Notes on "Super Quick + Easy Baby Quilt"

(Photo from PurlSoho.com.)

I promised a few notes on the "Super Quick + Easy Baby Quilt" from Joelle Hoverson's "Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts" . The link will take you to a listing of two of Joelle's books that she sells on her website, PurlSoho.com. More on PurlSoho later. But for now, definitely check it out. It's one of my regular NYC haunts. Hi, Joelle!!

I thought I could square the fabric by folding it, but it doesn't work! Open out the entire piece of fabric before squaring.

When you are sewing the two pieces of fabric (right sides) together, do not start at a corner. Start in the middle of one of the sides. You will then turn it right-side out through the opening.

Joelle suggested tacking the quilt by machine by sewing the tacks in a row, without cutting the thread until you reach the end of a row. This works, but be sure to leave plenty of slack in the thread in between tacks. I did not do this initially. There was too much tension and the tacks didn't come out as I liked. I was using an oval shaped satin stitch. In some places, the tacks were smaller than they should have been. I had to take them all out and do them over!

Use a contrasting fabric pen or pencil to mark ties. Practice on scrap fabric before doing this on the quilt. You want to make sure your stitching covers the mark... even though it will eventually wash out.

Speaking of washing, I like washing my fabric first. I use a tiny bit of detergent and no fabric softener. I don't let the fabric dry completely -- it's easier to press the wrinkles out. I read online (in About.com, I think) that you can make a diagonal cut on the corners to prevent fraying. Seems to work. Just don't cut too much off! The smaller your fabric, the smaller your quilt!

Check the quilting distance on the batting package. The batting I used suggested tacking every 2"-4", so I tacked every 4". It is quite a bit even though the quilt is small. I used Poly-fil Extra Loft Batting, even though that was not in the supply list! I love thick batting on quilts.

I enjoyed the pattern. It doesn't take too long, but all those tacks! Did I mention that I had to do 81 tacks, twice?? The quilt came out really cute, though! It's best for newborns, since it's not that big. I hope to make another one for another little boy who just came into the world.

You can see a picture of the quilt here.