Try out this adorable appliqué blanket project, perfectly sized for buggies and car seats! It does require a slightly more experienced hand, but the hard work and patience will be well worth it once you've crafted your own unique, textured baby blanket!
YOU WILL NEED
Piece 1: 23 x 13 ½ in. (58.5 x 34.5 cm) pale green/blue fabric
Piece 2: 23 x 2 ½ in. (58.5 x 6 cm) pink spotted fabric
Piece 3: 23 x 16 ¾ in. (58.5 x 42.5 cm) bright green/blue fabric
29 x 23 in. (73.5 x 58.5 cm) cotton fabric for backing
29 x 23 in. (73.5 x 58.5 cm) batting (wadding)
Scraps of fabric for the appliqué motifs: brown and yellow (bees); pink and green spotted (bees’ wings); yellow, pink, orange, and red florals (bunting flags and flowers)
Approx. 45 in. (114 cm) yellow ribbon, ¼ in. (6 mm) wide, for the flower stalks
Approx. 26 in. (66 cm) ribbon, ¼ in. (6 mm) wide, for the bunting ribbon
Approx 114 in. (290 cm) green spotted fabric, 2 ½ in. (6 cm) wide, for binding
Coloured threads for freehand embroidery
Fabric adhesive spray
Finished size: 29 x 23 in. (76.5 x 58.5 cm)
1. Taking a 5/8-in. (1.5-cm) seam, machine stitch pieces 1, 2, and 3 together along their long edges. Press open the seams. Turn the piece over and press again on the right side.
2. Place the backing fabric right side down on a flat surface, with the batting (wadding) on top, and the blanket top right side up on top of the batting. Working from the center outward, using curved safety pins, pin the three layers together.
3. Machine embroider freehand along the middle strip of fabric, using a contrasting colour of thread.
4. Enlarge the bunting flags, bee, and flower templates by 200 percent and cut out. Pin the paper templates to the appropriate fabrics and cut out. Arrange the motifs on the blanket.
5. Place the bunting ribbon over the top edges of the bunting flags and pin it in place. Using a contrasting colour of thread, machine stitch the ribbon in place.
6. Machine stitch two or three lines of stitching around the bunting flags; you can use just one colour of thread or several for contrast.
7. Sew on the other motifs in the same way, experimenting with different colours of thread to create different effects. For the flower motifs make sure you sew on thin ribbon for the stalks before adding the flower heads.
8. Quilt some stitches to show the bees flying. If you’re not confident about doing this freehand, mark out the quilting line with tailor’s chalk.
9 Cut strips of binding fabric on the straight grain, 2 ½ in. (6.5 cm) wide. You will need two strips measuring the same as the top of the quilt, and two measuring the same as the sides plus 1 in. (2.5 cm). Bind the blanket.
This project is from A Passion for Quilting by Nicki Trench.