I’m not much of a quilter. OK, I’m not even sort of a quilter-it’s not really my thing. But I like to make these cute little baby blankets that are sort of, barely quilts. This is a very easy project and a good way to get started quilting or just sewing. It’s an Easy Baby Blanket 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)
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! Not too hard!
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.
Hi Amber — very cute blanket! Is there any way to skip this step or alter it so that you don’t have the strings showing? Is there another way of tying it off? Thanks for the tutorial — I love it!
You can actually quilt it if you want. The tying is just easier.
Or you could sew cute little buttons thru all 3 layers at random places. to hold it together
a bit late to add this, but it is also possible to put safety pins where corners of blocks meet on the front, flip the quilt, and do the tying on the back side. Barely visible. Sometimes instead of corners, I’ve picked a place where a tie wouldn’t show much, for example the mane of a lion or fur of a kitten, center of a flower, whatever, then pinned and placed ties there with thread that blends well. Back or front; depends on the pattern. Crochet cotton thread also works quite nicely. My fave is the baby pastel variegated. Quilting safety pins are worth the investment; the little bend makes them easier to use. Polarfleece is another awesome quilt ‘back and middle in one’, as is good quality pre-quilted solids or small prints. (The kind of fabric that makes up Vera purses, potholders, placemats). Cuddly and money-saving, both. Years back, I bought a ‘scrappy’ string pieces quilt; sewn diagonally. The blocks form a ‘diamond’ of sorts when joined. The person who made it used pre-quilted fabric for the backside (seamed, because it was not a baby quilt) and ‘hid’ the ties by making them on the back side. It may also have some sort of ‘stabilizing’ in the seams, like light-weight interfacing or flannel. I am not willing to cut into it to see. ;-) Eons ago, I used a sort of bar tack vs. ties on a quilt for my own home; that’s like a wide buttonhole stitch, done way short. Loose long threads are a hazard to little baby fingers, and buttons have to be sewn on tight. Never Fear; you have to be nearly 60 or more to know all the goofy little tricks and timesavers! Don’t be in any hurry for that. ;-)
The ends of the ties can be threaded onto a needle and sewn back inside the quilt ‘sandwich’, they barely show.
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
Soft and comfy is Jo-Ann’s brand but not the Minky brand. It’s very soft but it does shed a lot more.
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.
The foot pocket is such a good idea! Thanks!
Was the pocket all the way across, or sort of set at the lower middle and about 16 inches across? “Quillows’ were a big deal some years back; the quilt folds up and stuffs into the pocket. Nice for car trips, school field trips, and picnics, except you have to choose between warmth and having a pillow. ;-) Also, the re-folding can be a little tricky at times, especially if the quilt batt is lofty. My kids and I made a few of these at a beach cabin, on a rainy day. We didn’t have cable TV, or computer, so their attention span was better than usual. At least they can sew a straight line on a machine. We gave these as wedding gifts. It is not compulsory to stick to gift registries, although sometimes I do.
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?
If you pre-wash, you will have a LOT of pressing to do before you start. You can use them without prewashing, this way when you wash it after it’s finished, it’ll poof up a little if they shrink and will add to the charm.
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.
Amber I finished the quilt and used the minky dot fabric. I loved making it and thought it was the perfect pattern for a beginner quilter. Thank you for the tutorial.
Great to hear!
Pam,
If you don’t want to use Minky a really nice flannel would be good. I would prewash the flannel though. I don’t prewash charm packs because they’re already cut so small and I don’t want the sizes to get stretched so they aren’t square. Quilting shops do have a tendency to use a lot of “quilter’s jargon” when you’re there. The first time I went to one I spent half the time on the phone with my friend who quilts asking questions like “What’s a fat quarter?” and “What’s sashing and how do I know if I’m going to do it?” I’m still a beginner (I started with my 2-yr-old grandson and now have a granddaughter) and this pattern is really nice and easy. Good luck! Nothing like grandkids to bring out the inner-quilting-grandma in all of us!
Robin,
I just finished the quilt. I found it easy and fun to do. I will stay out of the quilt shops. Actually the people at Joann Fabrics were very helpful. I used flannel for the front, natural cotton batting and minky dot for the back.
Thank you for your encouragement. Looking forward to the baby coming!
I love to hear that!
I made a super easy quilt using a pieced top, a flannel middle and backing . I put the inner flannel on top of one side AFTER I sandwiched the pieced top and other flannel together. Sewed around all four sides except for the opening to turn, then top stitched the top. I sometimes blind stitch the opening closed too. There’s a picture of it on my blog, it’s called Under Texas skies.
Lovely tutorial, thanks, Denise
I love your blog. I have made several of your projects can not wait to try this blanket perfect for my great grand daughter,
Thank you! I love happy readers. :)
I just made this blanket for my aunt and uncle’s little baby girl. It took me about 2 hours to cut out the pieces by hand (poor college student, can’t afford a rotary cutter and mat!). The next day I started the piecing the blanket in the morning and had it finished by early afternoon! So easy! It turned out great!
So glad I found you. I will try it. Could you show how the backside looks with the ties and the minkey?
Thanks much. Mary
Yes, I will do that ASAP!
I would like you to send me an email when you have a picture of the Minkey backside.
Thanks, Mary
Hi Amber, I’m so glad I pinned your site. I live in Ireland and am a beginner quilter, your baby quilt will be my first project. Can you let me know how much material is in a “charm ” pack – I never heard this term before! Thanks in advance
A charm pack has about 30 or 40 squares that are pre-cut for you. I think they are usually about 5 inches square.
Amber, do stores like joanns sell charm packs or do you have any other websites that sell them? I didnt see a pack that I really liked on the site you used. Thanks!
Yes, check especially at quilt stores.
Really loved this. You really delivered.
My 10 year old granddaughter also thanks you. Gotta let you in on a secret: the backing fabric, you so greatly described, can be found at Wallmart. Happy Quilting
This is one darling quilt, I would have never thought of using so many different patterns and yet it is so adorable. Thank you for showing an ole chic some new tricks,
Such a pretty combination of colors! When sewing the strips together do you
Press the seams open or do you press them to the side, either up or down.
Thank you for sharing!
I do side to side
Nice tutorial. Why put the knots?
It holds the top fabric and bottom fabric together.
Amber, did you pre wash the minky before sewing? Thanks!
I’m naughty and never do but it is probably best practice.
What an excellent tutorial! I like that it doesn’t have batting- my machine can’t handle that. This is going to come in handy, and probably very soon.
Great project!
Great tutorial….I think I will make it and instead of using floss to knot will do some free hand sewing/quilting to attach the top and bottom more securely.
I love the simplicity of this project! I have a bunch of receiving blankets that I was thinking about turning into a small quilt. I might give it a whirl if I feel brave enough to get the rotary cutter. Thanks for the great and easy tutorial. I will definitely use your idea with the charm pack, too!
I am so happy you offered this wonderful quilt idea. I have made and sold 100’s of flannel baby blankets, and will use the scraps to make the quilt. Thank you. Mary
I am so happy you offered this wonderful quilt idea. I have made and sold 100’s of flannel baby blankets, and will use the scraps to make the quilt. Thank you. Mary
Hi Amber! Can you have a 6 by 5 quilt because my charm pack came with only 30 squares?
Of course! You can do any size
Hi! Amber, Love your tutorials, I have already made a few of your other ones and they are so easy to follow. I am looking forward to making this quilt, I haven’t made a quilt before and was so afraid to try it.
Thanks again, Joan
I love you design, and don’t wanna take away from this, and your wonderful blanket. However, I was wondering if I wanted to instead if I could sew along the blanket . And add the knocks as more as a design? Would this take away or not work?
Yes you definitely can
This is so cute! I’m not a quilter but I am going attempt this quilt. My 7th grandchild is due in Dec. Thanks for the easy directions.
Love this easy instructions *s* I have a lot of material I plan to recycle , old jeans old flannel shirts and sheets (flannel and cotton) . These would make wonderful gifts.
I am a quilter and this is a perfectly legit quilt. It is called a tied quilt.
All quilting is, is joining three layers of cloth, usually and upper a lower and a filler. However summer quilts which are lighter are often only 2 layers. Since we want a baby quilt to be light, layers is perfect.
i am making this for my grandbabies twins 1yr grand daughter 3 years do i still not need the backing?
so i dont need the backing for 1year olds and 3year olds first time doing this
Not sure what you mean? I just use a soft, fleecing backing. No batting though.
Where did you get your fabric pack?? I went to Joanns and they said they didn’t have anything like that. The gal working said they are phasing them out. Thank you!!
Any quilting store will have them-locally or online.
For the backing material…I do plan to pre-wash and I know all fabric shrinks when washing. You mention getting a yard. How much backing material (minky or otherwise) should I get so that after washing and shrinking, it will still be one yard? Thank you so much.
If you want the finished product to be a full yard and you are worried about shrinking, get slightly more.
Thank you, Amber…I may even get a yard and a 1/2 to be on the safe side!
Also, I was wondering…have you ever made any of these blankets with just a cotton covering for the back, instead of flannel or minky? My grandbaby is due in April and I’d like to make this a lighter weight blanket but wondering if it would LOOK okay using a cotton backing (similar to the squares)? Thank you
For sure you can do that. I sometimes add batting inside in that case though to give it a little more bulk.
Sorry I keep having so many questions…I’m a very detailed person and a bit of a perfectionist :) On the “tying” part….how exactly do you tie it? I have never done a tied quilt and don’t quite understand. Could you give me details exactly how to do the tying part? Thank you.
Yep! It’s easy. Just go down through all the layers and back up and then tie a square knot, then snip the threads to about an inch or an inch and a half.
I go down on e TOP layer and back up through the BOTTOM ?
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful tutorial. I am what you might call a “quilting dummy” I can’t cut a straight line for toffee. I am also a sewing beginner still too intimidated to do quilting or clothing. So far, I have stuck to simple projects like easy tote bags but am dying to move into quilting. The charm packs are something I will look into since they don’t involve cutting. Right up my alley! Also, since I only have a basic sewing machine, this project is perfect for me! I am thinking about adding on a ruffle around the edge. Since I don’t have a walking foot, no batting here works for me! The minky is nice and soft, I saw it the other day, perfect for the back of this quilt. I don’t mind the embroidery floss and with a little creativity you could attach homemade ribbon flowers to the floss to hide the knots and tails. Thanks for this tutorial!
I have been a sewer for many years and in fact taught sewing in the public schools. But quilting has never been my thing, too tedious and time-consuming. But now I am soon to be a first time grandma so am sewing many adorable projects for the new grandchild. I came across your easy-to-do baby quilt and was thrilled on how simple and quick this is to complete. I had never used a charm packet before……but no measuring and cutting…..I’m thrilled. Am looking forward to sewing this and thank you so much for making it so easy. I do think I will use a light cotton batting for a little extra warmth because we do live a a rather cold climate. Again…..THANKS!
Bet it will turn out great!
Hi,
Really like this tutorial. I’ve been asked by a friend to be a Godparent to their son and want to make it as a gift. I’ve bought a charm pack from Amazon but it looks a different material to what you’ve used, it’s kind of soft fleece, and bits come off it. Is this ok to use? Worry not and also worry the tires at the end will pull holes in the fabric? Any advice welcome! Thanks
I think it should be fine!
Thanks for this tutorial. I’ve been too intimidated to start a quilt I’ve been wanting to do but I think this might have given me the motivation to do a mini version as practice. Great instructions, very straightforward.
I’m soooo glad I found this tutorial. I had a blanket made like this when I was little, and now it’s my daughters favorite blanket. I wanted to make some for my boys and this is how I ‘thought’ it was made but wanted to confirm. Thanks for the tutorial! We love these blankets more than any quilt that has been gifted.
I’m a beginner, but have made two rather complicated quilts. They were so complicated to me that I haven’t even thought about doing another until I saw your tutorial. I think I’m ready to face my sewing machine again. I like the idea of turning the quilt inside out, but how is this possible if you want to use batting?
You can use batting and just sewing on with one of the layers of fabric.
Do you sew it to the wrong side of the fabric so when you put the right sides together the batting will be inside?
Yes
this is a great tutorial. I haven’t sewed since home economics class in middle school and i am about to buy my first sewing machine tomorrow. this may be one of my first projects. It seems very simple and straight forward! I hope it comes out nice.
Love it! Good luck to you!
My mom used to tie her blankets at each corner with varigated baby yarn. Super cute!
Thank you so much for sharing this and helping me. I have like 6 I’ve wanted to make for 6 years now lol. Just never put my mind to it. I have a beautiful sewing room and tons of fabric. I wanted to ask you, do you really need not to add batting on the inside? Thanks so much!!!
Not with the minky fabric-it’s thick enough itself.