Denim Raggy Cathedral Quilt

 

I somehow managed to accumulate a whole new pile of denim for quilting. It felt like the right time to work on that pile a bit, and I had just the project in mind.

 

I had seen a few examples of cathedral blocks done with flannel set in the centers. I had a collection of flannels that were left from various baby gift projects, which made their colors a bit different than your typical flannel collection but not so childish that they wouldn’t work in a different project. Just bright and upbeat and cheery colors and patterns. Love it! 

 

I cut out the circles first so I’d know how many of those I could get out of the denim I had. That told me how many square patches I needed, and I tried to make sure I had a balanced number from all of the colors I had.

 

I was able to use up the last of a few of the flannels, which was nice. We don’t get much use out of them down here in the desert, so this was a great way to use them up. I debated whether to include batting under the flannel because it adds cushioning but might be too heavy with the denim and flannel. 

 

 Ultimately, I chose to do it. I want this quilt to be heavy and durable and warm. Almost like a weighted blanket.

 

Once I had everything cut out, I started by sewing the denim circles together. I made rows and then sewed the rows together to make a giant denim mat. I loaded the denim patches with the batting and a flannel piece, making sure to keep the colors mixed up. 

 

 I pinned everything down, but realized quickly the pins weren’t going to do much so I adjusted each row as I sewed to make sure it all stayed in place. It was quite challenging and I think I’d find a different approach if I did it again.

 

The last step was to sew the crescent flaps around the edge and it was all done. Because this is a raggy quilt with rough denim edges, each wash will make it softer and add more texture. These pictures are after one wash. I just recently washed it a second time and it made a mess with all the fringes everywhere. The quilt itself looks amazing though! It will get better every time I wash it, I am sure.

It was nice to do the piecework and quilting work all at once, but man was it challenging to work with all that denim. I LOVE the final product and would totally do it again. Now I’m ready to head out for a picnic, and our weather has been just right for that.