Quick How-To - Homemade Quilting Frames

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.

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!

If you can't find a pattern you like already on embroidery file, ask a digitizer to help you create one. A digitizer takes art images like drawings, clip art images and fonts and alters them via computer to become a stitch pattern. So if you'd like for your family tree wall hanging to be quilted with a tree pattern, a digitizer can create one for you.

You can either hand quilt or machine quilt your baby shower gift. Following the perimeter of the shape or you can choose to use a quilter's pencil and template and draw a design and quilt the design. Either way, you will be stitching through all three layers, which not only fasten the layers together, but create a design, as you quilt.

These down throw blankets are the best ones to have for your baby because they are made with natural products that are gentle and easy to wash. You wouldn't have to hassle yourself cleaning away all the baby stain. When selecting the perfect blanket, make sure to check the stitching as well. Those with regular V stitching are the ones to have. Those with quilt squares and box stitching are also recommended. These types of stitching secure the down in place. You can also even the blanket out after a tumble in the washing machine. If the quilt doesn't have these kinds of stitching, it's likely that the down will bundle up together after some use. Your blanket will end up uneven and lumpy and your baby wouldn't like it.

Blanket Quilt For a crazy quilt, large or small, you should work on a square or rectangle of muslin or plain fabric. Working 12" or smaller is recommended so that the piecing is easier to handle.

Another way to customize a blanket is by including text in it. This may be a favorite punch line; a line from a song; a secret code between the two of you; a meaningful date; or even a surname.