What pure fun making this quilt was!  You forget how fast baby quilts are to make until you realize that it’s binding time and the quilt is almost finished and it seemed to just fly out of the sewing machine.

(Update:  I have received many requests for a pattern for this quilt. You can make this quilt yourself by using this pattern that I have written for a patchwork quilt.)

I made this quilt using what I think is a great combination to make a unified but interesting look: start with a cute motif fabric, add a solid, a little dot and a stripe.  Four different fabrics that can create a bit of a scrappy look but looks cohesive.  I started with a fabric from Anne Kelle’s Urban Zoology line for Robert Kaufman.  This line of fabrics is so adorable and is perfect for stashing for future baby quilts.  The little dot is Pinhead in Ebony from Michael Miller.  The solid is Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton Solid in Aqua and the little grey stripe is probably one of my all time favorite stripes – Animal ABCs small stripe in Grey –  I kind of hoard it in my stash.

The backing fabric – eeeeek!   It’s called Key Ingredient in Natural Blue from Chicken in the Ktichen Collection by Alexander Henry.  I’ve had this in my stash for a while and couldn’t wait to use it.

This quilt was made using 16-patch blocks, with finished squares that were 3″ each. To make these, I cut 3.5″ x 16″ strips from four different fabrics and sewed them together to make a variety of 4-strip “A” sets.  I could have cut WOF (width of fabric) strips, but I felt that sewing those together wouldn’t have given me the mixed variety of sets I wanted.  I subcut these “A” sets into 3.5 strips and then placed them out until I got a scrappy layout I liked. I then sewed them into 4-strips blocks and sewed the blocks together in rows.  There were 3 blocks across and 4 blocks down to make a quilt that finishes at 47″ x 35.5″  (including binding).

For this quilt, I thought I should make bias binding instead of my usual cross grain binding.  I thought the stripes on the diagonal  added a little bit more interest, plus it’s more durable – especially for a baby quilt that might get washed more.  To make bias binding, I use a Binding Buddy ruler by June Tailor that makes it a snap.  I have the 2.5″ one but they also make a 2.25″ ruler.  Makes it super simple!  I think it’s also less of a hassle than making continuous bias binding – way too much fiddling for me.  If you want to see how I apply binding, here is my tutorial on that.

I quilted this with Aurifil 50 wt. thread and did double vertical quilting lines along all the squares.  I used white on top and a sand color in the bobbin, to match the backing fabric. I used Warm & White for the batting.

I was almost sorry to have this quilt finished, it was so fun!

I hope you’re making something! Thanks for stopping in,
Elaine

I’m linking up to My Quilt Infatuation, Sew Fresh Quilts,  Blossom Heart Quilts and Free Motion by the River