Unique Baby Blanket Gifts

Now that you have the 3 layers of your quilt, it is time to add a fabric border to frame your quilt. When choosing the fabric for the border, pick a color that compliments the colors and style of your quilt. Many online fabric retailers that offer pre-cut quilt squares also have complementary Jelly Rolls which are pre-cut fabric strips. These pre-cut fabric strips are perfect to use as your quilt fabric border.

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.

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 However, if we have kids at home, we could not just pick any kind of quilt for any family member. Especially boys, they tend to get as picky as the girls when it comes to these. Where and how can we get ideas for boys of different age ranges?

I begged my mom to give me the quilt, and luckily, she did. I now treasure this quilt, thinking of all the memories stitched into this quilt, each stitch done with love.

We have a wonderful family tradition of everyone making at least one homemade gift for Christmas to give another family member. My children have all made at least one blanket to give a family member. The fabrics are fun to choose and put together as we think of the personality of the family members. We have a daughter very much into music so there are always musical motif fabrics in her quilts, a son who loves insects so a quilt with ants or other insects are often made for him. There is the wonderful John Deere fabrics to make beautiful quilts. If you have a hobby or interest there is sure to be a fabric just right to personalize your blanket.

Always use a rotary cutter with a cutting mat specifically designed for it. In addition to protecting your work surface, the mat helps keep the fabric from shifting while you cut. Start with a 17x23" mat marked with a 1" grid, hash marks at 1/8" increments, and 45 and 60 degree angles.

Baby quilt patterns can be purchased as part of a quilting kit, or found in magazines, books, and quilting stores. It is also quite easy to piece together a quilt of your own design using leftover fabric. You might want to consider using a regular sized pattern, and scaling it down to a smaller size, such as 36 x 45 inches. The size of course is up to you.