What A Few Good Homemade Baby Gift Suggestions

The preferred needle type for woven cotton fabrics is called a "sharp." Sizes 75/11 and 80/12 are good choices for piecing, quiltmaking, and binding most simple quilt patterns. Use a smaller needle (70/10) if you're piecing tightly woven batiks and a larger needle (90/14) for flannels. Dull needles can cause skipping or uneven stitches, so it's a good idea to insert a fresh needle at the start of every project.

Blanket Quilt Now it is time to start the actual quilting process. You need a small set of scissors, quilt needles (these have a larger eye but are very sharp in order to go through all the layers), quilting thread, thimble and a very comfortable chair.

One nice thing about down throw blankets is that they have natural oils in them. These oils keep the material warm. The feathers are also kept soft and fluffed up without clumping. Therefore, washing the blanket should be done carefully. The blanket shouldn't be washed a little too often as it might wear off the natural oils. It's best to use detergents that are chemical free. Of course, don't send the down throw blanket for the dry cleaners because the chemicals used there would surely leave a stain on it.

A century ago, cigar companies tied a bright colored silk ribbon around a bundle of cigars. Women stitched them together with black or colored embroidery floss stitches onto a fabric foundation block. They were not cut or curved, but placed side by side. Cigar company ribbons had fancy logos and used attractive fonts in black ink on yellow or orange ribbons. The various advertising on the ribbons added decoration to the quilt block. Green, pink and purple ribbons were occasionally used in the block designs, signifying a rare cigar.

Wedding Blanket: From Africa to the Philippines, couples are wrapped in a blanket that is to be their marriage coverlet. Include this warm ritual in your wedding. Let friends with marriages you admire wrap you in the blanket. Does anyone in your life quilt? If so they'll need a LOT of forewarning! Use the quilt on your bed, or keep it on the couch for when you snuggle.

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.

The size of blanket that you will give will have to depend on the recipient. Smaller blankets are ideal for kids while large ones will be more appropriate for adults that usually have king size beds. Materials that are best for blankets are fleece, alpaca, merino wool, and cotton, to name a few.