Some good sites for making a quilt for a baby?

Question

I've decided now in my 6th month I should pick up a more relalaxing hobby and I wanted to make something my little one on the way will have her entire life so I figure what better than a quilt? so,I'm looking for a website with step by step instructions and cute patterns & ideas for making a quilt for a little one! if you have any suggestions on fabrics or textures those are always welcome : ) Thank You!!!

Answer 1

What a great way to welcome the new baby! I love http://www.quilterscache.com for quilt patterns and instructions. http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/episode_archive/0,2019,DIY_15080_390,00.html is also good.

Answer 2

Congratulations! Because this is your first quilt, keep it simple. Simple rows of squares of your color choice, stitched together to the size you desire will be a great place to start. A baby quilt needs to be at minimum, 36"x36". Since you haven't quilted, use a good non-pil fleece to back the top. Lay the fleece wrong side down on the table or floor. Place the quilt top right side down on the fleece. Pin the top and bottom together so that they don't shift or move. Stitch around the edge using a 1/2" seam, remembering to leave an opening of 10". This opening will allow you to turn the quilt right side out . Once the quilt is pressed, hand stitch the opening closed. At this point you may machine stitch "in the ditch" to "quilt" the quilt or easier yet, using a soft baby yarn, tie the quilt at the intersections of the squares or in the middle of each square. In a short time, you will have a finished baby quilt. My best wished to you and your family!

Answer 3

A good site for step by step instructions for quilting is http://www.sewaquilt.com/index.html
I'm a new quilter too and have been relentlessly scouring every resource I can find for ideas for quilts. And am amazed at the amount of resources available. Although I prefer browsing the internet myself, I did buy a book called
Even More Quilts for Baby by Ursula Reikes.
It has some really cute patterns in there and they all quick and easy to make (according to the author).
I am on my 3rd baby quilt since March (each one using just a block, with instructions to make each block from
http://www.quilterscache.com/QuiltBlocksGalore.html
Good Luck.

Answer 4

My favorite baby quilt pattern is called Warm Wishes. It is made from three strip blocks alternated with one piece blocks. I love to choose coordinated fabrics from the same line for the front and use a piece of flannel for the back. Visit a quilt shop, they will be glad to help you get started with a few basic tools, they might offer a beginning quilting class you can take.

The free warm wishes pattern with easy directions is here: http://quiltmaker.com/patterns/patt4/

Answer 5

If you've never made a quilt of any type before, just fair warning, it won't be a "relaxing hobby" if you chose anything that's not fairly simple. It'll probably be fairly frustrating, unless you have a quilting neighbor or relative anyway.

First thoug, there are also a few terms to know about so you'll know just what is is exactly that you're wanting to do.

When people think of "quilting" as a relaxing activity, they're mostly thinking of hand "quilting" a completed "quilt" (confusing, I know).
A basic "quilt" can be made in various ways, but is usually a sandwich comprised of a top, a backing, and a sheet of batting in-between --3 layers. The finished "top" can be a single sheet of fabric (which if it's one solid color, is usually hand quilted to give it texture --and keep the layers from shifting). But generally, and especially for a "baby" quilt, you'll probably want more color and shape. You can still use a single piece of fabric by purchasing a fabric with one large picture on it (a "panel"), or more commonly, you'll want to "piece" many small shapes of different fabric together to make your top.

To keep piecing simple, stick with squares or strips at first (later add triangles).
You could make a "scrap" quilt of many different fabric squares sewed together in a grid in any way that looks good to you, or you could place those fabrics or general colors in concentric "diamond" shapes that get larger as they move out from the center of the quilt (this pattern is called Trip Around the World).

You could also make a top from long strips of different fabrics that are the whole width or length of the quilt, or do some version of an "African quilt" (Google that phrase to see photos).

Another simple pattern would be to make a series of simple "blocks" in the "Rail Fence" pattern (just 3 rectangle strips sewed together to make a square). Then you'd sew those squares together to create a top, alternating their orientations beforehand to create one of several overall Rail Fence patterns (Basketweave, Zig Zag, etc.).

As for putting the 3 layers together, the simplest way is to make an "inside out" or "turned" quilt. You can "tie" that, or you can quilt it by hand or by machine, to keep the layers from shifting in use.

Otherwise, you can sew the layers together around the edges, then put on a binding (Google that too)... there are various ways to do that

Btw, if you want a fluffy quilt, you probably won't be hand quilting or machine quilting (at least very much)... it's too difficult to do those though thicker battings.
If you want to hand quilt for relaxation though, you'll probably end up with a much thinner quilt (which can be beautiful and wonderful for your child, and even sturdier than a tied quilt, but won't be as "cuddly".
I'd suggest a simple, tied quilt for the first few years, then work on a more complex one "for life."

You should definitely go to a quilt store and look through some of their "baby quilt" books to see some of the possibilities though. Then ask them which would be too difficult to do as a beginner. (Many quilt shops have classes for making various quilts too, which would be a great way for you to learn fairly quickly and also be sure to leave the class with a finished quilt.)

Good luck!

Diane B.

Answer 6

flannel is a nice one for little ones. and you can simply make squares, join them in rows, then join the rows, till its the size of a crib quilt, put the batting in and cut a backing to fit, about.com has a lot of quilt patterns, i simply made rows of squares of cute printed flannels for my grand daughters first quilt, sewed a backing to it, bound it with binding, oh i stuck in a baby quilt batting, and then i quilted it on the seams of the squares, nothing fancy , just simply lines, on the seams, shes three now and drags it with her wherever she goes.

Answer 7

in case you utilize minky or chenille or perhaps flannel, it incredibly is going to be gentle , besides the indisputable fact that the 1st 2 are a splash messier to stitch than flannel or cotton. in case you have an area fabric or duvet save, they often have wonderful books or perhaps examples as much as see. you could attempt Joann fabric (or their internet site) for step by making use of step training, yet i've got stumbled on that the cuter types are often in duvet shops. It does not harm to in basic terms do a random seek online for duvet shops or toddler duvet types the two.

Answer 8

check google