4 Unique Ways To Offer An Extra A Baby Blanket Gift

We have a wonderful family tradition of everyone making at least one homemade gift for Christmas to give another family member. My children have all made at least one blanket to give a family member. The fabrics are fun to choose and put together as we think of the personality of the family members. We have a daughter very much into music so there are always musical motif fabrics in her quilts, a son who loves insects so a quilt with ants or other insects are often made for him. There is the wonderful John Deere fabrics to make beautiful quilts. If you have a hobby or interest there is sure to be a fabric just right to personalize your blanket.

Blanket Quilt Another way to preserve memories is to make a memory quilt. A memory quilt can be a blanket or a wall hanging. You collect items of clothing as your child outgrows them. You cut the clothes into squares of the same size and save your collection until you have enough to make a blanket or wall-hanging. You can also use pieces of blankets or sheets. Be sure you cut a sample that is not worn thin. On blankets and sheets the outside edges are usually in the best shape. For clothing you would avoid the area covering the knees or the seat of the pants.

One nice thing about down throw blankets is that they have natural oils in them. These oils keep the material warm. The feathers are also kept soft and fluffed up without clumping. Therefore, washing the blanket should be done carefully. The blanket shouldn't be washed a little too often as it might wear off the natural oils. It's best to use detergents that are chemical free. Of course, don't send the down throw blanket for the dry cleaners because the chemicals used there would surely leave a stain on it.

Then we have the bumper. Bumpers go around the inside of a crib and provide padding between the slats of the crib and your precious baby's noggin. They also provide a way for your child to keep their arms and legs inside the crib while they sleep, thus helping to prevent any late-night cry sessions because an arm fell out the side of the crib, then got twisted. It's a fairly necessary piece of equipment, but can be used as a step when junior gets older, so it has it's time and age limit.

Place a few straight pins at random places on the surface of the quilt. (Anywhere but on the lines.) This will keep the pieces from shifting during sewing.

Just as with many string and selvedge edge quilt blocks, women took the cigar ribbons and arranged them to form designs. The blocks were usually square, with strips laid in log cabin designs, on the diagonal, or in quartered designs. The color would add another dimension as the secondary pattern that formed when the blocks were sewn together.

The middle layer or the batting is the inner layer between the quilt top and the backing. The batting gives the quilt its thickness and strength, not to mention it's coziness. You can purchase batting by the yard or precut to fit different bed sizes. It's important to remember to follow the manufacturer's instructions for pre-treating and washing your batting.