This must be the year for having babies!!  I know so many beautiful women that are bringing such wonderful blessings into this world, I just had to share this super easy and oh-so-elegant baby quilt.  I call it a quilt, but it might actually be considered a blanket since the top is actually one piece of fabric and not a lot of smaller pieces sewn together.  However, once it's finished, it sure looks quilted. 

Here's what you'll need to make one similar to what you see here: 

1 yard of soft flannel with some sort of pattern

1 yard of coordinating solid satiny fabric (look for both of these in the baby section of the fabric store)

1 spool of matching quality thread

Pins

Sewing machine

Scissors 

Start off by washing both pieces of fabric, this will take out any sizing that might be in it.  After washing and drying, iron them smooth.  (Hmmm, should I have listed washing machine, dryer, iron and ironing board in the supplies needed?)

And no matter how carefully someone attempts to cut fabric, the only true way to make it absolutely "square" is to tear it.  (Not all fabrics can be torn, such as jersey.)  Start at one of the cut edges and cut a small snip along the edge about an inch in and then tear it all the way across the fabric to the other end.  Do this on both cut ends to even it up.  You do not have to do this to the selvedge ends, but you can if you want.  If you notice that when you tear the fabric from where you snipped it that it doesn't make it all the way to the other end, then move in a little more and try again.  Sometimes it looks like you are wasting a lot of fabric, but it really needs to be done so it will lay properly.  Do this to both pieces of fabric. 

Lay the backing fabric on a flat surface, I use my kitchen table (be sure to wipe up any food or other spills first), and smooth it out with your hands.  The backing fabric should have the side you want to show facing the table.  On top of it, place the top piece with the design you want to show facing up.  You will have the wrong sides together.  You will need the backing fabric to be about an inch larger all the way around the top fabric.  If you need to trim any then continue with the tearing method you used earlier.  Keep laying them together until you have them the way you need them.  

After smoothing the fabrics together with your hands to make sure all wrinkles are gone, begin pinning them together.  You may use safety pins if you prefer, or straight pins, that's up to you.  It's a small blanket, so about 20 pins should work fine. 

Once you have it all pinned down and are satisfied with it, you are ready to begin sewing it together.  Start at one corner and sew in a pattern towards the opposite corner in a diagonal.  Depending on the pattern on the fabric, you might just follow a preprinted line or you may need to eyeball a pattern yourself, either way it will still look great.  You'll backstitch both at the beginning of the line and again at the end.  Once you reach the end, go to the closest line beside the one you just did and do it again.  Stay in the same diagonal direction until that entire direction is complete.  Once done that way, start going in the diagonal the other way, again starting in the middle and working out. 

Once done with all this sewing, you'll need your scissors to trim all the ends of thread.  Just snip, snip, snip away.  Flip the blanket over and do all the threads on that side too.

Now you are ready to use that excess backing fabric to make the binding.  Start at one corner and down at the front fabric edge, fold the raw edge of the backing in to meet the raw edge of the front.  Then fold in again so the folded edge of the backing is over the front piece edge.  There are several ways to continue with the binding, it may depend on what you feel most comfortable doing.  I just fold it over like this and start sewing, then stop after a few inches, fold a little more, then sew some more, then stop, then fold, then sew, all the way around.  You can also fold and pin down all the way around, this will take more time initially, but won't require the constant stopping and folding like I do.  You can also fold and iron it down.  This would also take some time to do, but would also make it easier when it comes to stitching.  If you are not sure try a different method on three of the sides and pick the one you liked best for the last one.

Whatever method you select, just stitch each side down overlapping the corners.  Trim all threads and TA-DA, beautiful baby quilt that you made all by yourself!! 

Dianna and her husband have three children together and are enjoying their first grandchild that his son gave them.  They get to babysit a couple of days a week and are loving every minute of it.  Their three children are developing a wonderful relationship with their nephew and he gets so excited whenever he sees them.  And since the baby is trying his darndest to get more mobile, Dianna realizes that she needs to do a lot better at keeping their home clutter-free.  Not an easy task for a confirmed pack rat, but she's trying!