The Shower Gift Dilemma - Make A Handmade 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.

The best fabric for simple quilt patterns is 100% cotton because it minimizes seam distortion, presses crisply, and is easy to quilt. Good simple quilt patterns specify quantities for 44/45" wide fabric unless otherwise noted. You'll need to allow for a little extra yardage to accommodate minor cutting errors and slight shrinkage.

Blanket Quilt 11. There's a chance that, during sewing, the three pieces won't stay as evenly lined up as you would like. In that case, use the shears or rotary cutter to trim the edges.

Once you have learned to crochet, you just have to find a great baby blanket pattern. You can find patterns for free online. You can often print these patterns out so you have them for reference. You can also check your local library for crochet pattern books. There are complete books of crochet patterns for you to check out. You can also get pattern ideas from craft magazines, don't forget to check back issues.

Double-Sided Bias Tape. You'll use this to make the trim. There are other ways to do it, but this is one of the easiest, and will give your baby quilt a nice, finished look. Try to pick bias tape that compliments the fabric. For example, if your fabric has a pattern, pick one color in the pattern and choose bias tape to match. If you want the bias tape to sort of blend in, try to match the fabric's background color.

Just as with many string and selvedge edge quilt blocks, women took the cigar ribbons and arranged them to form designs. The blocks were usually square, with strips laid in log cabin designs, on the diagonal, or in quartered designs. The color would add another dimension as the secondary pattern that formed when the blocks were sewn together.

Rotary cutters have round blades that enable you to cut straight-edge shapes more quickly and accurately than scissors can. They come with various blade sizes. (A good size for a first blade is 45 mm.) Experiment with handle styles to see which you prefer as they come in various shapes and sizes.