Make It More Personal With Custom Blankets

Today, quilters use several designs and styles in their own pieces. Some are imitation from ancient designs. Some have an ethnic effect. Some are either modern or post-modern-inspired styles. There are many to choose from and in all degrees of complexity.

If you have decided to crochet a baby blanket gift and are new to crocheting you are in for a treat when you hit the yarn store. Yarn comes in so many textures, colors and fabrics now it is unreal. You can get the softest yarn that will make a soft and beautiful baby blanket. You can choose from soft wool, chenille and cotton can be very soft and fluffy.

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.

Quilting can be done by oneself or enjoyed in a group setting. However you choose, you will find it immensely rewarding. Where your creativity can be expressed in designs and patterns.

Another way to make a memory quilt is to use all new fabric with a different approach. You could make each square a representation of some part or event of a child's life. Each square would be embellished by applique, embroidery, scanned pictures, iron-on letters, fabric paint or whatever you like. You could ask important people from the child's life to contribute a square or two and to sign their square with their name.

Blanket Quilt 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.

For a crazy quilt, large or small, you should work on a square or rectangle of muslin or plain fabric. Working 12" or smaller is recommended so that the piecing is easier to handle.

Creating any type of quilt requires planning and arranging items in the perfect order. While baby quilts can range in complexity of appearance they often require as much work as a full sized quill. There are five key steps in planning and making the perfect quilt.