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Monday 22 March 2010

Keyboard Quilt border panel - help me - I've crossed over to the Dark Side!!!!!

I am feeling like I am such a clever clogs. Here is the beginning of a wall hanging I'm making for my Dad's 80th Birthday. I should have plenty of time to stitch it, because his birthday is April 26, but as we are having a family gathering on Easter Sunday...it narrows the time I have to play with it.
I found a panel that had 6 musical instruments featured. I've saved the saxaphone, guitar, drums, piano and french horn for another project in the future (as you do), and used the panel featuring the trumpet. I don't have much other fabric to match, but I did know that I wanted to make a piano keyboard border on the bottom. I purchased 30cm each of black & ivory cotton.
I googled and searched everywhere for hints how to stitch a keyboard, but couldn't find exactly what I wanted, so dragged out the graph paper.....
I did not want even spacing between the keys - if you look at a keyboard, the white keys are wider than the black. I did not want to use applique - I knew what I wanted...
I cut the black into 1.5" x 4" strips. Then the ivory strips...1.25" x 4" and 0.75" x 4". These were placed in a row, so that I knew which pair to pick up. I also cut out of the ivory 1.75" x 3" strips. These are the bottom section of the ivory keys.
It would be important for the seams to match - and using an idea that I had seen in books and on the web, cut a small rectangle of plastic from an ice-cream bucket lid and attached it to the base of my sewing machine with double-sided tape. This gave me a guide so that I would have constant - proper 1/4" seams on all. I feel this was one of the cleverest things I did all night!
I started pairing up black/ivory strips, chain stitching. No pins needed, because 4" is finger friendly!
Then I pressed it - all white seams towards the black and all the pairs of white keys seams pressed open flat. I also stitched all the 3" strips together, making a long strip 3" wide.
Then I resorted to pinning the seams - here it was important they all matched.......and they did. So I stitched the key strip to the ivory strip..... and suddenly... here is is.......
Makes you almost feel like playing it - doesn't it????
More pictures as I progress on this one

5 comments:

Nic said...

That's so clever - it looks great!

Lainey said...

Bronny that looks amazing. I bet your Dad will be thrilled with it. My Dad will be 80 in April too.

Bette said...

I think you dad will love that. You've done a wonderful job on it. BTW, I've left you an award over at my blog if you're interested.

Karen said...

I made it finally. ;-0
Textile or fibre artist always, not a quilter, remember that!!
You done good girl, looks really impressive.
Now just combine the threads bit with the fabric bit and you will be complete - rofl.

pegschr said...

Did you ever make a quilt out of the piano keys? I would love to see a picture of the finished product:-)
pegschr@yahoo.com
Peggy