This is my first submission as the new Craft Writer for HomeschoolBlogger.  I'm very excited and so thrilled I was chosen.  I hope the crafts I submit are for things others would enjoy doing as much as I did.  Looking over previous Craft Writer submissions, I realize this is more time-consuming than the others.  I will be submitting this sort of craft along with others geared more for children. 

This craft was actually very easy, however it does take some advance planning.  It is a memory quilt and I've made one for each of my three children.  The one in the pictures belongs to my oldest son and was the only one not currently on a bed.  

Materials needed:

35-70 pieces of your childrens outgrown clothes

1 book measuring about 7.75" x 9" (or you can make a cardboard template about this size)

1 Sharpie marker - black or other dark color

Sewing machine and thread

Quilt batting for full size quilt

Flat sheet, full size, white cotton or flannel

Yarn, one skein, your choice of color

Large needle for sewing with yarn 

First, collect your child's most loved and/or memorable clothing as they outgrow it.  I did this by keeping a small basket in my closet and as I'd do laundy I'd just toss the items I wanted to save into it.  After enough was saved then I grabbed the clothes and spread them out on the table, and using the storybook and a Sharpie marker, I drew a rectangle on each article of clothing - fronts and backs.  The book I used measures 7.75 in. x 9 in., but anything near that size will work, I just liked the book as it was sturdy and a good size to use in baby sleepers.  Cut them all out.  Don't worry about the marks still on the fabric as those edges will be in the seems and won't show when it's finished.

Fo the quilt shown, I used 70 squares of fabric for a finished quilt of 10 squares across by 7 squares down.  Okay, rectangles NOT squares but you know what I mean!  Arrange the pieces so that no matching pieces are touching and begin sewing them in rows either long edges together or short ones.  If doing long edges, sew 10 together - if doing short then just 7.  After the rows are sewn together, then sew the strips together.  This basic quilt-top goes together fairly quickly.  NOTE - if you want to add some embellishments, such as a pair of the teeny infant socks, do it on a contrasting piece of plain fabric (like from back of a shirt) and do it before sewing the squares together.  Remember to give yourself some room for the seam allowances.

On a large flat surface lay out the flat sheet - right side down.  Layer on it the quilt batting, smoothing as you work.  On top of that lay the quilt top - right side up.  Thread the large needle with several feet of yarn and begin in the center of the quilt top and working out, make a running stitch in the center of each square and in all the corners where the meet.  Make sure you are going through all three layers as you stitch.  As you run out of yarn, just reload the needle and keep working until all squares and corners are done.  Go back with your scissors and snip the yarn in the middles and then knot them all.  So now all the layers are secured.

Trim just the quilt batting so that its edges match up with the quilt-top's edges.  On the backing, trim it so that you leave about 2 inches more all around than the top, this will be your binding.  After all the trimming is finished, the binding is made very simply by taking the raw edge, folding it in half then folding it again around the front of the quilt, being careful not to make it pucker.  Sew it all around with your sewing machine and you have just make a beautiful memory quilt for your child.

I hope you enjoyed this craft idea and if you decide to make one yourself, please visit my Maxwell Academy blog (or here!) and leave me a comment, I'd love hearing from you.  Leave me a comment even if you don't plan on making this, I just go crazy for comments!! 

About me:  I'm Dianna Maxwell, of West Virginia.  Married to my wonderful hubby for 16 years and we have three beautiful children together - Chance - 14 yob, Spencer - 9 yob, and Lindsey - 7 yog.  I've been crafting for as long as I can remember with both my mom and my grandmother.  My mom taught me the discipline of following directions in a pattern and my grandmother taught me to throw the directions out the window and go with my heart and my insight.  So I do a little of both and most of my stuff comes out pretty well if I do say so myself.  I've been homeschooling for 4 years and have helped with Vacation Bible Schools, Sunday Schools, Cub Scouts, and Keepers and Contenders, and arts and craft are always a big part of each of these things.