Abbey Lane Quilts - Baby Times: 24 Handmade Treasures for Baby & Mom

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, a bankroll smaller, a home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.

This book is for all who have a baby in their livesnot just new moms, but all moms, grandmas, sisters, aunts, and friends. A baby adds an extra-special touch to each of the times in their lives.

We never would have been able to create this book without the help and support of our wonderful husbands, Kevin and Rod. They have had to put up with numerous projects scattered about and piles of fabric on every flat surface in the house. They have given countless That looks great and It's perfect encouragements throughout the whole process. We also would like to give a big thanks to our great kids, who had all those wonderful grandbabies, who were not only the inspiration for this book but the test subjects as well. We love you all.

We would also like to say thanks to Susanne Woods and all the C&T editors for sticking with us and helping us make our ideas a reality.

Imagination is the beginning of creation.
You imagine what you desire, you will what you
imagine, and at last you create what you will.

George Bernard Shaw

Baby Times is a collection of quilts and projects for the new mom and baby. The projects are fun and cuddly, pretty and practicalperfect for enjoying all the times in a baby's life.

Look for this symbol at the start of the project. It indicates patterns for the beginning sewer. We also have some kicked-up versions for the more experienced sewer, letting you add your own style.

Between the two of us, we have twelve children and twelve grandchildren, with more to come. The experiences with all our kids and grandbabies are the inspiration behind the creative projects in this book.

We have chosen five exciting times in a new baby's life to celebrate.

Party Time. The announcement of a new baby coming is always very exciting. What better way to celebrate than with a party? A baby shower is the perfect time to pamper the new mom and indulge her with all the baby essentials.

Home Time. Now that the baby has arrived, nothing is more important for the new baby than sleep. And nothing is more fun than showing off all the new pictures. Beautiful quilts to snuggle up in and an eye-catching photo display create a welcoming home for the baby.

Go Time. When it's time to go out, every new mom has a few necessities. With these cute car seat covers and fashionable diaper clutches, she can go out in style.

Dress-Up Time. Every little girl loves to play dress-up. A new mom is no different! Not only does she get to dress up, but now she gets to dress up the baby too. These pretty yet practical accessories will help her do just that.

Playtime. Babies are all about playtime. These toys are designed with lots of colors and textures that will stimulate the baby's imagination and entertain the baby for hours.

Babies are all about touching and feeling, so we made sure to use lots of different materials in our projects. We chose bright, vivid colors and patterns to use throughout the book. Babies see in black and white first, so be sure to sprinkle those colors throughout all your projects. Bold, graphic designs are easy for babies to recognize. Be sure to choose a variety of textures and colors to stimulate the baby's senses. Look for 100% cottons, soft and plush minkys, corduroys, felts, wools, ribbons, and ric rac. Just be creative in your choices. Don't be limited to pink and blue; let your imagination go!

To prewash or not to prewash. Good fabrics are 100% cotton and have some shrinkage when they are washed. Check at the beginning of each project for specific fabric washing instructions.

All of our seams are sewn with a seam allowance unless specified otherwise.

Raw-edge appliqu adds a soft texture to your project. We use a seam around the edge to create the look.

Top stitching adds a finished look to many of the projects. We topstitch from the edge but sometimes add a second top-stitch row for even more detail.

For more details and information about our materials and techniques, see Sewing Basics ().

Prewash all fabrics and canvas before cutting.

For more information about the construction techniques used in this project, see Sewing Basics ().

Sew Fabric A to Fabric B along the 5 side. Press seam. This will be Row 1.

Sew Fabric C to Fabric D along the 4 side. Press seam. This will be Row 2.

Sew Row 1 and Row 2 together. Press seam.

Sew Fabric E to the bottom of the unit. Press seam.

Make 2 copies of the Baby Bib template pattern (pullout page P1). Cut out the 2 pieces, flip one over, and tape them together along the dotted lines.

Layer the 3 fabric pieces in the following order:

canvas square on the bottom

backing square (right side up) in the middle

pieced top (wrong side up) on the top

Place the bib template on top of the stack and trace the outline with chalk or an erasable marker.

Pin all 3 layers together. Cut out the bib.

Sew around the entire bib, leaving a 2 opening at the bottom. Clip the curves. Turn right side out and press.

Turn the opening in and pin closed. Topstitch around the entire bib. The top stitching will close the opening.

Sew one side of the hook and loop dot to each tab. One side will be on the front of the tab and the other will be on the back of the other tab.

HINT

It is helpful to sew the hook side of the dot on the back of the top tab and the soft loop side on the front of the bottom tab. This way the baby's hair is not so easily caught in the hook side of the dot.