Handcrafting A Sweet Baby Quilt
Embroidered Baby Blankets This gift will work whether you know how to embroider or not. You simply purchase a lovely baby blanket. This is key to this gift, make sure you get a really nice blanket. You then simply embroider (or hire someone to do it for you) the baby's name, date of birth, LeoBedding height and weight on the blanket. This will be a keepsake a new mom will cherish forever. She will also save that blanket for her child when they have their first.
Another way to preserve memories is to make a memory quilt. A memory quilt can be a blanket or a wall hanging. You collect items of clothing as your child outgrows them. You cut the clothes into squares of the same size and save your collection until you have enough to make a blanket or wall-hanging. You can also use pieces of blankets or sheets. Be sure you cut a sample that is not worn thin. On blankets and sheets the outside edges are usually in the best shape. For clothing you would avoid the area covering the knees or the seat of the pants.
Blanket Quilt 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.
Machine quilting on the other hand, involves a sewing machine to sew the pieces together. In very much the same way, layers of fabric are stacked together, laid-out, batted and backed on a flat surface. They are pinned and the pieces are then moved through a sewing machine. This can be done in block form as in hand quilting or as a large piece. Again, the details are determined on the style preferred and the quilter's experience. This is a much faster process than the hand quilting and often a good place for a beginner to learn with quick results.
Always wash your handmade quilt in warm or cold water using the delicate cycle on your washing machine. The individual blocks may be made up of slightly different fabrics which will shrink differently. Also, the vibrant colors may fade over time from hot water.
Cut the number of 12 and a half inch muslin squares you will need for your finished project. You could cut one if you just wanted to make a single block for learning purposes.
A century ago, cigar companies tied a bright colored silk ribbon around a bundle of cigars. Women stitched them together with black or colored embroidery floss stitches onto a fabric foundation block. They were not cut or curved, but placed side by side. Cigar company ribbons had fancy logos and used attractive fonts in black ink on yellow or orange ribbons. The various advertising on the ribbons added decoration to the quilt block. Green, pink and purple ribbons were occasionally used in the block designs, signifying a rare cigar.
You can put some new and good ideas while purchasing the blanket. The favorite toy or print designs over it, according to baby's taste or parent's choice is a good idea. Cartoon impression gives it a more attractive look. Such blankets are easily available at most dollar stores.
