Keep Your Handmade Quilt Beautiful

This caused most families to start saving bits and pieces of scrap material. It was not uncommon to see bins of random materials scattered in small piles of the early colonial homes as they hoped to gather enough to eventually construct a quilt.

Always wash your handmade quilt in warm or cold water using the delicate cycle on your washing machine. The individual blocks may be made up of slightly different fabrics which will shrink differently. Also, the vibrant colors may fade over time from hot water.

Machine quilting on the other hand, involves a sewing machine to sew the pieces together. In very much the same way, layers of fabric are stacked together, laid-out, batted and backed on a flat surface. They are pinned and the pieces are then moved through a sewing machine. This can be done in block form as in hand quilting or as a large piece. Again, the details are determined on the style preferred and the quilter's experience. This is a much faster process than the hand quilting and often a good place for a beginner to learn with quick results.

Blanket Quilt Applique: Adding a name to this baby clothes quilt can be done at this time by appliqueing the letters directly on top of the clothing or appliqueing the name on a strip of material and then sewing the strip between your rows.

With right sides facing each other, place another rectangle, this time a solid one, over the first rectangle and edges even with side 2 of the center piece. Always cover the previous piece (in this case the first rectangle). Sew from the edge of the previous rectangle to the edge of side 2.

A great way to make a memorable quilt baby blanket gift is to get the whole family in on it. Each family member can make a square or two. You can use cloth markers to inscribe special messages from each member. You can choose to have everyone work on the same type of squares or you can have a mix and match baby quilt with a variety of square patterns. Both are lovely.

The next time you are trying to figure out just what to get for an upcoming baby shower, think of the impression your gift will make if it is personalized. Even if mom and dad have not announced the baby's name, you can still have the child's last name added to any gift you choose. If you decide on a baby blanket, quilt, or pillow, ask the parents what theme they have chosen so you can coordinate your gift.

Baby quilt patterns can be purchased as part of a quilting kit, or LeoBedding found in magazines, books, and quilting stores. It is also quite easy to piece together a quilt of your own design using leftover fabric. You might want to consider using a regular sized pattern, and scaling it down to a smaller size, such as 36 x 45 inches. The size of course is up to you.