The Gradient Color Block Quilt

So I have been making a lot of things lately, but the baby quilt? It got to the top of the “share” list because it is the easiest tutorial to write ha! It is actually one of the easier things to make as well. I did it in two parts over two days and the whole thing was done in under 4 hours. Not to shabby… of course, as I have said before I am NOT a quilter, so I cheated and instead of getting all fancy with the quilting I just sewed straight lines but hey… it works.

I chose the colors I wanted for the baby’s room (not even started yet but hey I still have 6 weeks right?) I made the lines get thicker as they move down the quilt. Hence the gradient thing.

So yeah the tutorial? Pictures from my phone but you know it’s really quite simple so I didn’t take many pictures. Start with fabric. I used Kona Cotton since it comes in tons of colors and is super soft. I got 1/2 yard of the three colors I was using, and 1/2 yard of White for the base. (I used Magenta, Lime, and Grey.) All of the cotton was 45″ wide and I just went with that width for the quilt. Most baby quilts seem to be about 32″ or so (at least the ones I measured here at home) but I wanted a quilt that could stay with her to her toddler bed as well so I went 45″. Then using a cutting board and rotary cutter I began cutting my strips.
For each of the three colors I cut:
1- 3″ wide strip
1- 4″ wide strip
1- 5″ wide strip
1- 6″ wide strip (even though I only ended up using the pink one and left the grey and green one off since it was getting too long)
Then for the white I cut 2″ wide strips, I cut 11 so it would start and end with white.

Then with right sides together I sewed all the strips together in a pattern of colors and getting wider as I moved down. (adding a white strip in between each strip) Then I used white flannel for the backing (nice and cozy soft but cotton would do just fine as well) I believe I used 1 1/2 yards? I don’t know I bought 2 yards and it was too much. I added a layer of batting in between the two layers and then I used safety pins to hold it all together. Now you can get all fancy with your top stitching… at first I thought I would and then I figured I would ruin it so I went simple.

I stitched lines along the top and bottom of the white strips to hold the whole thing together. Then I removed the pins and trimmed up the edges so they were all nice and straight, I also rounded the corners just a bit. For the binding I used bias tape binding and just sandwiched it on and sewed. Simple (and likely wrong)but it worked fine for me.

Then it was done, and since the crib is not put up and a room is not prepared, I put it on my daughters bed, see how nicely it fits on a toddler bed? I have always hated that most baby quilts just cover the mattress. Of course now Abbey wants one for herself…

So there you have it, baby quilt done, not that it has to be just for babies, it could easily be made in any size and in any color. Like if this baby decides to come out a boy instead of a girl (I have my worries).