Christmas Baby Quilt + How to Fold a Quilt for Gifting

I love the idea of Chistmas babies! As lame as it would be to be that kid, and constantly have your birthday and Christmas lumped together, there's just something about newborns stuffed in Christmas stockings that makes you go "Awwww!"

A friend's baby boy was born Christmas Eve, so I decided to make him a quilt heavy on red and green but not overtly Christmas-y. I had the perfect backing fabric already and drew my colors from that.

As I was packing the quilt up to mail this seemed like a good time to make a photo tutorial of how I fold quilts for gifting.  I've shown pictured of these little quilt bundles before but I can't find that I've ever walked through the process of making them.  I like to do this because it keeps the quilt folded up neat and makes a nice little pocket for putting in extra goodies.

Step 1, spread out the quilt face down, with the part you want to end up showing on the outside on the bottom.  Fold from the top down, but not all the way to the bottom. Depending on how big the quilt is you may have to fold it only a few, or several times.  The height of this folded section (ignoring the "tail" sticking out below) will be the height of the finished bundle.  The "tail" should be 1/2 to 2/3 the height of the folded part (the taller it is the deeper the pocket will be).

Step 2, fold the edges in, starting with the side you want showing on the outside. I started with the right because I want that label to show.

The width of these folds will be the width of the finished bundle.  Folding both edges in first ensures the raw edges will be closed inside.

Step 3, separate the "tail" layers to find the ones you wanted on the outside

Step 4, now the tricky part.  Fold the front up, so that it wraps up around the thicker folded part. 

Hold the first side in place and work the fold around so that the whole "tail" wraps around the bundle tightly.  See the loop of fabric below my hand in the picture above? I am taking that part and forcing it to wrap around to the back side of the bundle so that it is basically inside out from how it is above.

Finished! It can take a little work to get the tail flipped around and snug but it's worth it for a pretty, clean looking quilt package.

Either side can be the front, and you can put another turn on the top of the "tail" to add another ring of contrast if you want.

Hope you find this useful, and your Christmas has been full of family, fun, and fabric!

Pretty Pink Little Girl Quilt

Pretty, pink and girly aren't my usual style... This quilt is for a little girl whose dad is marrying into my family this weekend.  Her parents are getting this string quilt but this is a big day for her, too, and both her new first cousins already have one of mine :)

From my limited stash of girly fabrics I found this pink one with the unicorns and the dark purple with the swallows.  Originally I was hoping to use just pinks, purples, and yellow for the borders but I didn't have enough so I added blue and green.

For the backing I used an old Tula Pink print with swans.  I lucked into a bolt of this on sale a few years back in California.

Happy wedding to Doug and Anna and welcome to the family, Kenna!

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Friday.

October's String Quilts: The First of Many

Happy Friday! I have more Covered in Love block drive quilts to show off!  Back in October I asked for 10" foundation pieced string blocks and you responded in force!  These four are the first of eight quilts (yes, 8!) to come from those blocks.

Most of these quilts are 50"x70", perfect size for a hospital bed or a couch (the one with yellow centers is bigger). The blocks were made by more than 20 quilters! I quilted two of these, one with a zig-zag going against the grain of the strings, the second got a big stipple.  The other two were long-arm quilted by the wonderful Annie McHugs!

So many fun fabrics, so much variety, so much to look at!  Below is a quilt top that came to me already completed, with yellow middle strings to pull the whole thing together.  A few of the tops I sorted by color or tone, but the first few I made were just a complete mishmash.

Thank you to Nancy, Teri, Rhonda, Dee Dee, Summer, Tish, Valerie, Susan, Melanie, Kati, Dhia, Johanna, Margaret, Mina, Ann, Amanda, Barbara W., Barbara A, Jeanice, Tricia and the ladies of the Tyler Modern Guild, and I know there are a few more I missed!

The December block drive post is up now if you want to participate this month! Remember, these quilts, over 30 so far, go to the families of patients who pass away in the hospital. These comfort quilts really do mean a lot to families on one of the worst days of their lives.

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Friday.

Oversized Block Quilt and Patchwork Star

This week I got two quilts back from the quilter, my oversized Watermelon Taffy and another of Mina's tops.

This quilt is one I pieced using Tish's Watermelon Taffy block pattern. Instead of making a twelve inch block I made a 72" quilt top.

I found the cutest fabric on sale for the backing.

A fabulous local quilter has been donating her services to help with Covered in Love.  Please check out Annie McHugs if you need long arm quilting!

Along with my top she also quilted another top Mina had donated to me, a large patchwork star in pretty pinks and oranges.

This is the third week in a row I have featured a quilt that Mina sent in either the top or blocks for!

I love the pattern Annie chose for this one, waves with loops.

For the backing I got lucky with another sale table find: a pretty dyed fabric with print on top.

Big thank you to Mina, Annie, and everyone else who continues to make Covered in Love a success!  Check out the main page for ways to contribute or visit the monthly block drive here (we're making leaves!)  Or check back on Sunday for December's block!

Linking to Finish it Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Mina's Fall Flowers

Last Friday I showed a quilt made from donated blocks sent in by Mina, and this week I have 2 more!  Mina sent in these 18 fall flower blocks along with her October strings for the block drive.

Quilt #1

With (18) 20" blocks I was able to add some sashing and make two 68" square quilts!

Quilt #2

The fabrics in these blocks are soooo saturated and vibrant and they just scream Fall. As you can see from the leaves on the ground in my pictures, Fall is finally arriving here along with cooler weather.

I stippled through the blocks and made a little FMQ leaf in the cornerstone squares.

I just can't get enough of these lovely prints Mina used! Both quilts have a plaid backing and scrappy brown and red bindings. They are warm and comfy.

These quilts were donated to Covered in Love.  If you would like to contribute please check out the main page or consider make a few blocks for the monthly block drive.

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Friday.

Red White and Blue Rail Fence Quilt

Mina has been a very generous contributor to Covered in Love! Not only does she regularly contribute to the monthly block drives, but there are always extra blocks and goodies in the boxes she sends!  You'll be seeing more of her projects as I finish them, but first up in this patriotic quilt made from oversize-rail fence blocks.

I only had to join the blocks and border them.  I've had this clothesline fabric for ages just waiting for the right project and this one was it.

I quilted it with a quick, all-over stipple and bound with the same red check that's on the back.

Basting seems to be everyone's least favorite part of quilting, so I want to share a tip I learned recently.  Up until I started CiL I was always a pin baster, but with the increase in volume of quilts that was just too slow and labor intensive. Then I went to spray basting, which was faster but quickly got expensive and I always had to mop afterward, even with putting down drop cloths.  For about the last month I've been using Elmer's washable glue sticks to baste, the kind that go on purple and dry clear.  These don't work quite as well as spray baste, as far as stickiness and reposition-ability, but they still work quite well and it's just as fast.  A $1 glue stick can do about 1.5 quilts and they don't gum up the needle or anything like that.  Plus I can baste across my bed without having to roll up the rug downstairs.  Best of all, they are washable- as promised!  The rinse water turns bright purple when the glue gets wet again and I generally wash twice before drying to make sure all the glue is gone, but once the rinse water is clear you can be fairly certain. I've done a bunch of quilts this was lately so I feel I can vouch for the technique.  No ill effects to report!

Huge thanks to Mina for her support!  If you want to contribute to Covered in Love check out November's block drive page here.

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Friday.

Patchwork Mosaic Quilts-- Big Reveal!

Each month since August I've asked you guys to send in blocks for Covered in Love and each month you deliver!  Covered in Love has now provided quilts to 36 grieving families at ETMC! This gorgeous pair of quilts are from September's patchwork mosaic blocks.

The first quilt is just a jumble of blocks. It's busy, bright and rowdy; so many awesome tiny blocks you guys pieced!

I love how different these two turned out, the second quilt is soft and feminine.

I quilted ribbon candy in the vertical sashings.

Once again, some stunning piecing.

I made a ton of this striped bias binding, enough for 3 quilts, from donated fabric (thanks, Linda!)  Since I was making bias binding anyway I rounded the corners of the quilts. 

Thanks to everyone who contributed blocks to these quilts, I hope I got all your names! Thanks to Ann, Teri, Margaret, Debbie, Diann, Summer, Tricia, Mina, and Tracey.

I checked in today with one of the chaplains who delivers these quilts and he said, "This is a wonderful, powerful gift. [I] placed the Route 66 quilt on a bed Tuesday and the family cried and cried.  He had lived for many years in Amarillo and it was on the quilt! It was perfect!"

I hope that encourages those of you who have donated. These quilts bless lives! Thanks for your continued support.

Covered in Love donates comfort quilts to the families of patients who pass away in the hospital. If you want to participate in this month's blocks drive check out the block drive post here.

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Friday.