Totoro Pixel Quilt (#47)

As a long time fan of Hayao Miyazaki, imagine my delight when I found a pixel/graph of Chu Totoro - the medium blue spirit from the anime classic My Neighbor Totoro.

After all the fun I had making a pixel Darth Vader quilt - I knew I could adapt this great bead pattern from the We + Me = Made (it) together blog.

 Left is the bead pattern, right is my little blue Totoro from 1993 ... a perfect match. Like all pixel quilts adapted from cross stitch, knitting or bead patterns - simple and small is best - too complex and the quilt is too large and the image gets lost.

My secret weapon this time was getting an Accuquilt 2.5" square die. Yes, a few threads get caught in the die - that happens in all their dies. Starch and multiple layers of fabric worked best. Time saved, accurate squares and overall fun outweighed snipping a few threads after each pass.

My on-line fabric source for this quilt top was the The Loopy Ewe. They have a great selection of fabrics but their option to buy a linear cut or fat quarter sealed the deal. Being able to have just a FQ instead of a half yard or larger makes quilts like this very affordable. 

I used Riley Blake's Basic Shades because of the subtle distressed look, and a black dimple dot minky on the back to compliment the dark cartoon outline.

 All piecing and quilting was done with the versatile Aurifil 50wt. Dove #2600 in a 3" diagonal diamond pattern, using a wavy stitch. To give the quilt a more pixel 'feel' I used 2.5" squares throughout instead of areas where larger pieces could be substituted.

(My Dad was a great supporter of my sewing & crafty pursuits. Luckily, I finished this quilt top a few days before he passed away at age 92 and was able to share this one with him as well ... I am going to keep this quilt for me.)

Materials:
We + Me = Made (it) together blog
2.5" squares: Blue: 226  White: 96  Black: 200  Background: 587  Brown: 17  Orange: 61  Grey: 19
Riley Blake Basic Shades: Granite, Cobalt, Peach,Tan
Aged Solids in black / 3 Sisters for Moda
Kona: White
Architextures Crosshatch in Shadow / Robert Kaufman
Aurifil 50wt. Dove #2600
Warm & White batting
Dimple Dot minky: black
Size: 59" x 76"
January 2016

Darth Vader Quilt (#44)

Making this pixel quilt of Darth Vader was great fun.  The pattern comes from WS Kane Patterns on Etsy where she provides clear instructions for fabric requirements and multiple grid templates for you to download (and mark up to your hearts content!)

I used small post it notes to isolate 5 rows up & 5 rows down - and then assembled these larger squares together, working from the top of the pattern to the bottom.  For me, it was easier than working left to right, row by row.  

There are multiple patterns from cross stitch, knitting, crochet and bead sites that you can use to make a pixel quilt (or search '8-bit pixel quilts' and of course, Pinterest for ideas) - although you have to be careful that the design is not too wide or long to accommodate a 2.5" square.  Too large and your quilt will be enormous.  This Darth Vader template was perfect in its dimensions.

Quilting was done using a 3.5 straight stitch length in a 3" diagonal grid. Using Aurifil 50wt. medium grey #1158 and light grey minky on the back - the darker image of Darth Vader stays the focal point.

What made this so enjoyable was letting go of perfection expectations ... I threw all the little black & pepper Kona squares into a big box and did the random pickup method with my eyes closed ...  I washed, starched, ironed and cut as carefully as possible these little squares - and still, I was a little off on a few!

Do these 'mistakes' mean the end of pixel quilting ... no way ... pixel quilts are on my bucket list!
 A very cool website that allows you to make a pixel pattern from your own image is: KnitPro

{ Update: finished another pixel quilt, the little blue Totoro - here.}

Materials:
WS Kane Patterns / Darth Vader
Kona white, ash, black & pepper
Architextures Crosshatch in Shadow / Robert Kaufman
Mirror Ball Dot in onyx - Michael Miller
Mini Confetti / Dear Stella
Minky dimple dot / silver or light grey
Binding: Aged Solids in black/3 Sisters for Moda 
Aurifil 50wt. Dove & Medium Grey #1158
Size: 60"x 76"
October 2015