"Quilt-A-Long" Series - Baby Quilt: Intro and Assignment 1

Welcome to what I am calling my "quilt-a-long" series. Our first project is a simple, but way cute, baby quilt. They are so much fun to make and are perfect for you to keep on hand for the next friend you know that is having a baby, OR, make one for your own baby. There is something totally awesome about starting and finishing a project!!

Here's how the quilt-a-long works:
A quilt-a-long is a great place to start for anyone who has been wanting to learn how to make a quilt but doesn't know where or how to get started. Each week I will post an assignment for you. As long as you complete that assignment each week you will finish with us and have a beautiful quilt at the end! Once we are done with all of our assignments I will have a quilt-a-long link party where we can share all of the quilts we made. One of the great things about doing something like this is that you can show off your project (which we all love to do) and you can see what everyone else did so you have some ideas for next time! It also keeps you accountable for making sure your assignment gets done... kind of like homework! The tasks will not be daunting, so even if your only time to sew is at night after the kids are in bed, you will be able to get everything done... I promise!

Here is the design for our first quilt-a-long as well as a supply list:
Since this is YOUR quilt, you can choose any color combinations you want to use. Make it for your own baby, for a grand-baby, for a boy, a girl, or keep it gender neutral. You will want to make sure you buy all 100% cotton fabric. For batting, I recommend a 100% cotton batting, but if you are looking for a fluffier quilt then you should choose polyester. I love cotton batting because as long as you don't pre-wash your quilt fabrics, it will crinkle up in your first washing of it so that your quilt has an antique look to it... which I think is absolutely a-dor-a-ble! BUT, the choice is up to you. If you don't want your quilt to crinkle after washing, be sure to pre-wash and dry your fabrics!

In addition to your fabric supply list, you will want to have a rotary cutter and mat (it just makes things easier), some fabric scissors, and a sewing machine and thread. I use polyester thread to sew my pieces together and embroidery thread to top stitch my quilt (which I will talk about later). I have also found that if you have a quilting foot for your machine (one that has a 1/4" guide) it makes piecing your quilt so much easier!

Personally, I chose to use pieces from a charm pack (a pre-packaged set of coordinating fabric that is cut into 5" squares that you can order online or buy from any quilting or fabric store) for the center part of my quilt. I had it on hand and it was easier than cutting all of my 5" squares. With a charm pack, each fabric square is different which makes for a fun and random quilt design. I am planning to use pieces from 3 charm packs of the same fabric line (that way I can choose the ones I really want). Here are my supplies:



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* This weeks assignment:
Gather your materials! Be sure to cut your 5" fabric squares so you are ready to go for next week!

Who's going to join in on the fun!?! 

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