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Young House Love » Crafting & Art » How To Make An Easy Baby Quilt

| By Sherry Petersik | March 6, 2014 | 520 Comments

How To Make An Easy Baby Quilt

Here’s the story of how I made a cute little quilt for our baby boy on the way.

Baby-Quilt-Simple-Sweet

A few years ago I chronicled how my not-nearly-a-seamstress buns were compelled possessed to make a quilt for the bean.

Quilt Done2

And here I am a few years later (after a tornado of thread and a surprisingly successful sewing machine date) with another homemade quilt – this time for our little man.

Quilt17

I don’t think I would have been so into making him a quilt if Clara hadn’t grown so attached to hers. She not only has slept with it pretty much every night since I finished it…

Clara Quilt1

… but she brings it in the car for road trips, and even drags it downstairs to to the sofa for lazy Saturday snuggling.

Clara Quilt3

The sweetest thing about it is that John has told her a few times that mommy sewed it just for her, so every once in a while when she hugs me or kisses me goodnight she leans in and whispers “thank you for my beautiful quilt.” Yup, just typing that made me tear up. She’s the best.

So I wanted to make something for my little man to hopefully love just as much, but I thought it might be fun to try a different method this time. I hedged for a while, not really sure where to begin, and then I saw this awesome hand-stitched quilt and knew it was just the inspiration I was looking for (it’s by Citta Design, but sadly no longer for sale).

I love how charming that sweetly imperfect hand-done stitching is. Each line is irregular enough to clearly not be machine-made, and it feels so full of love thanks to those slightly varied dashes. So I decided to give it a try…

Quilt Detail

Here’s a list of my materials:

  • one square yard of white diamond-quilt fabric from JoAnn (the kind with a quilted cotton front and back with some thin batting sandwiched in the middle), which came to $4 after using a 40% off coupon that I googled for on my phone
  • 17 little packs of embroidery floss in a variety of colors from Michaels – like chartreuse, kelly green, pale green, teal, navy, and lime (I actually bought 5 of each of those colors for a total of 30 packs, but ended up returning 13 of them, so at 27 cents each, the 17 that I used rang in at $4.59)

Quilt2

  • a leftover pack of embroidery needles, which just look like giant sewing needles and can be threaded with embroidery floss instead of string (they were originally 99 cents at JoAnn when I bought them for a book project a few years back)
  • my sewing machine (I already had Oh Brother all loaded up with white thread)

All told, I spent under $10 to make this quilt (and about ten million love-filled man-hours spaced across a weeks’ worth of evenings, but we’ll get to that in a second). While I was pre-washing my quilt fabric (I thought it was best to let it shrink up before I embroidered it), my first step was just to decide what type of stitched pattern I liked best. I debated everything from evenly spaced lines like the ones in the inspiration image to some sort of diagonal or crosshatched design, but in the end, the idea of some simple stripes in varying tones of blue and green won out.

Quilt10

I just started from the left side of the quilt and hand stitched four different lines of embroidery floss – each one in a different color.

Quilt3

I made sure not to double up my thread (I kept it single like the inspiration quilt, which meant threading the needle like this with a little excess, but not looping it all the way down and knotting it like I do when I sew a button with regular thread).

Quilt4

After completing my first “stripe” (which was comprised of four different stitched lines that went from top to bottom) I used the diamonds on the quilted fabric to roughly space the next stripe about two diamonds away. That way I could keep the spacing somewhat even, although I did some of the stripes 4-stitched-lines wide and some of them 3-wide, just for variety. I really do love how the inspiration quilt is unmistakably done by hand – and it doesn’t hurt that I couldn’t make something look perfectly spaced if I tried.

The diamonds in the embroidery fabric also helped me keep my lines somewhat straight from top to bottom. For example, if I started one hand-stitched line at the peak of a diamond, as I stitched from the bottom of my fabric to the top, I made sure to connect each diamond peak as I went. This kept me from veering off too far to the right or left.

Quilt5

Now let’s talk about the time factor. You know I like to keep it real with you guys, and I’d never say “fast and easy” if something takes forever. Well, the good news is that this quilt is mad cute. The bad news is that it takes forever. I don’t know if I’m slow or just easily distracted by Housewives drama (I did it every night across about a week while sitting on the sofa watching TV), but my average was about 3-4 stripes (made up of either three or four colors) a night, which took about 2 hours.

So all told, this 16-stripe one-yard quilt (well technically there are 57 stripes, but they’re spaced to look like 16 thicker ones) took me around 11 hours in total (including one more hour spent hemming the outside seams with a sewing machine, which actually wasn’t too bad).

Another Corner Shot

Even though it took a while, it wasn’t one of those torturous projects that makes you want to poke your own eyeballs out (that’s painting blue trim or peeling wallpaper, FYI). It’s more like one of those relaxing repetitive motions you can do at night from the sofa, where your butt might be parked anyway. But instead of taking quizzes on Buzzfeed or scrolling around on Instagram, you get to be stitching something while snuggled under a blanket with your chihuahua and feeling pretty dang quaint about it.

Quilt7

As for how I knotted each stripe, I just tied off the top of each one with the thread still on the needle on the top edge of the back of the quilt. And then on the bottom edge I cut the embroidery floss off with about 7″ to spare so I could slip my needle back onto that end and knot it there as well. That left me with a seam full of knots like this along each edge (top and bottom) on the backside of the quilt.

Quilt9

Once I got about a third of the way done with my stripes (working from left to right), I started on the right side and worked from right to left to get about a third of the way done with that side. Then I bounced back and forth doing every other stripe on each side, as I got closer and closer to the middle of the quilt, which allowed me to space everything so it was somewhat symmetrical. It probably would have been just as easy to work from left to right and use that two-diamond spacing, but I might have had to trim off a few inches of the quilt at the end if everything didn’t line up perfectly, and I liked the idea of a square quilt.

Allow me to share this creepy low-lit iPhone pic to demonstrate how I sort of worked in towards the middle.

Quilt6

To hem the edges I broke out the ol’ sewing machine and said a few prayers to the sewing machine gods. I’m paraphrasing, but they were something like “please let me make it through this attempt without throwing this thing out the window or revealing my evil sailor-mouthed alter ego to my sweet husband in the next room.” Then I just folded each edge over in the back, took three deep cleansing breaths, and stitched them in that folded position.

Hem Machine1

This hid the knots on the top and bottom but there was still not a finished edge along the back hem, so I folded each of them over again and did one more stitch-session with each side for a nice finished look from the back and front. This is the front:

Hem Machine2

And here’s what it looks like from the back:

Quilt17

Lo and behold, I only broke two needles (that’s not a joke, I really managed to break two needles) but I think it came out really sweet.

Quilt Broken Needle

Can’t wait to meet this little bun and wrap him up with all sorts of love and quilt-y snuggles.

Quilt Detail

Right now it’s just chilling in the nursery, waiting for the big arrival.

Quilt16

Is anyone else sewing anything for their kiddos? Friends or relatives? Four-legged babies? Have you ever tried hand-stitching or embroidery? It’s oddly restful. Sort of like hand hypnosis.

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Filed Under: Crafting & Art, Favorites, Kids & Pets

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Comments

  1. Amanda says

    March 6, 2014 at 9:59 am

    So stinkin’ cute. I don’t sew, but I think I could handle that. Can’t wait til I have another bun in the oven..seriously…hoping it’s really soon!

    Reply
  2. Caity Musselman says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:02 am

    This makes me wish SO badly that I was crafty enough to do something for our first baby (also a boy!) who’s due in June!! This is so sweet and beautiful, Sherry!

    Reply
  3. Summer says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:03 am

    It’s beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

    A question about making it: did you ever run out of thread mid-stripe? If so, how did you deal with connecting? If not, how did you measure to make sure you had enough embroidery floss to make it to the end? (And, how did you deal with it when it was really long?) Sorry… that was clearly not “a question” (do you have to count the one in brackets, though?)… but these are the sorts of things that intimidate me the most about hand stitching, so I’d love to hear how you managed it!

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:10 am

      Great question! If I was getting low on a certain pack of embroidery thread I’d pull it across the length of the quilt to make sure it would go that distance from end to end as well as having at least 7″ one each side to make the knot. I never ran out thanks to doing that, and it only took a second to save me the headache of running out (then I’d be left with a visible knot in the back of the quilt that a hem wouldn’t hide).

      xo
      s

  4. HeatherM says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:04 am

    Such a cute quilt! Our baby girl is due in May, and I have been in full crafting/ sewing mode in the mean time. I made a bunch of hair clips and headbands, and now I’ve started on some receiving blankets. (PS Joann has all snuggle flannels on sale for $2.99/yard). I also have plans to make a crib skirt, a couple baby dresses & skirts to throw over onesies, and a crib skirt. My MIL is going to make a rocking chair pad, and my husband’s grandmother is making the baby a quilt, which she is SO excited about. This is the first baby girl in the family in 30 years, so everyone is so excited to finally get to see and craft girly stuff like dresses!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:10 am

      You’re so crafty- that sounds adorable! And thanks for the flannel sale tip.

      xo
      s

  5. Lana says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:05 am

    The quilt is absolutely beautiful! You did a fabulous job! Plus it was made with so much love! Beautiful!

    Reply
  6. Jenny H. says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:06 am

    Sherry!! It’s beautiful! What a labor of love… Clara and the Bun are so lucky to have you as their mommy.

    Reply
  7. Kirsten D says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:06 am

    So Cute!!! A little tip , next time you have to sew think fabric, get a thicker sewing machine needle like a 90/14 you shouldn’t break as much, oh a go slow that helps too!!! I always pick up needles when they have joanns have the notions sale so they are cheap!!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:08 am

      Love that tip! I have no idea what needles I should be using or when, so that really helps.

      xo
      s

    • Jen says

      March 6, 2014 at 5:20 pm

      That was my tip as well. The people at Joann’s can hook you up with the right type of needle depending on the type of fabric you are using. I once tried to sew a baby bumper through many layers of padding and fabric and broken many needles. Then a dear friend informed me that I needed a different needle. Life was much easier after that!

      Cute blanket! Love the hours of love put into it. :)

    • Jenn says

      March 6, 2014 at 5:55 pm

      Sherry, I found a link that might help you determine which needle is best for the project you’re working on.

      http://www.sewmamasew.com/2009/06/sewing-machine-needles-how-to-choose-them/

      I hope that gives you a bit of guidance! :)

    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 7:35 pm

      Thanks so much Jenn! So helpful!

      xo
      s

  8. Cathy says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:06 am

    A true labor of love! So beautiful!

    Reply
  9. Nancy says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:08 am

    A family friend made my first born, daughter, a blanket she loved. She then made one for my son. It pretty much served him as a cape, fort etc and then was left behind. What I’m saying is that I hope you aren’t hurt if he doesn’t have the same attachment.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:15 am

      I figure pretty much everything about this boy will be different from our experience with Clara, so I’d be completely honored if he used it as a cape or a fort. Haha!

      xo
      s

  10. Shunta says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:08 am

    Puddle of water in eyes as I read “thank you for my beautiful quilt” LOVE! Just LOVE!

    Reply
  11. Shelli says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:09 am

    Yes! I made matching outfits for my girls this past week. I’m 37 weeks prego with my 2nd. I just feel like its so special to make something for them and very restful like you said!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:14 am

      So cute!

      xo
      s

  12. Nancy says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:09 am

    What a darling quilt! Typically one would start in the middle and work out, but I think since the fabric was pre-quilted it wasn’t necessary. It turned out beautifully!

    My first quilt (way back almost 30 years ago) was a stamped king-sized Baltimore bride pattern – each pattern cross-stitched then hand quilted very, very densely. Took me YEARS, but I also worked on it sporadically…and perhaps even spasmodically haha. (My link goes to my FB quilt page Stitcherooquilts and there’s a pic there somewhere. I try to put up a quilt every week or so from my accumulated projects over the years. I’ll catch up one day.)

    Hand-stitched quilts are definitely a labor of love, but there is nothing that feels quite so wonderful. The bun will surely adore it. You could also add a green satin binding if the spirit moves you. ;-) It’s perfect, though, just as it is. Good job!!!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:16 am

      Aw thanks Nancy! Never even thought about starting in the middle but it’s so smart! I think the quilting definitely helped to keep me on track, so that’s a great tip if someone doesn’t have those guides to follow.

      xo
      s

  13. Carolyn says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:11 am

    Wow! I love this project, there is so much LOVE in these quilts! I am so happy and excited for y’all. Thanks for sharing all these parts of your lives with us.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:13 am

      Of course Carolyn, you’re so sweet!

      xo
      s

  14. Nadine says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:11 am

    What a sweet project!

    Reply
  15. Becky says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:12 am

    Great job! I do a lot of embroidery and cross stitching and sometimes it’s hard to communicate to someone how long these projects actually take… so I love this ‘tag’ you can add just to get the point across in a funny way:

    http://sublimestitching.com/collections/woven-labels/products/woven-labels-this-took-forever

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:14 am

      Hahahaha! I love it.

      xo
      s

  16. Joan says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:14 am

    That’s a cute blanket.

    Have you thought about doing one of those beginner sewing classes at Jo-Anns? When I got my new sewing machine I did and it has made a WORLD of difference!!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:19 am

      I’d love to! My mom’s also an amazing seamstress, so I’d love to score some lessons from her (she made all of our Halloween costumes growing up along with curtains, freakishly tight nineties dresses, etc).

      xo
      s

    • Lisa E says

      March 6, 2014 at 12:06 pm

      Sherry, this is beautiful and Clara is so sweet. I have to say that I recommend you learning from your Mom this way you can get several sessions and lots of one-on-one for questions, etc. I went to a sewing class at JoAnn’s and we had to rush and didn’t get the complete project done. There really wasn’t time for any one on one, either. Maybe it’s different in other stores, but I wish I had a family member who could teach me that lived close!

    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 12:16 pm

      Thanks for the scoop, Lisa!

      xo
      s

  17. haverwench says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:15 am

    I’m actually not too bad at stitching stuff up by hand, but I’m hopeless with a sewing machine. I have one (a hand-me-down from a sewing-empowered friend who’d just upgraded to an even fancier one), but I can’t even thread the thing, even with the aid of the manual (which must have been translated from Sanskrit or something). I might do better with hands-on lessons, but I don’t know where to get them outside of a high school, which I’m about 25 years too old for. Seriously, how does an adult go about learning to sew?

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:21 am

      I’m with ya! My mom is an awesome seamstress so I’m hoping to score a few lessons from her someday. Others have recommended sewing classes at places like JoAnn too, so that could be fun!

      xo
      s

  18. Linda B says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:18 am

    Wonderful! So good to see such love and care put into welcoming your little baby boy. He is blessed to be arriving into such a loving home.

    Reply
  19. Ashley S says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:18 am

    What a fun and easy project! Like it!
    And do you intentionally use Sue the napkin colors or do they just happen? It’s a great color combo :)

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:20 am

      So funny! I just sort of grabbed colors I liked in the store that I thought would tie in with the mobile, but it’s pretty Sue-ish isn’t it?!

      xo
      s

  20. Emma says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:19 am

    Good heavens you have a nice sewing hand Sherry. If I had done that, it would look much more Frankenstein-ish. That’s why I use a sewing machine instead – too lazy (and sloppy) to hand sew. Well done!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:20 am

      Aw thanks Emma, you’re so sweet! I really did take a LONG time with it, so maybe my snail’s pace helped me keep things somewhat neat? It’s definitely not perfect though ;)

      xo
      s

  21. Reenie says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:19 am

    she leans in and whispers “thank you for my beautiful quilt.” ~ ~ Oh goodness…. she’s the sweetest!!

    Cute quilt for the Bun :)

    Reply
  22. Callie says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:19 am

    As an avid baby quilt maker, I have to say its just perfect! I too find the imperfection of hand stitched lined beyond charming. I bet the barnacles babies are snuggling under this quilt one day!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:23 am

      Aw thanks so much Callie! That means a lot from a quilt maker!

      xo
      s

  23. Brittney Saffell says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:20 am

    So stinking cute!

    Reply
  24. Kathryn says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:20 am

    My father’s mother made my baby quilt from the scraps of material left over from the maternity clothes she made for my mother. Talk about double the special.

    I’m currently learning to knit. I know it’s more expensive and less efficient than buying something premade, but nothing beats the focused pursuit and the sense of accomplishment. You get into the groove and voila. You made something! Wait… this is still about handicrafts, isn’t it?

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:23 am

      I keep hearing that knitting and crocheting are fun. John’s mom can crochet so I want to rope her into teaching me. Hopefully no curse words will sneak out. Haha!

      xo
      s

    • Kathryn says

      March 6, 2014 at 12:23 pm

      Really can’t recommend http://www.craftsy.com highly enough if there isn’t anyone around to teach you various crafts in person. Helped me get back into sewing too!

    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 12:27 pm

      Sounds awesome!

      xo
      s

  25. Lisa says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:20 am

    That is beautiful, both in the way it looks and the love that was put into it. I am certain your little guy will treasure it.

    I have a collection of favorite t-shirts my son has worn since he was a toddler. My plan is to turn them into a quilt he can take with him when he goes to college. He’s 13, so I have a few years.

    The photo of the broken needle in your hand gave me quite a start, though. At first, I thought you had somehow managed to pierce your hand with it. Thank goodness that’s not what happened!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:24 am

      Ouchie, that would have been bad! I love the idea to make an off-to-college quilt. That’s so sweet. I cut up all of my old jeans and made a jean quilt before college. I was a weird kid.

      xo
      s

  26. Laurie says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:21 am

    It is restful. Knitting is like that too. Just this lovely, repetitive, quiet activity that lets you watch your Real Housewives (or Modern Family which I’m obsessed with right now).

    It’s lovely that you made that for the Barnacle. I’m a big believer in creating good mojo for babies by sewing up your love in things that will surround him.

    Reply
  27. Lori says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:21 am

    Long time reader, first time post. I just had to comment on how adorable the quilts are! good job mama! and little man’s room is just perfection. :)

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:22 am

      Aw, thanks Lori!

      xo
      s

  28. K (Barking Baby Mama) says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:21 am

    I LOVE it! So sweet. Now I want to make one. P.S. It is such a relief to know that everyone else is swearing at their temperamental sewing machines and breaking needles too.

    Reply
  29. Tiffany R says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:22 am

    The quilt is BEAUTIFUL! I love the colored embroidery thread on the white fabric so much that I feel a project coming on! You did an amazing job! I machine piece quilt tops and hand quilt and bind them, and I’ve snapped quilting needles when sewing by hand. Scary! Who knew being quaintly domestic required safety goggles! J/K :) But I totally agree: 1) quilts take a TON of time, 2) it’s some of the most relaxing work, and 3) they are totally worth it for the ones you love. I love relaxing and being productive at the same time! I look forward to reading your blog each morning, and I’m so excited to watch your family grow. God bless you guys!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:25 am

      Aw thanks Tiffany, you’re so sweet! And I have never heard of snapping a needle by hand. You’re strong!

      xo
      s

  30. Amanda says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:23 am

    I want one! :)

    My grandma was the sewer of the family and made each of the grandkids a quilt when we were babies. I somehow also managed to snag a second quilt in elementary school. I have them both still and they mean the world to me. She also made all of my doll clothes as a kid. A few years ago my mom asked me to pick which ones I would like to keep. I picked up every single item and handed them to her with a smile. Nothing beats a hand-stitched item. :) Love!

    Reply
  31. Amanda says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:23 am

    Welcome to the club! I had sew and hand quilt and have for years. People just don’t get how relaxing it is. I sew plenty at my machine too (and always wish you had a sewing buddy to diagnose your machine problems and help it not be so arduous for you) but something hand quilting is just sweet.
    Your quilt looks great. Hopefully you’ll convince somebody else to pick up a needle and thread.

    Reply
  32. robyns says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:24 am

    “SEW” cute Sherry! I love the projects for babies that are handmade and done with love. I love it so much that it’s my job! http://www.etsy.com/shop/rockinghorsedesigns and even though the majority of my items serve babies and little people, every now and then I will have a project that my kids want a version of. Now that you will have two kids if you do something for one of them you will hear those magic words, “but where’s mine!?” And just know, that’s the kid stamp of approval!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:30 am

      So sweet! What a fun job!

      xo
      s

  33. katie {deranchification} says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:24 am

    What a precious little quilt! So sweet.

    And glad to know I’m not the only one who spcializes in breaking sewing machine needles! I’ve taken to wearing goggles at the sewing machine because I’m dangerous :)

    Reply
  34. Jessica says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:24 am

    Gasp! I LOVE it! I’ve been wanting to make a little quilt but it felt totally out of my league, I think I might actually try this method. So so cute!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:30 am

      You can do it Jessica! Good luck!

      xo
      s

  35. Niamh says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:24 am

    Hi! I just found this out recently after trying to repair some of my horse blankets on my sewing machine (and breaking several needles) — the needle you showed in the photo has red on the top, but they mark different kinds of needles with different colors ranging from orange, to green, blue and purple based on your type of project/fabric. I switched to a needle made for leather/denim and had no problems (plus they sell them in convenient multi-packs with a variety of types! ps. This is coming from someone who forgets how to change the bobbin every. single. time. HA!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:31 am

      Great tip! Thanks so much Niamh!

      xo
      s

  36. tara says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:26 am

    Awwww Sherry – it looks so great!! I love the pattern and colors. I had big plans of making my daughter a quilt but I’ve never sewn before, nor do I own a sewing machine and time just got away from me. So I bought her a cute one off Etsy instead complete with shades of coral and a herring bone pattern :)

    Just curious – one of the things I love about Clara’s quilt is that it’s from her weekly photo project – makes it so sentimental:) Are you planning on doing the same thing with baby boy? I did a monthly photo with my daughter and hope to do the same with baby #2 whenever that happens but I’m nervous I won’t be able to!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:33 am

      Yes, we’re planning to do a weekly picture project but we think we’ll change some of the elements up so he gets his own spin. Not quite sure what those changes will be quite yet, but I think after he’s here and we take that first picture we’ll be forced to decide, and then we’ll share all about it!

      xo
      s

  37. Janelle says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:26 am

    My mom sews, and I used to beg her to teach me to no avail. Now I get my husband to sew on buttons for me – ha! It’s projects like this, though, that make me still want to learn. So sweet!

    Reply
  38. Teri says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:27 am

    I have a quilt my grandmother made for me… I used it for both my girls. I hope it makes it another generation. I also made quilts for all my nephews (all 9 of them)but sadly when I was pregnant, I just didn’t have the energy to do it for my girls. I’m glad I had Granny’s blanket to fall back on :)

    Reply
  39. Jeanie Williamson says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:28 am

    I rejoined Facebook just to be able to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed YoungHouseLove over the years. I know I’m not the only reader who feels like your family is a part of ours,like cousins you don’t see much or something like that.
    I look so forward to seeing piks of adorable, funny, intelligent Clara. What a doll. I’m a new grandma of 1st grandson and I am excitedly and thrilled to see and hear about new lil Bun Jr.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:32 am

      Aw thanks so much Jeanie! You’re so sweet. And congrats on your grandson!

      xo
      s

  40. Kaesey says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:28 am

    Ha! A quilt post! Yay! I’m so glad you sew as well as paint walls. I can totally relate. =)

    It’s adorable. I love your varying tones of blues and greens, and that you took the hand-stitched approach. What’s wonderful about quilts is that there are so many ways to make them – hand stitched, machine stitched, pieced, whole cloth, cotton or fleece – and every single one is a little different and personal.

    I’m sure your little guy will love snuggling in this. My son still asks some nights, “Mama, how did you make this quilt so cozy?” Makes sticking my finger five zillion times worth it. There’s a picture of his green-and-bumblebee quilt (and her butterfly quilt) here (scroll down): http://kaesey.wordpress.com/2014/01/02/welcome-2014/

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:33 am

      Oh my goodness, that’s the sweetest thing ever. Kids love cozy, don’t they?

      xo
      s

  41. Julianne says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:29 am

    So sweet…beautiful work, Sherry! You made my eyes well up with sharing Clara’s sweet words. What a precious angel you have!! :O)

    Reply
  42. Sandy says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:29 am

    So sweet! I love handmade items like this. What wonderful keepsakes for your kids. I have to say, I appreciate how much you and John do homemade things for Clara (and now the barnacle)like toys and play stuff instead of just buying something. It makes it much more personal and something they will treasure their whole life. I’ll never forget waking up on a Christmas morning to a doll house my parents had made for me and discovering all the little furniture and accessories that they had spent hours creating. Kids can really tell the difference, trust me.

    Reply
  43. Steph says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:31 am

    This is so adorable and totally made me teary eyed. I blame being a girl.

    When I went to college my grandmother knitted me a beautiful blanket. I got to pick the colors I wanted and everything. That was over 10 years ago and my grandmother passed away two years ago and I still love that quilt. It’s in my bedroom in my own grownup house and I think of her every time I look at it.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:42 am

      That’s so sweet Steph. What a special thing to have.

      xo
      s

  44. April says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:32 am

    That’s so lovely! I might have to use this as inspiration in the future for my kiddos. Right now I’m crocheting a patchwork blanket for my son and I just adore how excited he is about it. Every day I hear ‘Mama, are you working hard on my blanket?! Is it almost read?’. <3 Something about handmade blankets just says 'love'.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:41 am

      Adorable!

      xo
      s

  45. Anna Kelly says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:33 am

    Sherry. Stop stalking my Pinterest boards!

    I kid, but for real! I’ve been an insane quilt tornado lately, making them out of upcycled thrift shop sweaters. It’s a fantastically cheap and rewarding hobby!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:34 am

      So funny! Get on with your quilt making self. You’re a bad mamma jamma ;)

      xo
      s

  46. Carolyn says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:34 am

    Really nice Sherry
    Ps …you look great
    :)

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:41 am

      Thanks Carolyn! You’re sweet!

      xo
      s

  47. Kristen | Popcorn on the Stove says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:36 am

    Cute quilt!

    Reply
  48. Marianne in Mo. says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:37 am

    So adorable in its simplicity of design, I love it! Not a fan of busy quilts, I like ones with a lot of white space. I may have to steal this look! And Clara must melt your heart with her thoughtful comments!
    If you ever do another quilt, I have some advice for the hemmed edge issue. Either use blanket binding or wide ribbon folded lengthwise in half. Then you just stitch this over the raw edges and done! It also lessens the thick edges. Don’t know if anyone already mentioned this, but it will help avoid broken needles and frustration. Glad you push thru your reservations about sewing and go for it – after all, what can you lose except a bit of time and sanity! ;-)

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:42 am

      Love that tip! Thanks Marianne!

      xo
      s

  49. Isabel says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:37 am

    So simple yet so incredibly beautiful :) As I was reading and got to “I love how charming that sweetly imperfect hand-done stitching is” I said to myself, oh no, she sewed it all by hand??!!?? Kudos to you and I can totally relate. Most non-knitters have no clue how long it takes to knit anything, especially sweaters or throws, and while it’s immensely therapeutic, there are a lot of moments when you want to just quit. My mom took a scissor to a sweater she was making once out of sheer frustration, no joke. So more kudos, I’m sure your little boy will treasure his quilt. On a side note, you may not be aware, but JoAnn has a smartphone app for their coupons so you don’t have to google them or worry about having any print coupons handy.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:43 am

      Such a great coupon tip!

      xo
      s

  50. Erin says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:37 am

    Very cute!! It’s the littlest projects tha always take the most time! But they are so rewarding!!! What a special present for baby boy to have for years to come and keep forever, a blanket from his momma.

    This is inspiring me to break out the boxes of embroidery floss stashed away somewhere! I want one for myself, but adult sized it’s a much bigger commitment!

    Reply
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John and Sherry Sitting On Woven ChairHey, we’re John & Sherry. We’ve fixed up 7 homes, written books, designed products, started a podcast, and then downsized & moved to the beach! Here you’ll find over 3,000 DIY projects & home updates. More about us…
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