Keep Your Handmade Quilt Beautiful

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.

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?

Blanket Quilt Holiday Quilts. Making quilts associated with special holidays, Easter, Christmas, Halloween, Passover, etc. People tend to dress their homes for holidays so producing quilts with holiday themes meets the need of the customer.

First, a quilt has three layers of fabric that have been sewn together. If it doesn't have three fabric layers, it would be just a blanket. The top layer, also called the quilt top, is the visually stunning side. It can be made up of hundreds of quilt squares fit together in indicant geometric patterns. There are no limitations to the colors and fabric designs you can use. The easiest way to get started is to purchase pre-cut quilt squares or jelly rolls from online fabric retailers. Purchasing pre-cut quilt squares not only saves you time but also gives you a chance to make a quilt from several different designer fabrics without purchasing multiple yards of each style.

Place a few straight pins at random places on the surface of the quilt. (Anywhere but on the lines.) This will keep the pieces from shifting during sewing.

To choo-choos, airplanes, alphabet letters, boats and duckys are often a favorite baby quilt patterns. The patterns give the quilter a general idea of what they need and also detailed instructions on how to complete the project. If you've never attempted to make a quilt yourself you may even want to take a lesson but you can usually find at a local community center or junior college.

The great value of a template in how to make a quilt is that it allows one to easily make patches identical in size and shape that fit together perfectly. Quilt block templates may be purchased or they can be made. To make a cardboard template the design must be transferred on to paper that has been squared and then with very sharp scissors cut out. The cutout then gets glued onto a piece of cardboard. It is important that a seam allowance be included. The cardboard template should then be cut out and the paper seam allowance protected by covering it with a very thin layer of clear polish or nail varnish. New templates should always be made for each of the project's required shapes.