Harris - Growing up modern: 16 quilt projects for babies & kids

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my sweet familymy husband, Jay; our boys, Ben and Ryan; and our new baby, Sophie. Thank you for all the hugs, encouraging words, and take-out dinners and for being the best thing that ever happened to me.

I would also like to dedicate this book to my blog readers for all of the continued encouragement and friendship. I couldnt have done this without you.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to my parents, Trent and Dianne, for supporting this endeavor and keeping my kids entertained while I sewed. We love you tons.

A huge thank-you to C&T for this amazing opportunity and to everyone who worked so hard to make this book become a reality.

Preface

There is nothing like making a quilt for a child who will cherish it for years to come. I enjoy the quiltmaking process, but I especially love watching my kids drag their quilts around the house to be snuggled with, made into forts, and loved until the quilts are worn and thin. Whether you are making a quilt for a new baby, to tuck in a toddler, or to hang on a wall, I hope something in this book speaks to you.

The projects in this book are beginner friendly, and most of them go together very quickly. As a busy mom myself, I know time is precious, and anything too time consuming can leave you frustrated. If you are a beginner, start small and simple Urban () are good starting projectsand dont be too hard on yourself.

I encourage you to go for it. Choose a pattern, gather your supplies, and dont worry about getting it all right the first time. After all, its a kids quilt, and kids dont care if you make a mistake. They will love it just the same, and if all else fails, it will still make a really great fort.

Most of all, remember to enjoy the process, relax, and have fun.

Allison

Making the Quilt Top

This first chapter will guide you through the basics of tools and supplies, fabric selection, cutting, and piecing the quilt top. If you feel comfortable with all of these areas, feel free to skip this next bit and refer to it as needed.

Quilt Sizes

The quilts in this book are all baby, crib, or twin size. A baby quilt is a great size for a newborn up to a toddler. A crib-size quilt is large enough for a child to snuggle on the couch or place over a toddler-sized bed. A twin-size quilt will approximately cover the twin-size mattress, but not the box spring. Before choosing which size to make, grab a measuring tape and figure out which size quilt youd like. Its better to be sure than have a finished quilt turn out too small or too large.

Tools and Supplies

ROTARY CUTTER

Choose a rotary cutter that is 45mm or 60mm, has a retractable blade, and is comfortable to hold. Since youll use this tool a lot, its a good idea to buy a pack of replacement blades. My blades usually last me a handful of projects before they start to dull.

Rotary mat, ruler, rotary cutter, curved safety pins, straight pins, and fabric scissors

SELF-HEALING CUTTING MAT

Measure the amount of tabletop cutting area you have before you go shopping for a mat. I love the 24 36 size, but if you are tight on space, an 18 24 mat is fine. Make sure the mat has easy-to-see 1 grid lines.

CUTTING RULER

There is a huge assortment of ruler sizes, but you really only need one or two. I use a 6 24 ruler for almost all my cutting. I also love the 6 ruler with a diagonal line for squaring up triangle and hourglass blocks. Whichever ruler you decide to use, make sure its easy to see through and has easy-to-see markings.

PINS AND SCISSORS

Pin, pin, and pin again! When it comes to quilting, you can never use too many pins, so make sure you have a lot of straight pins on hand. Curved safety pins are one of my favorite things when basting a quilt (and they can be purchased at specialty quilting or craft stores. Youll also need two pairs of sharp fabric scissors: a large pair for cutting fabric and a small pair to keep by your side for trimming threads while sewi ng.

SEWING MACHINE AND NEEDLES

If you dont already own a sewing machine, there are a few things to consider when buying a new one. Features you may want are feed dogs that lower, a built-in thread cutter, a needle-down position, a blanket stitch for appliqu, and a large bobbin that doesnt require as many refills. Of course, many older machines wont have all of these options, but sometimes the older machines are the best. If you are buying an older, used machine, make sure it has a good straight stitch and think about having it cleaned professionally before you use it. No matter what machine you use, make sure you have plenty of sharp needles on hand. A midsize 70/10 to 80/12 needle is good for piecing, while a larger 90/14 needle is best for machine quilting and sewing through thick fabric. Make sure you change your needle oftenyour machine will thank you!

THREAD

For piecing, I use 100% cotton thread. There is much debate over whether cotton or polyester is best, but I tend to stick with cotton. The high-quality threads Ive tried and recommend are those by Aurifil, Mettler, Gtermann, and Superior Threads.

Choosing Fabrics

QUILTING FABRIC

Most quilting fabrics are 100% cotton and are best suited for piecing. As often as you can afford it, buy high-quality fabrics, like those from specialty quilt shops. For the backings of baby quilts, I love using soft cotton flannel or chenille fabrics. They are harder to machine quilt, but the results are soft and snuggly.

YARDAGE

A yard of fabric is 36 long, and most quilting cotton fabric is considered 4245 wide. Because the widths of fabrics vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer, I assume in these projects that there is only 42 of usable width of fabric. This handy chart lists yardage increments and inches.

A fat quarter is half of a half-yard of fabric, or an 18 22 rectangle. It is the same amount as a quarter-yard of fabric but has more usable space. Many projects in this book use fat quarters, and I usua lly assume a usable area of 17 21. Two of the projects Stacks ()need a different usable area; this is noted in their project directions.

HOW MUCH TO BUY

If you are buying fabric without any specific project in mind, a quarter- to a half-yard is usually enough. Because I like to buy a lot of different prints, I never buy more than half a yard at a time, so I can afford to purchase a variety. When I buy a yard or more, Im almost always sick of the fabric before I get around to using it all, unless its for a backing. In quilting, a little goes a long way, especially when you combine it with other prints.

CHOOSING PRINTS

A common question I get is how to choose fabrics and colors for a project. Although there isnt a magic answer, a few tips can help you along. I start by choosing one focal fabric, usually a large-scale print with multiple colors. I then choose a polka dot, a stripe, a small-scale fabric, and a near-solid to go with it, using the colors in my focal fabric as a guide. Dont worry if your colors dont match perfectly; instead, focus on the hue of the fabrics and make sure the colors look pleasing together. If I need more fabrics for a project, I add more of the above, but I rarely choose another large-scale print, because the two prints will compete for attention in the quilt and look too busy.