My church has a new quilting group that makes baby quilts for charitable organizations around the area. I joined the quilting group last week and finished my first baby quilt today. The fabric (and suggested pattern) was provided so this is not the fabric of my choice. In fact, this quilt contains different types of fabric, from cotton to cotton blends and polyester. Plus, the fabrics had very different thread counts. Fabrics that I would normally not combine in anything other than an art quilt or wall hanging.

Well, anyway....here it is. It's about 36" x 36", which was a hint smaller than the size of the backing that I was given. It's a very simple 9-patch.


I did want to point out the way that I quilted this baby quilt. Because of the different fabrics and thread counts, and because a baby quilt that is actually used may get washed almost daily, I wanted to make sure that the seams held up to a lot of use. I used a narrow zigzag stitch to quilt the layers and to reinforce the seams. Hopefully, the fabric will actually wear out before the seams give way.

This is the back side of the baby quilt. The zigzag stitch (plus the slick polyester fabric) gives an unusual finish compared to normal quilting but I still think it was the right decision to help this quilt hold up to daily use.

Most importantly, of course, I pray that the child who receives this quilt will live a healthy and happy life!