Today is a departure from the details of assembly and instead, share how I am convinced that "Baby Quilts aren't just for Babies ... they're for everyone!"
Short story is I messed up my neck and back nerves 8 months ago. I am still in the rehab stage and sewing was off limits for months. This has really shown me how traditional sized quilts may not be in everyone's future, or mine for a while.
When I could sew for a few minutes a day, I began with the Guinevere Quilt Kit from the Fat Quarter Shop. The fabric is Enchanted by Gingiber. Lovely big pieces and an easy to follow pattern from It's Sew Emma (Guinevere).
Next came a scrappy Kaleidoscope with pieces cut using an Accuquilt die. (Go to the sidebar and click on Kaleidoscope for more details).
Lastly, a simple 4 patch made with a Lecien jelly roll and some hand cut 2.5" strips of white Kona.
What used to takes weeks - now took months of slow and go sewing. I started to see the positive aspects of making smaller quilts, and this will be my trend for the immediate future. Smaller blankets tick all the boxes for that mental kick of creativity. Less space is needed for layout, less to clean up, easier to finish and manipulate in the sewing machine. A perfect way to try out different patterns and techniques even at a slower pace.
Good sizes start at 41" to no more than 45" square. A nice size to drape over a chair or couch and not end up on the floor. Big enough to snuggle up with and cover your legs - or chest - obviously they are not going to cover everything unless you are a baby :)
And ... if you want to experiment using minky as a backing - this is the perfect time. Minky is sold at 60" wide - so 1.5 yards of the soft stuff will cover your project perfectly!
Here are some older smaller quilts that fit into this size category. I must have been making "Baby Quilts for everyone" and didn't realize it! So, if you don't know a baby - pick out a favorite adult fabric, find a simple new block and enjoy making yourself a 'Baby Quilt!"
Materials:
Enchanted by Gingiber (Geinevere pattern by It's Sew Emma)
Lecien Retro 30's Child Smile jelly roll
Novelty cottons
White Kona
Warm & White batting
Dimple dot minky: vanilla & midnight blue from Fabric.com
Hawthorne Supply Co. minky: Quartz
Sizes: 41" to 45" square
Date: August 2019
To start the new year here are two scrap mini quilts. This size of 40" x 40" is perfect for a baby, child or to cover your legs when sitting in a chair. Except for some shiny bright white Kona - these quilts are scrappy in every way.
The batting is made up of smaller pieces sewn together.
Trim the pieces straight. Sew with a generous 1/4" seam. Press open. Flip over and zig zag on the flat seam side. Sewing on the front with a zig zag is optional but I do this so the quilts will be ready for lots of machine wash & drys. Also, my quilting is not dense because it's minky on the back and I want that batting to stay together.
The minky backs are a collection of three or four left over pieces - usually different colors. Rotary cut these as straight as possible. Sew right sides together with a 1/2" seam. Iron seams open using a low temperature - minky will melt & distort on high temps.
Turn the minky over and sew on the soft fluffy side with a large zig zag stitch on the seam. This too is optional, but now they can handle lots of wear & tear. Yes, the stitching could be prettier - but it's a scrap quilt and you have saved a ton of money.
Left over binding is sewn altogether and attached as usual.
Two previous posts: here and here will give you specs and information on how I make these scrap kaleidoscope quilts - or go to the right sidebar and click on "Kaleidoscope".
Aurifil 50wt. is my go-to thread for piecing and quilting. There are so many colors with this type of scrap quilt and using white thread goes with them all. The star pattern made by novelty fabrics is the focus - the quilting not at all. I do wavy line quilting on the seams and then down the middle of all the 'triangles' - no marking, just by eye. Easy peasy.
These are going to a grade school with a box of my fabric scraps. The scraps will be used in various art projects. I wanted the kids to see that random colors and designs can be combined to create something beautiful.
Materials:
Novelty cotton fabric / Kona white
Aurifil 50wt. #2024 (white)
Warm & White batting
Dimple dot minky
Accuquilt dies: Triangle-Isosceles 5"x 6" / HST 3" Finished
Size: 40" x 40"
Date: January 2019
It's always exciting to see newly released fabrics and what is 'trending'. The flip side is that over time fabrics go out of print and become "rare". I found the timeless quality of Moda's Thicket worth investing in for future quilts.
You can't beat a baby quilt using these lovely animal panels. The simple black and white designs make it perfect for a boy or girl.
Batting and white minky give this quilt weight but not so much that it feels bulky. Following the seam lines to quilt in a wavy stitch makes a nice 2" grid throughout. Aurifil 50wt. worked like a charm as always for piecing & quilting .
This is my 4th Thicket quilt and the design still feels fresh and current. A previous post here has more sewing details on how to make a baby Thicket quilt.
Shown above is an 'adult' version using lots of small panels. There is a stash of fabric waiting for me to make two more blankets like this. I love these critters and so does my family & friends. For more on this quilt - the link is here.
While Thicket fabric may not be as available as it once was - the artwork of Stacie Bloomfield (aka Gingiber) can be found in fabric lines called Catnip & Savannah. Creative credit for the original baby quilts goes to the talented Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter.
Materials:
Thicket by Gingiber / Moda
Warm & White batting
Aurifil 50wt. #2311 & #2024
Dimple dot minky / white
Size: 38" x 44"
May 2018
Total creative credit (and any other credit you can think of) for these two baby quilts goes to Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter. When I saw her Thicket quilt, it was obvious that she nailed how to use these beautiful black & white modern fabrics.
Yes, I did the cutting and sewing, but Amy was generous in her post to explain how she made her quilt. Judging by all the enthusiastic comments - I am not the only one who wanted to make one (or two) just like hers.
The squares are 2.5" and cut from pre-washed & starched fat quarters. I was worried about any black bleeding so with a few Shout Catchers and a pre-wash I felt better. No bleeding after assembly and final washing.
I sewed the squares first that framed the critters and then cut the panels to that size - my modus operandi because my seams are never mathematically correct and I always need to trim to fit. Amy's quilt was made with a jelly roll - and her method is here.
White minky on the back and quilting on the seams with a wavy stitch in Aurifil 50wt. Muslin (#2311) on top and White (#2024) on the bottom. A new #14 needle and it was fun, fun, fun to make blankets so small.
These quilts represent all that is good in the internet world of quilting. I started teaching myself to quilt in 2012 with no real experience - just a semester of sewing in 7th grade back in the Dark Ages. One of the first blogs I found was Diary of a Quilter and it was love at first read. It is quilters like Amy Smart that in real life & on line, teach, share, inspire and support sewers like myself ... giving us the benefit of their expertise and the tools so we can make quilts ... just like theirs.
Materials:
Design & instructions: Amy Smart / Diary of a Quilter
Thicket by Gingiber for Moda
Aurifil 50wt. Muslin / White
Warm & White batting
Wintergreen Aged Solids Ebony / binding
Sizes: 38" x 44"
February 2017
The fourth, and last quilt to be made with Peak Hour by Riley Blake. With some left over jelly roll strips and a 10" layer cake, I thought it would be fun to experiment making a hexagon pattern.
Here is what worked best for me: for the jelly roll 2.5" strips, the small half hexagon from Missouri Star Quilt Co. worked nicely. For the 10" squares (layer cake) I used Lori Holt's large Hexie Half ruler.
I was very lucky finding a layer cake since this design was released 3 years ago ... and was more short on fabric than I thought. No worries - white Kona came to my rescue to fill out the gaps.
A half hexagon quilt, much like a tumbler quilt, has to be laid out row by row to balance color.
It is easier to see the hexagon shapes when the 'top' and 'bottom' hexi's match, but if you don't have enough fabric - mismatched works fine - as does combining the two different sizes.
The half hexagon templates are fun - the larger size is my favorite as it comes together really, really fast! Quilting was done with Aurifil 50wt white in a loose zigzag, 2" apart - making a beautiful design through the batting and flannel back.
Materials:
Peak Hour / Riley Blake
White Kona
Amy Butler / Sunspots in olive
Aurifil 50wt. white
Warm & White batting
Size: 47" x 54"
July 2015
This herringbone pattern made with half square triangles is so easy and effective for any quilt - not just a sweet baby boy blanket.
Using my Accuquilt 4.5" finished sized half square triangle die, starch, a scant 1/4" seam and small stitches (1.5) - the squares came out perfectly.
This template here from Riley Blake Designs can be saved to your computer and then printed out - making layout very simple.
The best part is that everything is easy to keep track of. Chain piecing only two colors is fun - and using a dainty broken zigzag on the seams didn't take too long since the blanket was so small. For a larger quilt I would recommend a larger zigzag but still in the grid pattern.
Lastly, Riley Blake Blenders (or Shades) add such depth because of their mottled/uneven coloring. I've used this slate gray before in the Fancy Fox and Mustache quilts - and it is so much prettier in real life than any photo can show. For a selection of colors, check out The Loopy Ewe or Stash Addict Quilts.
Materials:
Riley Blake Slate Blender
Kona white
Backyard Baby / Michael Miller for backing & binding
Isacord #40 thread
Warm & White (Crib size)
Accuquilt HST 4.5"
Size: 40.5" x 45"
March 2015
