DIY Hello Kitty Patchwork and Embroidery Quilt

This Hello Kitty quilt is the epitome of slow sewing. I had to search the archives to find when I first started it. February 2013. So this has taken almost 8 years from start to finish. A very slow project indeed.

It’s also a reminder that projects sometimes have a season. When I started this quilt, a 5 year old Summer was besotted by Hello Kitty. I wasn’t an experienced enough parent at that point to work out that these passions often burn hot and fade fast in small peeps.

I traced the designs from free colouring pages sourced from a quick internet search. After resizing them to the right size, I backstitched the outlines in hot pink embroidery floss on a cream cotton background.

I don’t mind admitting that this design is not an original idea. I found the inspiration on Pinterest. And shamelessly recreated it.

Ma sewed the patchwork squares. Sadly I have no idea what the fabric is, but I do recall it was one of those co-ordinating fat quarter bundles. The block is a version of Puss in a Corner.

Ma also constructed the quilt top. It only took a couple of months for us to complete the top. But by this time Summer’s infatuation with Miss Kitty had petered out, and so the impetus to finish the quilt did so too.

Last year my plan to reduce the yarn and fabric stash, if only by a little, wasn’t particularly successful. I’m keen to make more headway this year. And to clear some languishing projects too. This quilt was top of the list. Finishing it feels like such a good start to the years sewing activity.

Whilst I had the backing and interlining required to finish it already in the stash, I needed to buy thread and binding fabric. Thread was purchased in person before we went back into lockdown. The binding fabric was ordered online.

Much as I love ordering fabric online, it’s a bit hit and miss. The binding fabric, when it arrived, was lovely, but the colours were too crisp for this project. So I stained it with tea to dull the brightness a bit. It was a success, and has held up to machine washing on completion of the quilt.

The actual quilting is just simple straight lines around all the patchwork sections. I didn’t want to quilt over the embroideries, so have left those undone. Much as I love the texture you get from an all over pattern, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make to let the embroidery designs shine.

The one thing I would do differently is not use the automatic knot function on my machine. Because I’ve used a cream thread for the top and pink for the back, the cream thread shows up on the backing just a little.

I originally planned this quilt with a small peep’s bed in mind. Now it’s the perfect size for a sofa quilt for a now not-so-small girl. Thankfully, she’s happy to be seen with Hello Kitty again.

Seasons.

Thankfully.