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.
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.
Another way to make a memory quilt is to use all new fabric with a different approach. You could make each square a representation of some part or event of a child's life. Each square would be embellished by applique, embroidery, scanned pictures, iron-on letters, fabric paint or whatever you like. You could ask important people from the child's life to contribute a square or two and to sign their square with their name.
Most nursery bedding comes in the form of crib bedding or crib sets. These are essentially a four piece set of bedding that will satisfy most new parents and will work for most cribs made these days. Specialty cribs, like the Stokke Sleepi crib, for example, require their own proprietary bedding. If the crib company is popular enough, there will be other companies offering other choices. Additionally, if you are buying a crib that is larger than normal or is a different size than the standard crib, you may be restricted in your nursery bedding choices by what is on offer from the manufacturer of your specific crib.
Blanket Quilt Now you need to sew it together with the batting and the backing. As you probably already know, a blanket isn't just made of one layer. You will have to sew it together and then stitch across the entire quilt to hold it all together. This is where you can get fancy and make pretty stitch designs. If you are looking to get this done fast, just do a basic straight stitch across the whole blanket. You will have to do this sewing by hand, so get a comfy position on your couch and get sewing!
A great way to make a memorable quilt baby blanket gift is to get the whole family in on it. Each family member can make a square or two. You can use cloth markers to inscribe special messages from each member. You can choose to have everyone work on the same type of squares or you can have a mix and match baby quilt with a variety of square patterns. Both are lovely.
If one is machine piecing they can use the flag method and join a few pairs of patches at the same time. The right sides are pinned together in pairs. Using the foot as a guide one along the seam line machine stitches. Between the pairs a short uncut thread should be left. Each is then cut into units. Enough pairs are then joined to make a patched piece. Avoid bulk by pressing flat to one side the patch seams.
As far as using a detergent is concerned do not go for the type that is used for casual wears as it would be harsh and fade the colour. Instead go to craft, sewing or fabric stores where one would easily get mild washing powders made especially for delicate fabrics. These days' liquid detergents which are very gentle on fabrics are easily available in supermarkets as well. Make sure to set the washing machine accurately as per the requirement. The bed cover gets very heavy when it is wet because it is made up of three layers so it will also need lot of physical effort.
