Last month I spent a lovely day shopping at Bury St Edmunds, and couldn't resist popping into Sew Much To Do - I really was on a mission, as I needed some fabric for a very special project. This gorgeous charm pack - The Flower Farm by Bunny Hill Designs - along with some yardage from one of the fabrics in this collection was perfect for the project I had planned. The lovely staff there helped to pick a pretty white fabric to go with it, and this Essentials Doodle Ditzy by Makower UK is simply perfect! Using the Charm Squares Baby Quilt pattern - designed by Elizabeth Hartman - the rows of squares and rectangles were soon cut and pieced together...
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...sashing strips were added between the rows, and the quilt top was ready to be quilted in simple straight lines, half an inch apart. I've used a King Tut quilting thread purchased from Sew and So's - this particular shade is White linen, and works perfectly with these fabrics as the white isn't too bright. I prefer to use bamboo wadding for my baby quilts, and this particular wadding was purchased recently from Franklins in Ipswich. Using the edge of the walking foot as a guide, I've "stiched in the ditch" first of all, then stitched the straight lines, using the edge of the walking foot as a guide. This simple quilting gives a lovely ribbed texture to the quilt...
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...this pink floral backing fabric is one of the fabrics from The Flower Farm collection, and is also used for the wide binding. The binding is machine stitched to the front of the quilt, then folded over and hand stittched o the back. I've used ladder stitch for this as it's almost impossible to see the stitches, and used the same King Tut thread that was used for the quilting. One of my pre-made labels from Woven Labels UK is stiched across the corner...
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...and here's the finished quilt. The pattern is one that I've used several times before, Charm Squares Baby Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman, and is a free PDF download from her website. The pattern also has instructions for making a larger one with a Layer Cake too. The bamboo wadding and simple quilting make this such a soft, snuggly quilt, ideal for cuddles and for tummytime too. Now it just needs to be wrapped and sent off to the parents of a very special little girl, who made her arrival recently!
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