patchwork is a zen experience for me, but I don’t have the patience anymore to finish an entire quilt top. I’m also terrible at the quilting part and I’ve discovered it’s quite costly to have the quilting done professionally. I’ve tried making small quilted wall hangings instead, but since I’ve never displayed any of them, sewing more wall quilts seems pretty pointless.

I guess I’m a traditionalist at heart – like my ancestors, I sew quilts for practical as well as artistic reasons – in order to cover beds and stay warm at night, while also exploring my creative side. I wondered if there was a way I could utilize the small amounts of patchwork I have enough patience for, so I decided experimenting with small bits of quilting would be my next logical step.

I pondered making totes like the beauties sewn by Lynne, but I’m really hooked on my needlepoint totes (pun intended), and I wanted to try something I had never done before. Could I somehow combine quilting and refashioning clothing? I decided to give it a try!

I (of course, being thrifty) had saved the excess edges trimmed from my Amy Butler quilt. And I had a thrifted denim A-line skirt that fit well but was really plain and boring. The skirt was a perfect color match for both the top and the backing sides of my trimmed quilt edges. I went through lots of ideas and trial and error and finally I chose quilted circles in order to soften the linear lines of the skirt.

After that point it was super simple to complete my refashion. I just cut out circles from the extra quilt fabric, pinned them on the skirt in a pyramid design pattern, and decorative machine stitched them on. The belt is made from the excess quilt binding sewn into a tube. Goodbye plain and boring skirt!