7 Great Ideas Discovering That Perfect Baby Gift

Be especially careful not to store your quilt in a place where there could be a problem with bugs or unwanted visitors that would like to eat away at it. Some brands of fabric softener sheets have been credited with repelling these unwanted critters. In addition, the fabric softener sheet will keep it smelling fresh. A cedar chest is an ideal storage place for your handmade quilt.

Now, women are making selvedge edge quilts, using strips cut from the sides or edges of cotton fabric. The selvedge prevents unraveling and holds onto hooks during the printing process. This edge is mostly white with the manufacturer's name and logo, the designer or collection's name, and a chart of the colors used printed on it. Selvedge edges are cut completely off and thrown away. Today, they are saved for a new purpose.

Blanket Quilt Pet Quilts. The pet industry is enormous and the money spent on pets each year is staggering. People are very willing to spend large amounts of money on their animals so suggesting specialty quilted items such as sleeping mats, coats or travel rugs can make for a profitable business. Think about other opportunities within the pet market such as individualizing the quilt with the animals name or some other shape the quilt to fit the animal.

For each block you want to make also cut a five-sided piece of solid fabric. Make the sides angular, not parallel. Don't make it too big or too small roughly about a ninth of the block (like a tic tac toe pattern on the muslin foundation square). It will serve as your crazy, off center middle of your design.

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.

Continue sewing additional fabric rectangles to sides 3, 4 and 5 of the center piece. Note that new angles can be created as you go, and excess length can be cut off. Trim any rectangles that extend beyond the foundation fabric even with the edge of the foundation fabric.

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.