The first quilt I ever made was for a dear friend-since-college who was expecting her first child. Having never so much as sewn a scrap of quilt fabric in my life, I wanted something that was easy enough to complete in the few months I had and yet, personalized and meaningful to my friend. With the advice of my fabulous (and hopefully guest blogger) mother-in-law, I chose to do a whole cloth quilt with hand quilting. This first quilt consisted of two yards of wonderfully appropriate fabric (a yard of a fancy fish print for the top and a yard of sparkly black for the backing). I sandwiched the two fabrics with my batting and quilted around the designs on the print with sparkly metallic thread. No piecing, no chalking. I got help with the binding and hooray! A beautiful, personalized baby quilt.
Easiest Pattern #1
- * One yard of printed fabric, one yard of solid or complementary fabric for backing.
- * Sandwich and pin, then stitch around the print designs for the quilting.
- * Bind. (Note: you may choose any size fabric! Smaller for dolls or car eats, larger for crib size)
Easiest Pattern #2
An even easier version of the whole-cloth idea is to avoid binding and quilting altogether and simply assemble the layers “pillow-case” style, turn inside out, and then knot. One of my favorite quilts for my son was this style with a fantasic funny computer print fabric.
- * One yard of printed fabric, one yard of solid or complementary fabric for backing.
- * Stack and pin the layers as such:
- Top fabric, print side UP.
- Backing fabric, print side DOWN (pretty sides facing each other)
- Batting on top.
- * Sew three layers together around the edges leaving at least three inches open along one side. Note that batting sometimes catches on the foot, so watch carefully.
- * Trim the edges to 1/2″ from your seam.
- * Reach into the hole you have left, between the top and backing fabric, and grab the opposite seam.
- * Gently pull the quilt inside-out. Your print fabrics should be right side out, and the batting should be inside.
- * Smooth the layers and press the outside seam flat if you wish.
- * Hand stitch up the hole to complete the seam.
- * Now take 2-3 strands of Embroidery floss (or yarn) and knot together the three layers in a grid pattern, at least every six inches.
Easiest Pattern #3
Finally, a pre-printed fabric panel can offer the look and complexity of a pieced quilt-top, or the detail of a framed picture on the wall, without piecing or embroidery at all. Panels come in designs from the wildly creative to beloved trademarked characters such as Pooh and Peter Rabbit. They can look like complete quilts with false patchwork and borders, or they can look like pictures cut out of a child’s book.
Very often, a panel will be partnered with theme fabrics that make selecting backing or borders (should you choose to add your own) easy and even fun. Some panels even provide chalk markings for quilting suggestions.
- * One printed fabric panel, one matching length complementary or matching fabric for backing.
- * Sandwich and pin, then quilt.
- * Bind.
Some tips to consider when quilting a pre-printed panel:
- Study your design. If the pattern mimics piece quilting, be sure to quilt on the faux “seams” to enhance the illusion of piecing.
- If there are areas of blank space within your panel, use those for creative quilting. Sew a “rainbow” for example in the empty sky of a Noah’s Ark panel, for example. Add a quilted carrot to your Peter Rabbit panel. Not only does it make the quilt come alive with the theme, your special child will have fun “finding” those hidden pictures as they grow.
The most important step in creating that very first special Baby Quilt is to just put your foot out! My first quilt was loose, my stitches uneven, the binding a little lumpy. But the little one who received it proved to me the truth of the phrase “It’s the thought that counts.” I had chosen the fabric very carefully and my friend was touched by the theme that was special to our friendship. The little one who loves that quilt doesn’t notice the lumps or uneven stitches. She just knows it was made by someone who loves her. Happy quilting!
Elaine
Elaine
How to make a baby quilt, including tips on fabric, design, binding and backing; get expert tips and advice on making a quilt in this free instructional video.