As a classroom teacher for 39 years, I believe that the joy of learning is a life-long venture that begins before a baby is born. A mom can sing, talk to her unborn child, and even eve take time to read aloud stories and poem for children.  Using I Spy baby quilts can continue to help the baby develop, after they are born.

Once the baby is born the colors, sounds, and the many different touches that the baby experiences all add to the learning experiences. Baby quilts can add the color, design, and the sense of feel as you cradle your infant.

As the child grows their eyes follow the patterns sewn into the handmade quilts, and the color designs draws the young one’s attention, as they learn to experience the tessellations of the traditional baby quilts or the familiar designs of animals, numbers, letters, or characters appliquéd onto a modern handmade quilt.

I Spy a duck or a bird; can become a familiar game, as the baby begins to recognize the names of soon to be familiar animals or colors. How wonderful to add a soft, cuddly baby quilt to a car trip, a stroller ride and play a familiar game with the child’s favorite handmade blanket.

I Spy baby quilts can cuddle and teach at the same time.  In this my latest design, I added two blocks of each animal and now not only can you play “I Spy,” but also add a matching component too.

Handmade I Spy baby quilts are not just for cuddles.  “I Spy”,  parents and their children having fun with quilts.

I came  around the last corner on the binding and realized – WOW!  The end is in site. Holding up the newly handmade quilt to inspect my work is when I realized that some little baby is going to cuddled in this one by his or her Mom or Dad and will be held tightly with this homemade baby quilt as it keeps it tiny package snuggly warm and dry.

Whether the design be teddy bears, the ABC’s or just a lovely pastel pattern fit for the newborn, any my new handmade baby quilts will be treasured and loved for years to come.

A few more stitches to go on that baby quilt binding.

Happy Quilting!

The soft touch of the minky added to the 100 % cotton baby flannel will make this baby quilt a unique gift for a any little boy or girl.

Since I handquilted this baby quilt, as I do all of my quilts, these become a homemade baby blanket that will be treasured for a lifetime.

I entitled my new quilt, Teddy Bears Hugs, which you can find on line on my website soon.

SEW hugable.

A new baby is on the way and this Grandma is excited.  The ultrasound shows that it is a girl and Mom and Dad are busily picking out colors and deciding on names, as they make plans for their new addition.  Yet this Grandma is hesitant.  Should I start a pink quilt for a little girl or one with flowers, butterflies or maybe lavender quilt with some ruffles?

From personal experience, this Grandma has learned that an ultrasound can be wrong.  My two sons were both to be little girls if you believe those tests.   Granted technology has improved since my sons were born, clearly a blue baby blanket for a little girl’s nursery can be avoided and ruffles for a boy’s room just isn’t cool for anyone to give as a gift to a new “little man.”  To avoid this mess, try a green or yellow quilt and add a touch of light brown or shades of tan.  Even small amounts of blue or pink as accent colors will not suggest either a boy or girl but will liven up the light pastels.

Adding patterns, such as chicks, teddy bears, or even the alphabet would brighten up any nursery and would make a memorable baby shower gift.   These can be a one-of-a-kind handmade baby blankets sewn with either 100% cotton, cotton flannel, or by piecing minky for a touch of softness, which can be treasured for years to come will not favor either the boy or girl décor.

Congratulations on the new addition to the family.  Start a handmade baby quilt today without worrying whether it will be a boy or a girl.  There is always a baby quilt pattern both in color and design to fit your need and style.

If time is a problem and you are sure you can’t put together even an easy baby quilt before the baby arrives or you need a baby shower gift for that invitation that arrived all too quickly, try  looking on line for a handmade baby quilt.  I started my website and business years ago when I had a Grandmother come to me in need of baby shower gift.   I had baby quilts in my closet and no one to give them too.   Hence, Unique Baby Quilt Boutique was born!

Need a new baby quilt pattern?  You can always find one or buy one easily today.

Many baby quilts are designed to match the décor of the baby’s room either in style or theme.  Some of the many popular baby quilt patterns are those of animals, such as ducks or ducklings, bears, dogs, cats or even lions or tigers.  ABC’s and numbers added to other styles have added to the now popular sports themes from the pros and college teams alike.

Baby quilts and handmade baby blankets come in various sizes.  One can easily be designed to fit the baby’s crib or to sewn to fit the nursery’s décor. Since these quilts are customized, not purchased in a store, each can be quilted to fit in color, size, and specific design  of the nursery.  Choosing colors, the type of batting, the style of backing material, and even the style of binding that is used, all contribute to making each handmade baby quilt unique and special.  Monagramming the baby quilt with the baby’s name and birth date brings a personal touch to any quilt.

Wrapping your baby into a quilt made with cotton, cotton polyester, or even cotton flannels not only makes for a warm and comfortable feel, but an easy quilt to wash and dry.  Stains wash easily out of todays’ fabrics yet they they are smooth and easy on the baby’s sensitive skin.

Baby quilts are wonders for many other reasons such as a special baby shower gift.  Any mother-to-be would welcome a handmade baby quilt out of the many items she receives for her newborn as shower gifts.  The modern baby quilts will fit any room décor plus be a one-of-a kind gift that will be sure to be passed around the room for all to hold and have a closer inspection, not just unwrapped and set aside awaiting the next gift on the pile to come into view.

Playtime on the floor calls for the use of a baby quilt once again.  Their soft yet durable  thickness provides a clean and safe padded surface for your baby to play on.  This handmade baby blanket can also fit into strollers and be taken on trips to the grocery store or other outings, providing a soft and clean surface for the baby, as well as a warm and cozy one if the weather is cool.

With such a variety of uses, why not quilt or buy a handmade baby quilt?

Before our ride to Georgia I put together 3 baby quilt tops so that I had plenty of hand work to keep me occupied on the 10 hour car ride.

With all of the visitors returning north from their winter vacations, the families on Spring Break, and the usual interstate traffic, we creaped along or at many times stood at a complete stand still.  My first baby quilt was finished before I arrived at my son’s!

Now that I have arrived and have enjoyed playing with my grandson, the second of my  baby quilt tops has not seen much stitching time.

Grandma is on vacation!

Cool Blue and Duckie

However, where do those original designs, color patterns, or unique heirloom quality unique handmade baby quilts emerge?

Quilt books are an excellent source of reference for patterns and designs.  These treasures are backed with quilting advice and baby quilt patterns that will provide you
with years of pure quilting pleasure.  Books are usually divided into chapters from topics that range from fabrics, quilting templates or patterns; quilt binding, finishing your baby
quilt, and other quilting questions.  Books are collections of beloved designs from the traditional to the unique patterns and the appliqué to the vintage patterns.  Directions for full-sized baby quilts to the crib quilts or even a doll quilt are found on the pages of quilting books that can be found at local book stores, on the Internet, or even borrowed from other quilting friends.  These treasures inspire new levels of creativity when designing baby quilts, so take time to browse their pages.

Sometimes a color just chooses the quilt!  Some of the most interesting baby quilts are made when the fabrics are selected on first instincts.  This is called love at first sight, when you don’t second guessing yourself and spend too much time material shopping and tempted to change your mind.  Just stick to your first choice.  Many interesting
baby quilts are those when the blocks are not overly coordinated.  Buy a variety of prints, sizes, and types, which include some stripes and maybe plaids.  Choose print fabrics with much, if any white background, since white stick out like a sore thumb and for babies, not a good color to drag around the floor and get dirty.  White does not blend well, unless all of your other prints have white in them.

If you are trying to choose a dominant print fabric, squint your eyes.   This process will
help you to choose other fabrics to go with the dominant color.

Once the baby is one the way, the knowing the décor of the baby’s room will also give you get insight into choosing fabrics, colors or evening creating the design for some new baby quilts.  Maybe a jungle theme or princesses for the little lady in the house, new moms know what they want for their babies.  Looking at the newest baby clothes gives you an idea for the baby colors and themes, so infuse those into your quilts.  Nursery prints will many times use these ideas so they will be readily available from your local quilt shop.

Designing baby quilts does not need to be a difficult task.  Use your resources and have fun quilting today!

]]> http://blog.uniquebabyquiltboutique.com/looking-for-a-new-idea-for-designing-baby-quilts/feed/ 1 http://blog.uniquebabyquiltboutique.com/use-green-in-baby-quilts/ http://blog.uniquebabyquiltboutique.com/use-green-in-baby-quilts/#comments Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:14:26 +0000 Sharon Camp http://blog.uniquebabyquiltboutique.com/?p=1136 Continue reading →]]> Use green in baby quilts?

Baby quilts use various colors but with St. Patrick’s Day in the glorious month of March, this question comes up.

Traditionally, blues are for boys and the pinks are for girls.  This association has been held true for years and years and can be found throughout even many handmade baby quilts and the fabrics.  Yet as the quilt shops open their selection of choices, finding the browns with pinks is a delightful combination or the blue with the yellow can a spice to simple hue.
Lavender becomes the new pink and little princesses been cuddled in many baby quilts of this non-traditional little girl color.

But what about the green, do you make it stand alone or mix it with another color?  Quilting experts will tell you that if you work with a color scheme from only one side of the color wheel you can easily end up with a quilt that lacks interest and excitement.  Therefore, placing green and yellow together should never be done in baby quilts.  That might just mean a dull quilt for those little ones, and babies deserve better!  To counterbalance, cross the color wheel and add a color opposite to green, but use this one in small amounts.  Therefore, if you are making shades of green handmade quilts, choose some fabrics that are either red or lavender as an accent color.

Take a trip to your local quilt shop, or pull out your stash
and Go Green in baby quilts!

The invitation arrived for a special friend or maybe your niece or granddaughter.

• This means no ordinary shower gift will do for this present has to be unique, special, and stand out at the shower

• One that will not be tossed aside after a few statement of “Wow how nice,” or “So cute,” and then be forgotten in the pile with the other baby shower gifts.

• One that will bring has everyone at the baby shower passing your baby gift around for all to see and touch. • One that will bring tears of your to the eyes of the new mom, as she visualizes her new baby with this new baby cuddled in the new gift

• One that won’t get put into a dresser drawer to be forgotten after the thank you note has been written and the tags removed.

• One that the baby won’t outgrow in a few weeks or even a month because babies tend to grow so fast at those early stages.

• One that the new mom won’t already have the same gift or get one at the shower maybe in a different color or pattern design.

Now were does such a baby shower gift exist?

Think of your own small child and remember those good times and what they kept snuggled close by with them at night, dragged around daily until it was so thread bare you were afraid to wash it for fear their precious treasure may just not hold together.

Yes, it was their favorite baby quilt or blanket. A baby shower gift of a handmade baby quilt will be the solution to that shower dilemma.

Designing a unique baby quilt is always a challenge for the experience quilter, who is looking for a new and different idea from the usual and typical design in their pattern collection or the novice quilter, who is just beginning to jump into the wonder world of quilting and is looking to find a simple pattern to complete their first project.  Either way the pattern design is so special and needs your utmost consideration.

Baby quilts have always been a thoughtful and popular gift for the new mother or the mother-to-be.  Whether you hand quilt the final project or chose machine quilting, the final finished project will bring years of soft, warm cuddles or the utmost pride of the other women at the baby shower when your present is unwrapped at the baby shower for all to see.   Once the baby is older, it can be used for a wall hanging to keep for sentimental reasons, or even a floor covering for the baby to use it when playing. Your time and efforts on designing, sewing, and quilting your baby quilt are always appreciated by all.

Generation after generation, quilts have been kept because they are very beautiful to see and comforting to the touch.  With a bit of imagination, you can modify and change a pattern, blend color schemes, and then your quilt design can also be adjusted to any size for a baby bed or crib.  A handmade baby quilt pattern could transform your idea into a perfect gift for any new baby.

But where do you start to choose that perfect pattern?  How about your favorite quilt shop?  Or you might start to look in your own library of magazines or books that decorate and more than not, collect dust on those shelves at home.  Doing a search on the internet is a new option, and often easy method for common pattern words.  Here are a few that are excellent suggestions:

• Rag  quilts
• Jungle theme baby quilts
• Quick and easy crib quilts
• Beginner quilts
• Monkey themes
• Large or Small squares quilts
• Vintage or antique quilts
• Peter Rabbit baby quilts
• Irish Chain
• Free pattern quilts
• Eye spy quilts
• Appliqué  baby quilts
• Circus  or shape baby quilts
• Alphabet quilts

This list is by no means complete, but it is a start to getting you on the road to a different pattern and maybe a new thought to expand the ideas that you’re currently had in mind.

Anyway you cut it, baby quilts patterns are SEW special.