A Bag of Tricks

 A good cook always has a well

stocked pantry.

A magician always has an extra

card up their sleeve.

A quilter always has a great "go to"

quick and easy baby quilt

stashed in the closet.

When a new member of the family 

arrives on the scene, a Great Auntie,

needs to be prepared.

I know most long time quilters,

generally,  have a couple of quick

"go to" designs that make wonderful gifts

for new babies.

Over the years fabric designers have

created some wonderful fun fabric panels

that can easily be bordered and bound.

I keep my eyes open for cute ones and

their coordinating fabrics and keep a small stockpile

for those special occasions. 

I loved this ABC flannel panel.

The coordinating fabrics were bright and fun.

Even if a quilt is simple doesn't mean

that construction techniques can be neglected.

 Adding the narrow inner border, 1 ", and 

the wider outer border, 5", 

still requires measuring carefully and  sewing

a close to 1/4" seam.

Even a simple quilt needs to end up a 

rectangle without wobbly edges.

A design like this also gives me a

 perfect venue to practice some simple

machine quilting designs.
These spirals aren't hard, but technique is still important.

We all know quality fabric isn't inexpensive.

Even this simple quilt will end up with a price tag of

about $60.

Keeping the width under 40 inches

is one economical thought.

So the idea of taking a preprinted panel

and surrounding it with a couple of borders is:

simple - yes

fun - yes

a place to practice skills - yes

inexpensive - not really

full of love to wrap the newest baby in - yes

 Until Next Time-