Our family has been on a roll lately…last year we added four new members! For my sister-in-law it was her first pregnancy and twins to boot. A cousin welcomed her second little boy. As per usual, I wanted to make something to send rather than buy something from their registry. Granted, they probably wanted something they registered for, but oh well… ;o)
This time around I decided to make simple play quilts, which by my definition means they can be used for cuddling, but are mainly used as a clean place for baby to play. In our case it also means keeping the place where baby plays clean. Some of the strangest things come out of these little creatures, but not out of the carpet or upholstery. Yuck!
Just my luck, Jo-Ann’s Fabric and Crafts had a sale on their quilt panels and I was able to find a couple of really cute designs for my creations. To give them warmth and body for quilting, plus a little fuzzy comfort, I decided to back them with cream-colored fleece. I also sandwiched in coordinating rick-rack along the edges for a more custom touch.
The process was really simple. I sewed the cheater quilt panel right side together with the fleece backing and with the jumbo coordinating rick-rack sandwiched between the two fabrics.

Don’t forget to leave an opening for turning it right side out when you are done! Then I ran a stitch along the edges to smooth out the seams, hold it in place and catch and close the opening left for turning.
Once the edges were closed up with was just a matter of laying the whole thing out on a flat surface and smoothing the layers as I pinned around the areas I wanted to quilt. In both designs the animals and insects were outlined, begging to be quilted.

And, that is just what I did!

The end result was a soft, very malleable quilt, perfect for a play mat and a customized gift for several sweet new family members.

What are your favorite handmade baby gifts to give and/or get?

Erika