What Several Good Homemade Baby Gift Ideas
You can find directions online or you could check at your local craft or yarn store. Many times these types of stores will hold classes. You might also find a friend who knows how to crochet. She will most likely be willing to teach you how.
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.
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 In the early days of quilting, any suitable material, from an old blanket to cotton wadding, was placed between the patched pieces and an old sheet and then put onto the quilting frame, which kept the quilt's layers stretched tight while the quilter worked away.
Size is the first element to consider when it comes to making baby quilts. A baby quilt should be significantly smaller than a typical quilt. Some quilts can be used for comforters or as bedding in cribs, so it is a wise choice to create a quilt that is fitted to match the size of the crib. In addition size can relate to the thickness of the quilt. Quilts that are constructed for adult use or even decoration are quite thick. However a quilt made for a baby should be relatively thin.
When people were married quilts were gathered and packaged to present to the new couple. This helped the new household and took a large burden off the new wife who would be busy adjusting to new duties as the lady of a household.
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.
