How to Make a Baby Quilt

If you know how to sew a straight line, you can make a baby quilt. It will not take long and shouldn't be overwhelming, because you have lots of motivation (imagining a sweet little baby using it), and anything made for a baby is pretty small. Plus baby fabrics are so soft and cute and fun to work with! To make a simple patch quilt, you don't need a pattern. And because you are simply working with squares all the same size, you can be as creative or as regimented as you want. With the right fabrics, the most simple things can be beautiful. Mine is. My heart swells each night when my baby, who is now two years old, tells me "Tuck me in with Soft Binkie."

You can sew by hand or with a machine. It's just a straight seam either way. Hand stitching is better for quilts because the stitches are looser and means the quilt has more give and pieces together a little better. But if you prefer to use the machine (which will go more quickly), just use a looser stitch setting throughout the project. Because these are just general guidelines, your quilt may not be perfectly square. Most homemade things are not. They are beautiful and made with love and are extra special instead of being perfect.

To begin, pick at least three baby fabrics. They are usually combined in one place in the fabric store. Baby fabrics are usually soft knits with baby-oriented prints, solid colors in pastels and primaries, or flowers, stripes, plaids and other all-over patterns. You will need something for the backing, and something for at least three alternating patch designs to make the top. You will also need a roll of batting and a package of satin quilt binding. The quilt binding comes with instructions for applying it, so don't let it scare you. You can also consult your local fabric store clerk if you are having trouble mitering the corners. They are happy to help you with your sewing hang-ups. My quilt used a yellow rosebud print on a white background for one patch design, a yellow and white gingham print for another design, and a green and white gingham print for the other design and the backing. You could use a fourth coordinating fabric for the backing if you wanted. I used a yellow satin binding. You will not use it all, but go ahead and buy a yard of fabric for each patch design and a yard for the backing. This way you have extra fabric if you mess up a square or want to make your quilt larger. Prewash all fabrics.

Begin by cutting out your squares. You can make a template by cutting a piece of cardboard. I made my squares 5". This gives you ½" for a seam allowance on all sides and leaves you with a 4" square design. Cut 16 squares of two fabrics and 32 squares of the third. (My two gingham prints were both 16 squares and the floral print was the dominating 32-square patch.) Then using the two fabrics from which you cut 16 squares each, also cut 34 3" squares of each to make a boarder. Once you have all of your squares cut, you can begin sewing them together in an alternating pattern. The proper way to piece a quilt top together is to make blocks, sewing four patches together in a square, forming the design for two rows at once, four blocks at a time, two blocks for each row. Once you have all of your blocks made, you sew all of the blocks together into rows (made up of two rows), and then sew your double rows together to form your quilt top. I didn't do this, because it can get confusing and be easy to mess up your pattern. Since I was just doing a simple alternating patch design, I just sewed the rows together one square at a time. Starting with the top row, sew one 5" square of each design together in a row. I started with the yellow, then the rosebud, then the green. Continue with your pattern until you have a row of 8 5" squares. Press all of your seam allowances flat. For the next row, continue your pattern but adjust the block you start and end with so that the blocks line up diagonally by pattern with the row you just completed. When you have sewn all of the 5" squares together into rows of 8, you will have 8 rows. When they are all laid out in order, your three different patterned blocks will line up diagonally on the quilt. Press all of your seam allowances flat.

For the border, sew the 3" squares together making a ½" seam allowance, alternating colors. Check periodically to make sure that two 3" squares align with one 5" square each along the four sides of your quilt top. You will sew two short rows of 16 squares each and two long rows of 18 squares each. Press all seam allowances flat. To attach the border to the quilt top, begin with the short rows of 16 squares and sew them to two opposing sides of the quilt top. Then sew the two longer rows of 18 squares to the remaining two opposing sides, sewing across the ends of both shorter rows of 3" squares.

At this point you are almost done. The most overwhelming part of the job is over. Next, to form the backing you can just lay your backing fabric on a table, lay your quilt top on top of it and cut out the backing so that it is a little wider and longer than your quilt top. As you quilt, the top and back will shift and you want extra room on the backing so the edges do not get too uneven. Do the same to cut out a piece of batting the same size as the quilt top. I used two layers of batting for my daughter's quilt because, I told my mom, "It has to last her through college!" Place the batting in between the quilt top and the backing, making sure the right sides of both top and back are facing out. Secure each square to the batting and backing with pins.

Now it is time to quilt your project. Quilting is what secures the thing together and gives it that fluffy, quilty feel. If you are quilting by hand you will need a quilting hoop, or at least a large, sturdy embroidery hoop. Using quilting thread, simply stitch in the ditch around all of your patches. Just sew straight lines along each row and each column in the quilt. Sew through all three layers (top, batting, and back). Your threads will show through the backside of the quilt so try to make sure the thread you are using is a color that blends with the backing fabric, and try to keep your stitches straight and small. Don't worry about any reasonable imperfections, though. The handmade look is part of the quilt's beauty.

Once the quilting is done, remove the pins. Your quilt top is now secured to the back. Trim any uneven edges. Now it's time to attach the quilt binding and you will be finished. Satin quilt binding is a great touch because babies love satiny-feeling things and this will make the quilt extra endearing. If you don't want to use quilt binding, you can make the backing of the quilt two inches longer than the quilt top and batting and simply fold the backing over the edge of the top, turn under the raw edge, and stitch, mitering the corners. If you are using binding, remove the binding from its package and unfold it along its main crease. Leave the turned under raw edges folded. Sew the right side of the binding to the right side of the quilt backing, mitering the corners. Then fold the binding over on its crease. Sew the right side of the binding to the top side of the quilt, mitering the corners. Using a whip stitch, secure the edges of the mitered corners together.

It's done! You should have a beautiful, soft, fluffy, fairly square baby quilt. To give it the final touch, wash the quilt and run it through the dryer to fluff up the batting inside each patch on the quilt. It will make the quilting more defined and each patch will really pop. Over time with use and washings the stitches will relax more and the quilt will lose its stiff, just-made look and feel. Don't be daunted. If you have any sewing ability at all and any interest in making a baby quilt, you can do this. I figured the whole thing out in my head during the stressful week of waiting for the day to induce the birth of my baby. If I can do that, you can follow along in the instructions. Have fun! I hope your special, sweet baby becomes very attached to your work of love and art!