Baby Quilts – Cut with the Silly Baby Pictures Already

Look, the days of putting silly images on baby quilts is now over — it’s official. Simple pastel colors and designs are just the ticket — they look good around the house and it will be something your child is much more likely to treasure as they take it on to their own children. You can even get creative by using yours babies foot print, as long as it’s subtle.

Here are Some Tips on How to Make it Happen

DESIGNING THE SQUARES

Design a square with baby in mind. Make it pretty yet fun and not too bold or bright. After that, just start duplicating. Remember… on some squares include embroidery of something about your baby — name, date of birth, etc. And including their footprint is a great idea.
Any information can be included — one just needs to get creative and think about what “you” (after you grew up) what type of baby quilt you would be willing to keep around and display forever.

Each square will be about 7 in on a side. Therefore, you should make a design that is no larger than about 6 in, so that nothing in the design gets lost during sewing.

Most baby quilts require 28 to 70 squares. The required fabric will need to meet these requirements: Large enough size 32 to 75 squares to cover any mistakes. The actual yardage will depend on the width of the fabric you choose. For the 25-28 square size you will need approximately:
if 36/38 in wide, 2.0 yards
if 44/45 in wide, 1.5 yards
if 58/60 in wide, 1.25 yards
if 108 in wide, 3/4 yard

These amounts include an average amount of “mistake allowance” in them, for shrinking, mistakes, etc. But if you are really worried about goofing up, get another 1/4 yd.

Recommend you use 100% cotton because it wears well and is comfortable and few babies are allergic to it. Fabric blends are not recommended. Make sure to pre-wash the fabric before you get started on construction.

Remember to wash, dry, and iron before you cut and decorate your baby quilt. This removes chemicals and will reduce future shrinkage and color bleeding. Pre-wash any batting also.

For hand prints or writing, what you need will depend on what you designed you can use paint, transfers, rubberstamps, embroidery or fabric pens. All of these items are available at most craft stores.

Details on assembling your baby quilt will be added later.