Do you ever feel like every time you turn around, someone you know is having a baby, or finding out they are pregnant, or planning for a baby? As exciting as this event is, it always poses a small problem… what should I get them as the perfect baby gift?
Whether you have a love for making crafty things, or you’re just getting started and want a new challenge, making a baby blanket is a wonderful personal gift that is practical for new mums and bubs alike.
I’ve knitted several baby blankets over the years, which can be great fun. When Mario’s sister announced the happy news that she was having a baby, however, I felt like trying something new. I’ve been wanting to make another quilt since my first one a few years ago, and a baby quilt seemed like a super idea.
Patchwork quilting is awesome. While quilts can be as simple as sewing fabric together, they can have endless customisation options. Different colours, designs, patterns and shapes are all great ways to show off your personal style, or make something special for someone else.
As you may be able to tell, I’m a little crazy about chevrons (seriously though, who isn’t?), and knew right away that I wanted to make a chevron quilt. They are very easy to cut and piece, work amazingly well whether you’re hand sewing or machining, and (best of all) the pieces fit easily onto fat quarters, keeping costs low. In fact, this quilt only cost me around $30 to make! That doesn’t include the batting, however, which I already had.
Getting back to chevrons – they can provide a trendy and sophisticated look when combined with some cute colours and a simple border. Mario’s sister is a graphic designer who has impeccable taste, so it was quite stressful settling on the colours! I was inspired colour-wise by this beautiful baby quilt that I saw on Pinterest. I felt like it was perfect for a baby girl, as the colours were soft and feminine without being overly girly.
Once settling on the dimensions (I can’t quite remember, but I think it was close to the standard baby quilt size of 36 inches by 52 inches) and drawing up a pattern, I purchased my fabrics, measured and cut them, making sure to leave room for the seam allowance. Well, I made sure to do that after the first mistake, anyway.
Next, I laid out my design, and made 2-piece patches out of all my rectangles, with each square having one grey and one coloured rectangle. I laid out the square patches in the correct design again, and then pinned them in diagonal rows. Once the rows were sewn, I laid them out again, pinned them, and sewed all the rows together, making the quilt top.
I should mention that there are several other ways to piece chevron quilts, including using triangles instead of rectangles. This way seemed like the most intuitive (and easiest) way to me though.
I felt like the final quilt would be a little narrow once I cut off the ‘corners’ of the squares that were sticking out. I decided to cut the corners off one side, and sew them to the other side, rather than sending them to the scrap pile – this gave the quilt a decent amount of extra width.
Finally, I sandwiched the quilt top, the batting at the backing (which was white), and sewed on the bias binding that I made from the excess fabric of the backing. I know you’re really supposed to cut on the bias, but I never do. :\
This is the finished product! I really love how it turned out, and to tell you the truth, I’m itching to make another one already. There’s just so many options! 
If you’d like some more baby present ideas:
- Knitting a Beginner Baby Blanket – A Guest Blog by Jacinta
- My Baby (Blanket)
- Puppy Love – September Short Projects
And if you’d like some more September Short Projects:
- Bacon Chocolate Birthday Cake
- Puppy Love
- Going Green
- Re-Planting a Passionfruit
- Healthy Home Remedies
- Gorgeous Garden Beds
- Holly Golightly Inspired Sleep Mask
- The Power of Positive Thinking
- Cake Balls
- Provincial Style Chalkboard Frames
- Home-made Vintage Soap Dispensers
- Planting a Passionfruit
PS – Thanks, Mario, for helping me crack my writer’s block on this post! I’m going to put you on the payroll!
Tamara thank you so much for the beautiful quilt! Harper is a lucky little girl and you are incredibly talented!! Thank you for spending so much time on something so special. I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog too – clever lady! xx
You are so welcome Marina :). It was a pleasure. I missed seeing you guys on the weekend! x
WOW! Like everything you do it looks fantastic! Another great skill you can apply to put those personal touches on a present. Great job! I must learn how to do this one day when i get a sewing machine :)
You would pick it up in no time Jacinta! We should have a quilting-bee weekend one day :)
We’re almost twinsies with quilts– I made a herringbone baby quilt last month!
No way! Are you going to blog about it? I’d love to see photos! I didn’t even know that you sew – is there anything you can’t do??
I wasn’t planning on it but I will share it just for you!
Aww, yay!