How to Quilt>Applique Baby Quilts

Applique Baby Quilts

Applique and Quilt the Blocks for Your Baby Quilt One at a Time

Now You Can Travel and Not Give Up Any Quilting Time - or Finish Each Block Easily One at a Time Without all of the Bulk of a Quilt

Have you ever taken a long car trip, gone on a cruise, or had a bunch of appointments and wished that you had a portable quilting project?

Or you can finish your quilt without the hassle of working with all of the bulk using this Quilt as You Go technique.

Now you can learn how to make a quilt one block at a time while you are traveling, waiting, or just because you want to make it that way.

Learn 4 different techniques to complete a Quilt as You Go Quilt.

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Everyone gets excited about the birth of a new baby – especially us quilters! We love making quilts for the little bundles of joy! People often ask how to make a baby quilt and the answer is easy. A baby quilt is just a scaled down version of a full size quilt.

It takes practice to be able to correctly reduce a quilt block pattern to make it fit the necessary size for a baby quilt.

An easy way to test whether you have adjusted correctly or not is to print the designs off your computer (or hand trace). Trim and line up the printouts to see if your blocks will indeed create a good size quilt for baby. Don’t forget to account for the sashing and border when you set up your example.

Appliqué is another way to create a baby quilt. Appliqué is a technique in which fabric is sewn to the quilt’s top layer to form a pattern or design. Using appliqué, you can design a baby quilt that will match any theme.

For instance, if a nursery theme is cowboys, you can cut a cowboy out of fabrics, appliqué, or sew, it into the middle of the quilt, use coordinating colors. You can easily create custom appliqués with a little imagination.

The appliqué technique can be done either by hand or machine. Choose which method of stitching you will use by determining the final look you would like your quilt to have.

If you want a more rustic or country look, use button hole or running stitches to sew the design down by hand. Turn the edges under as you sew around the design.

If using a machine to appliqué, you may decide to baste your design down, turning the edges under.

If you opt to machine appliqué your design, you have several more stitch designs from which to select.

Like with hand piecing, you may choose to use a running or button hole stitch around your design. Satin stitches and zig zag stitches also give quilters a sturdy, standard sewing method.

A helpful hint in appliqué is to use fusible web backing on it. Iron the webbing to the back of the fabric design. Then, iron it onto the baby quilt. The fusible material will serve two purposes: it will hold the design in place as you do your stitching, and it will also help fabric edges from fraying.

Another fun baby quilt idea is to cut letters from fabric to spell out the baby’s name. Appliqué those letters onto your quilt top using one of the methods discussed above. Finish the quilt by adding matching binding or a ruffle to create the perfect baby quilt.

To cut letters from the alphabet to spell out baby’s name, you may cut the letters out freehand if you are comfortable doing that.

If not, select a fun font from a free font website and use it to create the letters for your appliqué quilt. Enlarge the letters and print them out individually to use as a pattern for your baby quilt appliqué.

Before cutting, fuse the adhesive webbing to the back side of the fabric. Iron onto quilt and appliqué using your favorite stitch to secure.

If you do make a baby quilt, either by traditional quilt pattern or appliqué, consider quilting accessories to accompany it.

A matching diaper bag, a diaper caddy, a baby wipe container holder, and bumper pads are popular accessories. A smaller version of the baby quilt to be used as a wall hanging is another idea for a great gift to accompany your baby quilt.


An applique heart baby quilt - wall hanging size	Simple baby quilt with hearts machine appliqued (zigzag) onto blue background and sashing.

An applique quilt with animals - twin bed size. (Engineer son, Bubba, in the corner - his first quilt.)	Quilt for a teacher having a baby. Each hears was designed by a child in the class (2nd grade), then machine appliqued onto the dark blue background on point. Sashing was added on point.

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren

www.How-to-Quilt.com
www.TheQuiltingCoach.com
www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com

©2009, Penny Halgren
Penny is a quilter of more than 27 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

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