Baby Quilt in the Works

I just finished the top of the quilt I am making for my soon-to-be grandson due the last week in May.

This quilt has been fun to work on, as I love all of the fabrics. I wanted it to be very bright! Did I succeed? I'm so in love with using black and white with bright fabrics!

I designed this in Electric Quilt, using two "wonky" foundation-pieced blocks from the EQ Library. I found the dinosaur shapes online and enlarged them for the applique.

I also plan to make two fitted crib sheets from the bright blue wavy fabric in the quilt and this dotted fabric:

If you ever want to make crib sheets to coordinate with baby quilts you make, here are some easy instructions from "P.S. I Love You Baby Collection" by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith:

You will need:

2 yards fabric

4 1/2 yards 1/2" wide single-fold bias tape (optional)

1 yard 1/4" elastic

matching thread

1. Cut a rectangle the entire width of the fabric x 68".

2. Cut out an 8" square from each corner of the rectangle. See illustration below:

3. With right sides together, pin and stitch edge "b" to edge "a" of each corner. Use 1/4" seam.

4. Fold bias tape in half lengthwise and press. Slip folded edge over raw edge of sheet and pin. Machine stitch bias tape using a straight stitch or small zig-zag. Optional hem: To eliminate bias tape, press under 1/4" then 1/4" again to make hem. Stitch.

5. Using 9" length of elastic, pin the center of the elastic to the wrong side of each sheet corner with the edge of the elastic about 1/8" from bias tape or hemmed edge. Machine stitch from this center point along elastic with a zig-zag stitch, stretching elastic as tightly as possible. Start from center and stitch to other end of elastic. Repeat for other end of elastic. Repeat for other corners.

I have made a number of these sheets for my grandkids. They last forever if you use quilt-shop-quality fabrics, and it's so nice not to be limited to the pre-made sheets in the stores.

~Sandy