Baby Quilts – Traditional or With A Twist

By Beverly Marshall

I am not a quilter in the typical sense, but I love making small coverlets and quilts for babies when I am not making wall hangings. All you need is some cute and colorful fabric. I use a method of fabric manipulation that is just a free form method of quilting on the sewing machine. Just take a plain piece of muslin and piece a collage of sorts on top of it from your cute fabric stash. You can also just take a plain piece of adorable fabric and lay it on top of the muslin without piecing if that is easier for you. Put it in the sewing machine and start stitching with some matching and contrasting thread and just free form the stitches. It’s up to you how you want it to look. Stitch it a little or a lot and don’t be afraid to change your stitches either. Even if you have a very basic sewing machine like I do, you can do a lot with just a zig zag stitch. I can imagine how you quilting pros would be able to make it look unique and different. When you have the stitches the way you want them; throw it in the washing machine. This will shrink and pucker because of all the stitching. Because of the shrinking, make sure you increase the size of piece to allow about two inches of shrinking per side. Put batting underneath and complete the quilt as usual. I have also done wall hangings for people completed in different methods or just left unfinished and raw looking as well. If you have a cute collage for babies or have done some photo transfer work, you can make something customized for the nursery. It would look great on the wall too.
Baby quilt patterns can easily follow any theme you have decided for the nursery. You may decide to include a quilt in your crib bedding plans or find a baby quilt pattern you like and make it yourself. It would be time consuming but the crafty mom to be with nine months will have plenty of time to finish the baby quilt to complete the crib’s bedding suite. Some of the most popular patterns are; ABC blocks in pastels or brights, animal prints of all kind of different animals from wild to domestic, sports themes, butterflies and lady bugs, cowboys and cowgirls, mittens, or use one of the traditional blocks any quilter is familiar with.

Bedding for cribs can be so much cuter when you add a quilt with your selected motif or pattern. Grandma may also decide to make you one which would be even more special and a quilt that will be cherished for generations. Make your quilt traditional or kick it up a notch with some interesting quilting variations. Your baby will stay warm and cuddly under a quilt made by you or someone else special in the family. For more nursery ideas; check out http://www.bedding-4u.com


About the author:
Bev Marshall is a successful freelance writer Aromatherapist and Feng Shui consultant offering guidance and suggestions for consumers buying bedding, mattresses, comforters, bedspreads, and baby bedding. Her many articles can be found at http://www.bedding-4u.comShe gives information and tips to help you save money and make informed buying decisions.





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