All You Have To Know About Nursery Bedding
String quilts made by women in Gee's Bend, Alabama, and Mid-western Amish communities, have become an art form. Their stringed blocks are often square in shape or close to it, with one above the other. Sometimes sashing strips divide the blocks. The Amish string quilts can look like stacks of small squares. This pattern is named Coins.
The best fabric for simple quilt patterns is 100% cotton because it minimizes seam distortion, presses crisply, and is easy to quilt. Good simple quilt patterns specify quantities for 44/45" wide fabric unless otherwise noted. You'll need to allow for a little extra yardage to accommodate minor cutting errors and slight shrinkage.
Blanket Quilt The method above uses machine embroidery on relatively small quilts. Larger quilts can be done the same way or may be quilted with machine embroidery by individual quilt blocks. Experiment to decide which method is easiest for you and remember that the machine embroidery quilting method may change with each unique project.
When you are in the midst of selecting the blankets, you must avoid those poorly made products. You are reminded to choose products which come with high threat count. In order to minimize down leakage, you need to get a blanket with a thread count of at least 220. At the same time, you are reminded to focus on the stitching. It will be better for you to pick those blankets with regular V stitching, box stitching or quilt squares. Besides, it is also important for you to feel the materials personally when you shop around. Don't be shy to test the products. You are advised to feel the blankets with your fingers and play with the materials. If possible, you should hold each blanket against your face to find out how soft and warm it is before you purchase. Make the selection carefully.
There are many sewing tips that quilting experts would pass on to a novice, who may just be starting out, possibly making their first quilt. Here are some important quilting tips: Sew seams carefully, so that you match each corner and every triangle tip is pointy. You can save time and increase accuracy by chain sewing your pieces together. Your piecing will improve if you take the time to press your quilt blocks as you make them. Pressing is an extra step in the quilt making process , but one that will payoff when your block fit together, nest, just like they should. Make sure that you are sewing an accurate quarter inch seam allowance for your quilt blocks. If this allowance is not precise, when it is time to sew the blocks together, they will not align properly.
Shortly after her death I came across the quilt that she made for my mother a few years before losing her eyesight. Suddenly it began to dawn upon me. When I looked at the quilt, I did not see a blanket. Instead, I saw a scrapbook made from material. It was as if, by looking at the quilt, I was paging through my family album. I remembered the times when we baked cookies with my mother, the times when my sisters and I played with our tea-set, the first "Superman"-movie I saw with my dad, my first day at school, the visits we had with our grandparents and many other special memories. Each memory was carefully interwoven into this quilt.
At this point you are ready to either hand quilt or machine quilt your baby shower gift. Place the backing fabric right side down on the floor or large clean area. Put the batting down next. Place the pieced quilt on top of the batting right side up. Pin the fabrics and batting together starting from the center and working out. I recommend that you stretch all three layers before pinning. Using an old table and some large butterfly clamps, stretch your blanket securely in place to the table before you pin the layers together. Also there are curved quilting pins available at the quilt shops that will make the pinning task easier to complete, due to the shape of the pin. They are rounded at the bottom and perfect for the task.
If you are better with a needle, you can quilt a blanket. Quilting is a little bit more complicated, unless you've done it before and are good at it. You can shoot for fleece cloth and make soft blankets or regular fabric and go for crazy colors and patterns. If you aren't good at quilting, you can even just take an ordinary blanket and embroider it yourself with the baby's name or a personal message.
