Baby Quilt

Here is my dilemma. I have been informed that one of my wifes nieces has just announced that she is pregnant and is going to have her first baby. My wife has (suggested) that I make a baby quilt for her. We are childless by choice and don't know much about these things: baby quilts that is, not the process that produces babies. So here is the question; What constitutes a Baby quilt.? Fabric? Size? Anything else of relevance? Inquiring minds need to know. No rush, it will be at least 8 months until I have to produce this quilt. See what this has gotten me into.

Thanks,

John

Reply to
John
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Baby quilts are usually on the small side -- anything from 36" square to maybe 48x60. I don't like to make them too small, because I want them to be something the child can use to snuggle up with at story time or TV time when they are a bit older. Colors were traditionally soft pastel, but I have used a lot of other colors, especially bright colors. There are a lot of novelty fabrics available that make nice quilts for children. I did one in black, white, and red several years ago that I really liked; there is a photo at . I do most of my baby quilts in regular quilting cotton, though flannel works well too (just remember to use a somewhat larger seam allowance.)

Julia > Here is my dilemma. I have been informed that one of my wifes nieces

Reply to
Julia in MN

A few thoughts. John:

Simple patterns are just fine. As Roberta said in another post today - 40/41/42 inches (whatever you can get out of your fabric widthways) square would be fine. This can be used on the cot/crib or the floor. Babies early vision is not great so strong colours with a lot of contrast (especially black and white!) are best. It will get a lot of washing. No embellishing. A cosy backing is nice, if the baby will be in a chilly part of the country. If you do use flannel, please wash it and dry it in the dryer at least once - it shrinks a lot. It also frays a lot, so piecing with flannel is a challenge!

You might like to think of an I-spy quilt - and make it a little larger, as it will have another set of uses when the baby is older. This is a quilt made with 'novelty' fabrics eg animals. The child can then play games like 'find both pandas' - or 'find the animal whose name begins with A'. These fabrics are usually very bright! Traditionally these were/are made with hexagons; but there are no rules, and they can equally well be made from squares. You might find some discussions about these in our archives; we do talk about them once in a while.

Polly is the expert on baby quilts. . In message , John writes

Reply to
Patti

I always thought size and fabrics. I don't think of floral prints as baby. My favorite baby quilt (also called crib size) was bright colored pinwheels alternating with teddy bear print blocks that were the same print as the back. I've made a lot of children's quilts that are pictured in my webshots album.

Reply to
maryd

John, get a grip! Make a quilt you like. If you are really kind, you might find out if there are any colors the niece hates and avoid those. The quilt doesn't have to be big -it's a good opportunity to try out a pattern. But anything bigger than a small wall hanging is pretty much a useful baby quilt! 40 X 60", for example (lap size) is big enough for a large crib quilt. Or make something 40-50" square, which will cover the floor of a play pen. Baby quilts are wonderful -there's somebody who will be overwhelmed with joy to receive something you made, no matter what size! And if it turns out to be big enough for a twin bed, then the kid is set up for years :-)

I once made a little quilt for my boss's baby. He sent me a nice thank-you note, but obviously didn't relate to the quilt. But a year later, her showed me a photo of the little girl, fast asleep in her crib, clutching the quilt. It was her blankie! Go for it -nobody will love your quilt more than a small child, and be less critical of design flaws. Roberta in D

"John" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@a34g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

Reply to
Roberta Zollner

Noooooo, Patti. I am not an expert. The definition of an Expert is: Someone 50 miles from home who carries a briefcase. I have not gone anywhere, I am right here in the Swamp with our gators where I belong. My briefcase stands happily on a shelf with a rowdy stuffing of embroidery supplies. My only expertise would be in knowing which mistakes not to make again. Polly

"Patti" wrote, in part>> Polly is the expert on baby quilts.

Reply to
Polly Esther

Precisely my point >gg< What could be more valuable! . In message , Polly Esther writes

Reply to
Patti

John: The parents often have favorite colors. I tend to just make what *I* like ... leaning toward primary colors, lively prints, and simple patchwork.

As to size, some quilters like to make tiny ones which only fit for a couple months. I like to make bigger quilts, for longer use, usually about the size of the 'crib quilt batting' in LQS. That size is good for infants, during floor play, and for toddlers for nap or book time.

Congratulations to the lucky family!

PAT, a mom by choice

John wrote:

Reply to
Pat in Virginia

Howdy!

Here's my favorite:

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As you say, Pat, it's what *I* like. Parents are life-long Texans so the cowboy/western fabrics were a natural choice. The back is a brushed cotton/flannel full of cartoon horses. It's bigger than a "baby" quilt, more of a lap robe size (55" x 50" or something like that). Makes a good play mat; Josh is now 1 1/2 yrs.old and the quilt is still the perfect size for him. ;-)

Good luck, John.

Ragmop/Sandy

Reply to
Sandy Ellison

I just discovered my most recent favorite pattern and made a quilt for GD for her 1st BD. So-o-o-o easy. This is the 3rd quilt I've made using this pattern - it uses 13 fat quarters and goes together really fast. Pattern was in the book Laps from Fats - or something like that. I'll have to check the correct title if interested.

Here's pics!:

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Reply to
clutz

On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 08:03:32 -0600, John wrote (in article ):

A baby quilt is whatever you want it to be, I think. Lots of people use pastels. Sometimes brights. Sometimes kiddie or baby prints.

I have a couple of baby quilts in the quilt album at

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The "baby" quilt I'm working on now doesn't look very babyish at all, browns and blues in civil war fabrics, but I'm in a pinch and the parents to be will like it anyway

Reply to
Maureen Wozniak

For the material, what ever you decide to use (cotton or flannel), just make sure it is nice and soft for baby's skin. Some can be rough so you'll have to feel it.

Pattern could be anything you want, not just patterns for 'baby' quilts. Tradtional blocks made using baby pastels or bright primaries IMHO work well. So just chose something you wouldn't mind sewing. It can be as complicated or as basic as you want to make it.

The size to some degree depends on what you want the quilt to be used for. (IMHO) Here's my expience having 2 young sons, and having my mother and a grandmother who love to make quilts: I have several quilts that my boys have used at varius stages. I have a couple of small ones - probably 30 in. square, maybe 36in (now packed away since the youngest is now 3) that my boys used early on as a mat to lay on the floor. Once they started getting mobile these no longer got used as it is too small for much else. I also have a few that are about 40 x 50 to 40 x 60 inch range. Theese work well as play mats, for snuggling, as super hero capes etc. and also work great on toddler sized beds (since you don't have kids you may not know - a toddler bed is the same size as a crib and low to the floor for kids that are too big for cribs, but not quite ready for the bigger twin bed). My yongest has a twin quilt made by his grandmother that he likes to use on his toddler bed. It doesn't work well though, because it's too big and falls off his bed sometimes 3-4 times a night becasuse there is just too much of it. My older son now only uses twin sized quilts and he's 6. His baby and inbetween quilts are now put away for use by visiting babys and hopefully someday, his kids.

All that being said, if it were me making the quilt, I would make it in the

40 x 50 or 40 x 60 range because that's what I would personally find most usefull right a way, and yet wouldn't be too small in a few months when the baby is mobile. And then, if I wanted I could aways make a larger quilt for the child in a couple of years when they out grow that one. This is obviously just my take on it. Other's views will vary.

Good luck with the project and congrats on the new great-niece or nephew.

Reply to
Charlotte Hippen

Thanks for all the great input ideas. I think I will make it in a bunch of Red, White and Blue colors that I already have on hand and maybe a fleece back of whatever I can find at TSWLTH. Probably about

36 -40 " square or whatever the pattern turns out to make.

John.

Reply to
John

I once made a baby quilt with neon pink/green/blue cartoon dinosaurs on a black background, sashed with black-and-white gingham check, bordered with black. It came out really cute, and the mom loved it.

Cathy in BC

John wrote. .

So here is the

Reply to
Cathy

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