For Skirting the Issue this year, I am once again trying to find ways to incorporate my kiddos to help. So, before school got out I cleaned out my sewing room and cut lots of pieces of fabric to 1 1/4 yards to make these whole cloth baby quilts. I also got about 12 pieces of batting and backings ready and prepped so that when I get the “I’m bored” statement…I say “let’s go make some baby blankets!”
This Whole Simple Whole Cloth Baby Quilt tutorial is one that any beginning sew-er can do and my kids have each done one already and then I have helped put the bindings on them. My 8 year old is really a good baster…and loves to line everything up square which I am not so great at.
Our goal by the end of the summer is to have 20 blankets to donate and I am hoping we will make it. Heaven knows there is plenty of fabric on my shelves for at least that many blankets.
Here are the directions if you would like to make some too!
Whole Cloth Baby Quilt Tutorial
Materials:
- 1 1/4 yards for main front fabric
- 1 1/2 yards for backing
- 1 1/2 yards of batting (I like this kind! affiliate link)
- 1/2 yard for binding
- Spray Basting
- Thread
- Sewing Machine
- Rotary Cutter
- Quilting Ruler
- Quilting Mat
- Washable fabric marker
- Strong tape
Directions:
- Take your backing and main fabric and press flat with an iron.
- Lay your backing fabric down on a large table or floor right side facing down, tape securely at corners.’
3. Using your spray baste (I like 505! Affiliate link), spray a small area at the top of the fabric.
4. Then lay batting on the section you spray basted smoothing it from the middle out until flat.
5. Continue spray basting and smoothing until all the batting is secure to the quilt back.
6. Next take your quilt top and lay it out on top (right side facing up). Spray baste that top into place as you did the batting in steps #1-#5.
7. Now you are ready to quilt your quilt. Mark 5-6 straight lines on your baby quilt using your quilting ruler and washable fabric marker.
Stitch along these lines using a 3.5 or 4.0 stitch length on your sewing machine.
9. After you have quilted all your lines, trim your quilt to a square (around 44″ inches square) to match the quilt front.
10. Bind your quilt using this tutorial to MAKE BINDING and this tutorial to SEW ON BINDING.
They really are as easy as that! These make the perfect gifts for new moms to be or they make fantastic charity quilts because they are warm and just get softer with wash after wash.
And you are done! We are now up to about 10 quilts to donate this summer with all the fabric that I have been going through, I hope we make our goal of 10 more!
Happy Quilt Making!
~elizabeth
