Baby Quilt with a Super Soft Back

Posted by on Jul 8, 2014 in Blog, Flight Patterns, Hand Stitching, Helen's Garden, Quiet Time, Quilts

A sweet little girl has just been born into my husband’s family. The perfect occasion for a baby quilt, handmade with love, ready to keep this wee one all cuddled up.

tamara kate - heart baby quilt

I was told her room is fuchsia, lavender and pink with butterflies and hearts, so I designed this accordingly. The heart is made of a selection of my fabrics from Flight Patterns, Helen’s Garden and Quiet Time and the background is random lower volume fabrics with the odd bit of mine thrown in for little mini-bursts of colour. I like how the grey softens the very vibrant heart.

tamara kate - heart baby quilt detail

Once the top was complete I searched for a soft option for the back. I didn’t want the quilt to go unused because it wasn’t cuddly enough for a baby. And I also didn’t want to use anything with man-made fibres, so minky was out (not to mention the stories I’ve heard of it shedding all over one’s sewing machine while stitching it). The search for a natural and soft substrate was on. So I contacted Michael Miller Fabrics to see what options they had and I hit the jackpot. Organic cotton fleece or sherpa.

michael miller organic fleece & sherpa

They are both ultra soft and cuddly, so I played eenie-meenie-minie-mo & went with the fleece. The picture above shows a piece of each, sherpa on the left, fleece in the centre, with a piece of the fleece once washed (far right). It shrinks, so pre-wash is necessary, and it also fluffs it up, adding extra body, which is lovely.

tamara kate - heart baby quilt fleece back

I hand quilted diagonal lines throughout. I am determined… my next quilt will be my first machine quilted attempt, but for this one I opted for patient, caring stitches.

tamara kate - heart baby quilt fleece back2

A last finishing touch. All done, ready to fly across the ocean to France to welcome this little one into the family.

tamara kate - heart baby quilt embroidery

11 Comments

  1. kait
    July 8, 2014

    Beautiful!!

    • Tamara
      July 8, 2014

      Thanks Kait!

  2. Stacy
    July 8, 2014

    It looks wonderful! I am sure baby will love to softness! Glad the 28wt Aurifil worked so well!

    • Tamara
      July 8, 2014

      Thanks Stacy. And yes, the Aurifil was a dream to hand quilt with.

  3. Cinzia Allocca
    July 9, 2014

    it’s beautiful! Did you use batting even though you have the fleece backing? I have been meaning to try the Aurifill thread, too.
    The embroidered label is perfect!

    • Tamara
      July 9, 2014

      Thanks Cinzia. I opted for no batting, as I thought it would make it too heavy & too hot, though if it were a quilt to be used in the depths of winter, I would have probably added it. I think the fleece & batting would be a great option for the interior of a sleeping bag for those who like camping out in colder months (not me).

  4. Gma
    July 9, 2014

    clever girl.. the quilt itself is super sweet, but it’s the hand embroidered label that makes it special

  5. Josée Carrier
    July 9, 2014

    Lovely! And it looks so soft. I LOVE the way you labeled it. Such a nice detail.

    • Tamara
      July 10, 2014

      Thanks Josee. And I just got word that little Tal & her mummy love how soft it is too & love the finishing details.

  6. Monique Thomas
    October 11, 2014

    That is beautiful.

    • Tamara
      October 11, 2014

      Thanks Monique!