Earlier this week I promised you that I would show you an easy baby blanket made using the charm pack that’s up for grabs in this week’s Learn to Sew giveaway. Well, today’s your lucky day. Here’s the baby blanket quilt tutorial.
It’s pretty cute huh? It’s really pretty easy too-nothing but straight lines. I’ve made lots of these kinds of blankets but never with a charm pack and that cut down on lots of time!
Easy Baby Blanket Tutorial:
Supplies Needed:
1 Charm pack (a charm pack is a set of coordinating fabrics that are already cut into 5 inch squares) (Mine is Apple Jack by Moda from My Fabric Friend)
OR any fabric you want cut up into 5 inch squares (you can pick your own and do the cutting with a rotary cutter which is what I have always done in the past.
About 1 yard of soft fabric for the bottom. I used minky dots but any soft fabric will work.
Embroidery floss and quilting needle for tying it at the end
Instructions:
1. Assuming you have all of your squares cut and ready, you will need to lay them out and decide on the pattern you want them in. How many squares you have is up to you. This charm pack came with 42 square so the quilt is 6 rows by 7 rows.
2. Now you are going to start by sewing your rows together. So, start with your top row, put right sides of 2 squares together and sew them to each other using a 1/4 inch seam:
So that they look like this when you open them:
Just keep doing that with each square for your row until you have the row completed. Then set it aside and start the next row and do this to each of your rows.
3. Once you have all of your rows done, press them so they are nice and smooth. Now you are going to sew the rows to each other. Pin 1 row to the next by putting right sides together and matching up the seams. I pin them at each seam all the way down so there will be 7 pins:
You want to be sure that your seams from one row are matching up with the seams from the other row as much as possible:
Now sew one row to the next:
Do that with all of your rows until you have a full blanket top. Press again.
4. Now grab your minky dots fabric or whatever fabric you have for he bottom and cut it to the same size as your quilt top. With right sides together sew the minky fabric to the quilt top all around the outside edges leaving an opening of about 4 inches to turn it right side out. Turn it right side out and then top stitch all the way around the outside (this will also close your opening-make sure to fold it under nicely before you top stitch over it).
5. Thread a quilting needle with embroidery thread:
And on the corners go down through the top:
back up through the bottom and tie a square knot. I usually do this on every other 4 corner spot.
And that’s it! Pretty easy right? Be sure to enter to win the charm pack so you can make this same blanket!
I just love,love this baby quilt. I have always been intimidated when it comes to quilting, but this tutorial made it look easy. Thank you for a chance at this giveaway. I would love to win this for my future grandchild, hopefully in the making….
I hope you win! The charm packs are less than $10 which is a great deal too so if you don’t win you can still get one! :)
I noticed that you did not mentioned batting for the middle part of the quilt. Doesn’t quilts use battting? Susan
I don’t use batting on this-just the minky which is pretty thick. This way the blanket can easily wrap around the baby. You could add batting if you wanted though.
i noticed you put embroidery thread in the last step, I am wondering if this is for looks or is it meant to hold things in place? I have never done quilting but wanted to attempt this project.
Thanks,
Yes, the knots hold the back fabric to the front fabric.
Amber thank you so much for the easy-to-follow pictures and instructions. I’m hopeful I’ll start and complete the burp cloths this weekend and then move to this sweet baby blanket. Thank for choosing projects that are not overwhelming for beginners like myself. I am not familiar with the minky dots ..is that what they are called at JoAnn’s or could you recommend a fabric substitute to look for. Thank you.
I think that’s what they are called. They are very soft and have raised little dots on them. If you ask for minky fabric or minky dots they should know what you mean.
at Jo-Ann its called soft and comfy
I recently blogged about a charm pack quilt that I made too…love charm packs for a beginner quilt project!!!
I haven’t worked with a charm pack before, and would love to. This project is perfect for my daughter’s boyfriend’s son. I haven’t made him anything yet, but I’d like to. This just might fit the bill. And I have a good friend who is expecting her first grandchild, which is a boy. Great idea for a little gift to give her. Thanks for the tutorial.
Minky fabric? Is it thicker than flannel but thinner than fleese? Just curious as I am a beginner but started making children’s quilts a few weeks ago for our local “Linus” club. I have so far made four but always used batting. I am thinking that maybe over kill most of the year here in AZ. Thanks for your help and I love all your projects. keep up the ood work :)
When you press, do you press it down the center to open the seam or press to one side? If to one side should it go to same side every time or alternate? Thanks. Clearly I’m a beginner :)
Press it to the side and yes, quilters will tell you to alternate.
Thank you!
Great tutorial! And as usual, an adorable project!!
I love “tie” quilts. They are so easy and fun! I like to do them but have always felt that people will think they are not “real” quilting. I wish there were more ideas and patterns for them. Thanks for posting this one. I like it!
I love this little blanket!
Years ago, my pastors wife showed me a gift that was given to her. It was a lap blanket with a single foot pocket on the back. It looked very similar to this baby quilt. I had feel in love with the idea. Every woman in my life (mom, mother-n-law, best friend, etc..) including myself has “thin” skin and gets cold quickly (especially extremities). My question is, if I double the charm pack and add a large foot pocket to the bottom back of the quilt do you think I would be able to come close to the lap quilt I had seen years ago? Even better question, do you or anyone know how to make the lap quilt? Like I said, looks just like the baby blanket, ties and all…It would be a great gift :)
Definitely. I think it would be a good size if you did that.
I’m thrilled to have discovered your pattern tutorial (and website!) on Pinterest. I’ve been wanting to learn to quilt, but am not quite ready to dive in to the full process. Plus, I’ve been in need of a lot of baby gifts lately. I knit, but am not fast. I can see a project like this baby quilt being super fast! I never even considered that I wouldn’t necessarily have to include batting. It makes sense, though, that a thinner quilt would make a better baby blanket for swaddling.
Oh, and I remember the well-worn quilts my grandmother (Nanny) had on her beds when I was a child; they all had the ties. I never even realized what those were for when I was a child. Thanks for sharing your tutorial/pattern! :-)
Simple tutorial and easy for even beginners to follow.
Have a nice day/night.
Shirley
This is just lovely. I’ve made a few basic square baby quilts before, but I have always used batting. I never thought about not using batting so I’m looking forward to trying this. I’ve never used charm packs either so I’ll look into that :) I’m thinking of adding a button where they ties are. I’m thinking it will look cute. I cannot wait to try this. My little girl is 3 and a half, so maybe getting a bit big for blankies now. Perhaps it can be the car blankie :) Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful tutorial :) Xxxxxx
This is so cute! What’s more, I actually think I could do it! It would make a great lap quilt as well! I’m going to pin it and try it sometime!
On the baby quilt how do I finish it? How do I connect the two pieces top and bottom together and the sides?
It’s in there under step 4. There’s no pictures but it’s pretty easy. Let me know if you have questions about it.
Do you need to pre wash the squares? I’m assuming they’re cotton or some sort of cotton blend so will they shrink after washing?
I don’t prewash them-I just use them as they come. Not sure if that is how other people do it though?
I wanted to make a quilt for my soon to be first grand-child. I find this one to be something I can do. Like other readers, I felt overwhelmed at the thought of quilting. I went into a local Quiltery to ask a few questions. They made it sound so difficult. They told me I had to use batting, and not to even attempt the minky dots. Was the minky dot fabric hard to work with? And I don’t see where I can use batting and still be able to make it like you instructed.
Minky is a little hard to work with. It’s soft and slippery and a little stretchier than the other fabric which can make it tricky. If you try it pin a lot.