Quilt Clip Tutorial

Planet Bowling followers have surely noticed that while there was a nursery sneak peek, there was no official nursery tour. There are a few reasons for that, most notably the little occupant's arrival and the resulting lack of of blog time. And who really wants to look at decor when they could look at those sweet little pudgy cheeks? Another reason it didn't happen is that I was so disappointed with a few key elements of the design that were just poorly executed. For example, I treated myself to ordering the art treatment for the wall instead of doing what I always do, whipping out my paintbrushes and getting creative. The wall "art" was nothing but trouble from placing the order through the point where I gave up trying to get the order fixed and ripped it off the wall last week. But that is a tale for another post.

Today, I'm talking about quilts. Specifically, the beautiful quilt that I bought for Emery's room at no small expense. Most days, it sat folded up on a chair in her room or piled on the floor once it fell off. A travesty, both for the quilt and for the misuse of a key design element. All the quilt clips I could find were just so cheesy. And for $30, I am not paying for a clip with a mass produced chipboard shape hot glued to it. I want something cute that goes with the room and doesn't compete with the quilt. Something that could be used in another way once the quilt is in use on a toddler bed. My solution:

Ta-Da!

I am very proud of myself for coming up with this idea all on my own. And for finding the time to execute it. That alone is cause for celebration.

Quilt Clip How To:

It occurs to me that this looks like a regular clothespin. Fear not, brave reader, this is a special jumbo clothespin. They cost about $2.30 and can be found at Hobby Lobby near the unpainted wood and pre-painted mass produced chipboard shapes. Which you could probably hot-glue to one of these babies and be on your way in about five minutes. I don't believe in easy. I mean, I've heard it exists, but I've not personally witnessed it.


Figure out which side you would like to be the "down" side. Measure about 1.5" from the top and mark the center of the wood.

A note about power tools: love em. My advice for the ladies is to get power tools just good enough to get the job done but not so good that they dissappear into the garage never to be heard from again. Behold the Black and Decker drill. Gets it done (thanks Mom and Dad!) but there is no way Kim is stealing this thing. Now if it were a Makita or even a Dewalt... I also have a decent, but not so great tool kit with a big pink heart painted on it with nail polish. That thing has never been to the garage. Result!


Drill hole.


I didn't photograph this step, but do a little sanding here. Then, head back indoors to coat them with acrylic paint in whatever color you prefer. In a perfect world, I would have primed/sealed the wood first, but with a 13 pound ticking time bomb in her room set to go off/wake up any minute, I skipped it. Try not to get paint on the metal part and if you do, just scrape it off.


Cut out scrap-booking paper to cover the front. You want the paper to be slightly bigger because you can trim it later and it is easier to line it up that way.


It will look like this. Alastair thought my cutting mat would look a little better with his own art on it. Thoughtful, wasn't he?


Now cut the paper where the clothespin hardware runs across the front. Is there a name for that part? Remember, it doesn't matter if the bottom part is now a little too long. You will trim it later.

Next you will need Mod Podge and a Brayer (or credit card). I am a fan of matte modge pod because it shows fewer brush strokes than glossy and if I really wanted gloss, I could do that with the finishing spray later on for a more even application. Gloss shows all flaws, kind of like shiny fabric. Shudder.

Paint a coat of Modge Podge on the wood, not on the paper. You don't need a thick coat or anything, just enough to get the paper to stick.

Then use the brayer to roll out any air bubbles and make sure the paper is smooth. You could use a credit card or maybe a ruler to do the same thing. Just be careful not to scratch up the paper.

Now, go watch a Divine Design or another 30 minute show (Chugginton? Little Einsteins?) so it can dry. Do not paint Modge Podge on top of the paper or it will bubble and wrinkle to high heaven.


When it has dried, carefully trim the edges. At this point, I sand again along the edges parallel to the direction of the edge. That helps the paper really look like it is part of the wood. If you sand off too much paint, do a little touch-up.


Almost there!

Now you are allowed to Modge Podge the tops. I put on two or three coats and follow it up with two coats of a clear polyacrylic sealer when the Modge Podge dries. That isn't a required step, but in my experience, Modge Podge never really dries hard. That means it likes to stick to things like itself so if these ever get moved and are in contact, they can mess up each other's finish. Sort of like siblings. My advice, buy the spray.

That's it! Basically, you drill a hole and Modge Podge. Then voila! Quilt clips. I hung these by hammering a small nail into the sheetrock with another of my tools that makes Kim shake his head in disgust and walk away. That would be my meat tenderizer. It hasn't, I think, ever been used to tenderize meat but has helped hang up almost every picture in the house and build the playroom cabinets.

The meat tenderizer: the best hammer no man with a scrap of self respect will commandeer as his own. You use the flat side of course.

This project is really best suited for baby quilts. You might have to make 30 to support the weight of a full sized quilt and the quilt would be pulled out of shape and distorted, probably ruining it in the process.

But it sure is pretty for a baby quilt, isn't it?

When Emery is using this quilt on her bed, I am going to use these to hold artwork instead by moving them to another location and rehanging them in a vertical line. I could also put a magnet on the back (a very strong one) to make these refrigerator magnets. The possibilities are endless!

If you decide to make some of your own, I would love to hear about it! Happy crafting.