Great Concepts For A Quilt Baby Blanket Gift

I begged my mom to give me the quilt, and luckily, she did. I now treasure this quilt, thinking of all the memories stitched into this quilt, each stitch done with love.

Another way to preserve memories is to make a memory quilt. A memory quilt can be a blanket or a wall hanging. You collect items of clothing as your child outgrows them. You cut the clothes into squares of the same size and save your collection until you have enough to make a blanket or wall-hanging. You can also use pieces of blankets or sheets. Be sure you cut a sample that is not worn thin. On blankets and sheets the outside edges are usually in the best shape. For clothing you would avoid the area covering the knees or the seat of the pants.

Blanket Quilt 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.

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.

Now that you have completed the first go-around and shapes have been sewn to all five sides of the center piece, it is necessary to cut more angles from the pieces you have sewn down. Be brutal in cutting back, cutting from seam edge to seam edge, trying to achieve at least five more angles. Work toward a variety of shapes and sizes.

Here is a basic Crazy Quilt pattern you can use to try your hand at crazy quilting. Just remember that you can do this many different ways, and that this is only meant as a suggestion.

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.