Quilts And Coverlets: What Is The Difference
If you aren't a crafty person, don't worry about it. Buying a beautiful baby blanket can be just as special. No one says you have to spend a lot of money for something to be from the heart. The same goes for crafts. Not everyone is artistic and crafty. If you don't have to knack for crafts, use your talent of choosing a beautiful blanket. Think about it, wouldn't you rather have your child get a beautiful blanket that they purchased than a 5 inch lopsided crocheted blanket?
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 While photos and messages give a more current look to a blanket, embroidery allows it to look charming in a classic way. Names, dates, messages, or meaningful graphics can be embroidered on the blanket.
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.
Rotary cutters have round blades that enable you to cut straight-edge shapes more quickly and accurately than scissors can. They come with various blade sizes. (A good size for a first blade is 45 mm.) Experiment with handle styles to see which you prefer as they come in various shapes and sizes.
Set your sewing machine to the standard seam allowance used for quilts, which is an exact quarter inch seam. One way to improve a block that is either too large or too small is to use the freezer paper method and square up the block before sewing it together. Gridded freezer paper makes the job easier, but the plain freezer paper will work to help make the block more even.
Applique: Adding a name to this baby clothes quilt can be done at this time by appliqueing the letters directly on top of the clothing or appliqueing the name on a strip of material and then sewing the strip between your rows.
Don't be afraid to use your handmade quilt. The layers and the warmth of the batting make it perfect for keeping you warm cold winter nights. Even after many years of use, this author has several quilts that are still in excellent condition.
