Simple Baby Blanket - Made in a Day

A couple of weeks ago I showed you my baby blanket project in process.  This was a simple panel of fabric with the sweet animal designs by Sheri McCulley.  Sheri has designed several Cricut cartridges (Nursery Tales, Snow Angel, Christmas Wish, Nate's ABCs, Kate's ABCs, Savory) and also has designs available through Lettering Delights.  This panel is from the Woodland Tails collection from manufacturer Riley Blake Designs.

I chose the easiest way to make the blanket - it isn't really a quilt because there are only two layers.  For the back I used the wonderful soft "Minky" fabric with an embossed paisley design.  I also purchased the coordinating stripe from the Woodland Tails collection to use for the binding.  If you've never felt the Minky fabric, you should try to find some to see just how silky and soft it is.  The perfect cuddling fabric for a baby!

I measure the panel and trimmed the Minky to the same size.  Then I used quilt basting spray on the back of the panel.  I was at my sister's house and we spread out a plastic tarp on the patio to keep the panel clean.  I let the panel dry for a few minutes, and then it was time to line up the two pieces.  This is a job best done by two (or more) people.

I cut strips of striped fabric at 2 1/2 inches and joined the lengths by placing the right sides at 90 degree angle and sewing along the diagonal.  Then I trimmed away the excess fabric and press the seams open.  This strip was then folded in half, wrong sides together, to make the binding.

I machined sewed the folded binding to the top panel, taking care to keep the lines straight so a small border of orange would show around the edge.  I mitered the corners so the binding would roll smoothly to the back.

Then I turned the binding, pressed and pinned it, and hand sewed the binding to the Minky fabric on the back.

I tied the two layers together with embroidery floss, following the natural lines of the design of the panel.

The panel has lots of cute little animals and my plan was to make a card to match.  I still haven't made the card but I did send the blanket to Virginia with my sister and her husband when they went to help just before the new baby arrived.

I was able to finish the blanket in one day - much less time consuming than making a pieced quilt top and then quilting by hand or machine.  This was the only way I would be finished in time for the arrival of my first great niece!

I have to share these beautiful photos of the newest member of our extended family that were taken this week.  Here she is with her two big brothers.

Just look at those beautiful big eyes.  What a sweet little girl!

I was very impressed by the photographer that my niece used.  Her name is Audra Simsic of Simple Soul Photography and she works in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.  I can't wait to see the rest of the photos from their session.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.  It looks like it will be sunny but chilly here.  My Dad was discharged from the hospital yesterday and is in the rehab area of his retirement community while he recovers and builds up his strength.  Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers.


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Sheri Berry Fabric that coordinates with Imagine Nursery Tails cartridge

I had some errands to do on Friday that were in the area close to my local quilt shop.  Even though I don't seem to find the time to do much quilting any more, I couldn't resist taking a peek inside.  I found something very sweet that I wanted to share with you.

You might recognize the little bear at the top of this post as a Sheri Berry design.  If you like the design style of Sheri McCulley, you will love the new fabrics that she did with Riley Blake Designs.

I was happy to find this collection of fabrics.  You can see the various colorways of the Woodland Tails collection on Sheri McCulley's Blog.

I think it is exciting that I can make projects using these same animals and designs with my Nursery Tails cartridge on the Imagine.  It will be easy to make a card that perfectly matches the finished quilt.  I could also do some framed paper pictures for the walls.

I bought this panel which will be perfect for a baby quilt.  There are lots of coordinating fabrics if I decide to add some borders to make it a bit larger but I think this size is good for a crib.  These panels are sometimes called "cheaters" because you can quickly make a cute quilt without doing all of the applique or piecing.  They are great for quilts that will need to be washed a lot.

You can get a look at more of the Woodland Tails line of fabric and see some sample projects HERE.  If you go to the Riley Blake Designs website you can see the three colorways and all of the patterns offered.

Sheri McCulley also designed the Snow Angels and Christmas Wish Cricut imagine cartridges and Kate's ABCs , Nate's ABCs and the Savory Cricut cartridges.  She has also designed some darling print and cut stationery sets for Lettering Delights called Wee are the World that can be cut on other machines like the Cameo and the Zing.

I am now itching to get a needle in my hand and start sewing again - this seems like a "do-able" project after a long break from quilting.  

I hope that you have a great weekend.  Stay safe if you are in the tornado belt - it's crazy that we are having tornadoes at this time of the year.

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