Another Baby Quilt Idea - Going Green and Memorable

Here are photos of a baby keepsake (or "Onesie") quilt my cousin made for a friend. It's so cute! She used little onsies and outfits cut into simple squares to make this wonderful little baby quilt. On the back are two of the baby outfits that are tacked and sewn on after the quilting is done. I am making my own samples and will start to offer this as a service on Gypsy Hill Quilts. The cost will be based on the number of outfits provided, similar to T-shirt quilts. Most people just get rid of the outfits when their baby grows out of them, but this is a great and fun way to memorialize the early years.

I have some fun boy outfits for the first sample (see below). The quilt shown is based on simple 9-patch blocks alternating with solid (or light print) blocks. I don't recall the size of blocks my cousin made, but if you used 6" blocks, your quilt would measure 30" x 30". Great size for a wall hanging.

Of course I also like to play around with EQ5, and here is an example so you'll have an idea about the construction if you want to make one yourself. The fabric in the outfits you have would dictate the color scheme...I just threw this together to see what it would look like.

The fabrics, if jersey knit (like a t-shirt) are best stablized with an iron-on interfacing before cutting out the squares. This will keep your pieces from stretching as they are sewn together. Use one yard of a cozy flannel for the back. You could be really creative and use receiving blankets since they are usually flannel. Since these quilts would typically be decorative rather than used as a quilt, a batting like Warm & Natural will hold it's shape if the quilt will be hung on the wall. And, it's easy to machine quilt with straight lines.

I'll try to post new photos as the samples progress. For now, here is the clothing I am starting with. I love the little car and surfboard onsie. The turtleneck is little cars and trucks. So fun!

I have a lot of other projects on the table, I really need to get motivated. I have my siggys to cut out and sew, and a 3-D pinwheel to finish. It's raining - wait - actually SNOWING here in Spanaway, so sewing is a good way to spend the rest of the weekend.

Hope you have projects to keep you motivated! Happy sewing!