DIY: Homemade Quilt

With every baby that joins our family or my group of friends, I always make them a little crocheted baby blanket. So with Summer I decided I wanted to venture out of the box a little and make my first quilt.

I will say that it was intimidating! I didn't follow any one tutorial in particular but I looked over one after another after another until I figured out what steps would work for me and what I thought wouldn't, until I put a complete quilt together.

I certainly can't say that this tutorial will be perfect, I mean, this is my first one after all. Plus, it may or may not have been almost a year ago that I completed this blanket! So if something doesn't make sense, please feel free to ask!

First, I purchased a package of fat quarters at Hobby Lobby. At the time I didn't have plans for them at the time but then decided to do Summer's room in similar colors so I thought I'd make her quilt from them.

I think it had 8 different patterns in the package of fat quarters that I bought, but I didn't really like one of them so I didn't use it.  Since I'm pretty new at this I didn't really think through the size I was cutting my squares. I cut them 5x5 but after sewing them they were closer to about 4 1/2 x 4 1/2. And they are not what I would refer to as "even". But hey, I had to start somewhere, right?

 

Did you catch my mistake here? Luckily at this point the squares were sewn together by row (horizontally) but they were not sewn together vertically and I was able to just use the seam ripper (my bff during this project) and it was a quick fix. Then I was able to start sewing each long row together.

Next, I got some batting. I knew my dimensions for the blanket and got enough to double it. I didn't want this blanket to be thick and heavy, since it is for a little girl.

I also got some matching fabric for the backside of the quilt. I bought a couple of yards because I have some other projects for her bedroom that I'm making with it!

 

I added a boarder around the front piece of the blanket that was about an inch thick. I did that by cutting 4 one inch strips. 2 a little longer than the width of the blanket, and 2 a little longer than the height. I started by first sewing the piece to the top of the quilt, then I did each side and finished with the bottom.

Then I put my layers together, inside out of course, and sewed all the way around, leaving a section about 3 inches long so I could flip it right side out.

You really can't tell in these pictures but I threaded a thick gray yarn through a few spots in order to keep the lining in place. I've thought a few times about sewing some designs onto it but at this point I won't because I'm just not skilled enough and I'd hate to ruin it! So maybe one day I will add some detail to it.

As you can tell by how small Tyler and Summer are, it's been a long time since I made this blanket!

 

So what do you think of my very first quilt? Have you ever made one?