Quilt Vs .. Comforter: A Bedding Dilemma
When people were married quilts were gathered and packaged to present to the new couple. This helped the new household and took a large burden off the new wife who would be busy adjusting to new duties as the lady of a household.
Not feeling crafty at all? No problem, you can still create a fantastic baby blanket gift. Just go and find a bunch of color coordinated baby blankets. Use some fabulous ribbon and roll up the blankets and tie them with the ribbon.
Blanket Quilt I decided on using 35 pictures for Peggy's memory quilt. I chose pictures that showed her children at different stages of their lives. As well as pictures showing her and her husbands age regression. Her favorite color is blue, so I chose a dark blue with a light blue design, and a light blue with a dark blue design for the blocks. One thing to keep in mind when doing one for a person with Alzheimer's' is to try and keep the material fairly plain or quiet. When using a material that is very busy or loud, it just adds to their overall confusion. Something you definitely do not want.
If you're not sure what design you should use, take a trip down to the closest fabric store and take a look at their collection of baby quilt patterns. If it is your first attempt at quilting, remember to keep it simple. A lot of the time less is more. This may mean something like the sky with some white clouds. Many people decide on a patchwork design even for baby quilt patterns. Pink and blue are always appropriate colors for babies so you really can't go wrong with that. If you don't know the baby's gender, than white or yellow is a safe, neutral choice.
Now it is time to start the actual quilting process. You need a small set of scissors, quilt needles (these have a larger eye but are very sharp in order to go through all the layers), quilting thread, thimble and a very comfortable chair.
Aside from serving its purpose as a blanket, a quilt can be a perfect gift for a new bride or a new mother. Many cultures today provide hand crafted quilt's as gifts to new brides on their wedding day as a rite of passage. Many quits are displayed on racks or walls and used as art. They can provide a sense of comfort to just about any space.
Handmade Baby Blankets A handmade baby blanket gift speaks to the heart of any new mother. Knowing someone spent the time, thought and effort to make a hand made gift in this day and age means a lot. You can crochet, quilt, embroider a baby blanket to make it unique and special. In fact, you can make a baby blanket that requires no sewing at all, and will be just as special because you put yourself into the gift.
There are even specialty shops where classes can be held for the novice to the old hand. Where you can use existing patterns or have one created especially for you. You can learn to use strips of fabric from special garments from the past and embellish with new pieces from today for a one of a kind quilt.
