How to make an easy baby quilt today

Photograph by Annie’s. Used with permission.

How about a fun baby quilt as this week’s inspiration? If you want to learn how to make an easy baby quilt today, my pattern In My Heart may be just what you need.

I made it with the beautiful Riley Blake Designs fabrics from the Dolly collection. I have just received the quilt back from Annie’s and my husband loved it – he had not seen this one yet. It measures 36″ x 36″, a perfect size to let the baby play on it on the floor, to cover the baby on the stroller, or to wrap around him or her.

I free motion quilted it with hearts, straight lines, and fun motifs so the machine applique’ hearts would really pop. The applique’ and the quilting were done using Aurifil 40wt threads.

As a beginner, you may also be new to free motion quilting. So, I suggest you just go around the hearts, again to make them pop, and then use the walking foot to stitch straight lines on the center, beginning at the corners with diagonal lines, and adding the other lines at 1″ or 1-1/2″ intervales on both sides of the first lines.

It is worth it to invest on a walking foot if you do not own one. It handles thick layers very well which is what you want when stitching the quilt sandwich.

When I first began quilting  my quilt tops I marked all the lines before stitching over them. This is an option which may make you more comfortable and it worked very well for me.

How to mark a quilt

• Use regular pencil if you will wash it before using it or giving it away.
• Use a tailor’s chalk or chalk pencil and remove the lines afterwards by gently rubbing a wet cloth over them.
• For more intricate designs, trace the design on Golden Thread paper, pin it to the quilt block, stitch over the lines and then remove the paper (all of it! It is not ‘charming’ to leave any bit of it on the quilt top). I have a tutorial on how to use this quilting paper that may help you.
• Use quilting stencils and ‘Pounce‘.

Here are some of the fabrics I used on this quilt:

Aren’t they gorgeous? The colors and prints were very cute in the hearts. Of course, use novelty fabrics or any favorite collection you like. This easy baby quilt pattern is Fat Quarter friendly, too. You can also customize it for a boy, or to match the nursery decor.

The quilt has a cool vintage look to it and will look even better once it is washed and all wrinkly. Many quilters wash the quilt before they give it away – I don’t. I think it is only because I was never told to do it… Plus, since I make a lot of quilts for magazines, I cannot wash it because the block details and the quilting motif show better on photograph when the quilt has not been washed yet.

However, to help a new mother you may want to wash the baby quilt with mild soap and dry it on delicate.

In My Heart has just been published in Annie’s Catalog (online) as one of their exclusive patterns and can be found at Annie’s Craft Store.com. You can download the PDF version, get your fabrics, and then show your friends how to make an easy baby quilt today.

Here is hoping you have a fantastic week!