Creating A Crochet Baby Blanket Gift

According to my mother and many experienced quilters, in order to pass the quilting rule, you must be able to put no less than 10 stitches on your needle before pulling the thread through all the layers and moving to the next needle-full. This, believe me is not to be taken lightly, is not an easy task but for the trained quilter, it is an automatic function.

Turn and press this rectangle over the seam allowance, again pressing away from the center piece. Trim the seam allowance close to the stitching line.

Just as with many string and selvedge edge quilt blocks, women took the cigar ribbons and arranged them to form designs. The blocks were usually square, with strips laid in log cabin designs, on the diagonal, or in quartered designs. The color would add another dimension as the secondary pattern that formed when the blocks were sewn together.

Some ideas for a baby blanket for a boy would be to use outlines of footballs, airplanes, trucks, trains, etc., for your quilting pattern. The hardest part of your job will be re-hooping fabric and pushing the "start" button!

When you store your handmade quilt in a closet or drawer, if you feel the need to wrap it up in something, use tissue paper rather than a plastic bag. Storing it in a plastic bag for a long period of time may result in yellowing and discoloration.

Blanket Quilt Place a few straight pins at random places on the surface of the quilt. (Anywhere but on the lines.) This will keep the pieces from shifting during sewing.

Keepsake Kit and a Blanket A unique baby blanket gift, that will stand the test of time is to add a keepsake with the baby blanket. You can use a baby footprint kit, or a handprint kit, or tins for their first lost tooth or clip of hair from their first haircut. This is made even more special if you have the baby blanket personalized with the baby's name.

Continue sewing additional fabric rectangles to sides 3, 4 and 5 of the center piece. Note that new angles can be created as you go, and excess length can be cut off. Trim any rectangles that extend beyond the foundation fabric even with the edge of the foundation fabric.