Quick Baby Quilt

I don't have a ton of time on my hands with two kids, but I have enough time to make a cute baby quilt like this! 

 I made this by cutting fabric into 2 1/2" strips, sewing together three strips, then cutting those into 4" blocks (looks like a rectangle). Put blocks together end-to-end and you make one long block like the three above! Add some 6" sashing and whala! A quilt :) For the back, I put soft cozy fabric (like baby flannel). I DID NOT put batting in this quilt because mommy's want blankets to easily wrap around their babies! With the thickness of the back fabric and it's softness it will be just fine without batting. I wouldn't recommend that option for quilts using 100% cotton fabric/quilting fabric.

Tutorial: Crib Dust Ruffle

I couldn't believe how quickly I was able to make a dust ruffle for my soon-to-be baby's crib. Now I'm contemplating making one for my king size bed! Oh boy. 

Forgive me for not having step-by-step pictures, but really this is a VERY simple and straight-forward tutorial.

Supplies Needed:

2 yards of fabric for underneath the mattress

3 yards of fabric for your dust ruffle (about 3 times the length of your crib sides)

*These measurements are based on a standard size crib*

Steps:

1. Cut your fabric for underneath the mattress 28" x 50".

2. Cut your ruffle fabric 3 times the length of the side it will be sewn on to. I first cut strips of 12 1/2", then made them 150" long for the two sides. For the short side of the crib I did 12 1/2" x 84".

3. I hemmed each panel of my ruffle fabric by doing a rolled hem on my serger. I did this to the short sides and one long side to prevent any fraying. 

4. Ruffle the remaining long side.

5. Sew your ruffle fabric onto the other one (right sides together). I did a rolled hem again on my serger.  With each panel, leave an extra 3 inches on each side to sew to the next panel so you have extra coverage on your corners. 

Done! Enjoy your incredibly cute and custom-made dust ruffle! 

Dinosaur Baby Quilt

Here's a quilt I finished a while ago for my sister-in-law's baby boy! I got the dinosaur fabric at Wal Mart, and this pattern is GREAT for showing off larger print fabrics. The quilt is the same pattern as my previously shown "You Go Cowgirl" quilt. You can go there to see where I got the pattern from. It's been one of the best quilts I've put together lately!

Click on the photo to get a bigger picture. 

Dish Towel Bib

This bib is quick, easy, and affordable. You can use older dish towels, or buy them brand new (but I would only pay $1 for each one). It's best for kids 6 months or older. I personally like these because they cover the shoulders, are long in the front, and even cover the backside!

1. Take a normal kitchen dish towel, then measure and mark eight inches from the top as well as halfway across. (simply fold it in half to get the halfway mark)

2. Fold the top of the cloth down at the 8" mark.

3. Fold in half (hot dog style)

4. Cut at a 3" angle along the inside fold (where your 8" and halfway marks are will be directly under where my 3" mark is on my measuring tape shown below)

Here is what your towel will look like after cutting:

5. Cut your ribbing. I made mine 14" long. One way to test if it's big enough is to pin the end and where you're thinking of cutting, then see if it fits over your head. Once cut, fold it in half length-wise.

6. Take the two ends of your ribbing - on one side fold it inward so there's no raw edge, then tuck the other end inside of it.

7. Insert four pins total on the top, bottom and sides of your circle.

 8. Pin in ribbing at the four points on the front side of your towel. It stretches so it won't fit on exactly and that's okay!

9. Start on one pin and sew. I have a hemstitch on my sewing machine so that's what I used. If you only have a basic machine do a zig-zag stitch so it will hold better. The best option is to use a serger. 

**You will have to stretch the ribbing to make it fit. Sart at one pin, put your needle in the down position, and stretch your fabric to fit to the next pin. 

You're done! Here's a view of the back:

And the front:

Tutorial: Car Seat Canopy

Jamie, you wanted to know how to make a car seat cover...

here is my version!

1. Cut your 2 pieces of fabric as close to 36 inches as you can (this way you only have to buy 1 yard of your top fabric) x 40". I buy 1 1/4 yard of my bottom fabric.

2. Place the two pieces of fabric right sides together 

NOTE: if you want to applique a design onto your front (like I did with "BSU", you'll want to put that on first before step number two.

3. Cut 2 pieces for straps 3 1/2" x 15 1/2"

4. To make straps; fold them hot dog style, and sew all but one edge. Turn it inside out, fold in the open edge, and then sew around the edges (1/4" seam). I used a different color of thread here as an accent color. See picture below!

5. Now sew your two large pieces of fabric (remember right sides together) leaving about a 6 inch opening.

6. Turn it inside out, then fold in and pin the opening.

7. Sew around the edge of the whole cover and as you do so, this should close that 6 inch opening. This is where you can do a fun decorative stitch and even pick a different top and bottom color of thread to make things interesting!

8. Lastly, sew on your straps! You'll want to fold them in half and pin them 14" from the top and 12" from each side of your cover. Sew a little square to hold the strap. Sew it to all the layers of fabric! I also went over the square twice to really make sure it holds. 

- The straps are just made to be tied to your car seat. If you tie them in a knot it ends up looking really cute.

- Have fun, and be creative! You can do more than one fabric, like I've done here. Or if you only have scraps you can sew strips of fabric together until it is long enough to make a cover. Add your own personal touch!

- I made the letters by typing them in in Microsoft Word and then formating them to only be outlined, I printed them out and cut them out, using them as my pattern to cut the fabric out. I did a zig-zag stitch to sew them onto the orange fabric.

Enjoy and let me know if you have questions; I want to make sure this works for you!

Chenille Quilt

Do you want a quick, easy, and beautiful quilt to make? I've got the pattern for you! It's a chenille quilt. I have two of my own and I receive endless compliments on them. 

Here's the quick tutorial: 

1. Purchase up to six different flannel fabrics (I buy baby flannel) at 1 1/2 yards each.

Tip: Buy mostly for the overall color, not necessarily the design as it won't be seen except on the back of the quilt & a little bit on the front but I'll explain that later.

2. Layer your fabrics - the first face down, the second face up, the third face down, then how ever many layers you'd like to do on top of that with the face up.

3. Now you can mark a 45 degree angle on either side (top or bottom). 

4. Now sew each 45 degree angle line - I use 3/4 inch masking tape as my width so if you tape the quilt at a 45 degree angle you would sew in between each strip. Just do a straight stitch here & start in the middle, working your way out on each side.

5. Now straighten out and trim each of the sides so all fabrics are the same length on the edges.

6. Cut all layers (but the two on the bottom) in-between each of your sewn lines. See how the second to last layer shows up more? That would be one fabric that you'd want to take the design into consideration.

7. Sew on your binding, and you're done!

As always, let me know if you have questions or comments - I love to hear from you!

3 Stripes & You're Out!

I finished this quilt for a friend of mine who hopes to someday soon have a baby! (I'm hoping for sooner rather than later, but that's another story!) Anyway, for a simple quilt project or even a scrappy quilt project, this is a good block to do. 

1. Cut strips (the longest length of the fabric) at 2 1/2" wide.

2. Sew three strips together (hence the "three stripes")

3. Then iron down and cut the three strips at 6 1/2" or measure your width to make a perfect square. 

**Remember to square up all of your blocks to the smallest one so everything lines up!**

For my own personal thoughts - the colors in this quilt ended up being borderline "crazy"! I thought it would come out cuter in a sense, but I still like these colors of children's fabric. What do we think?