Hey everyone. Today we're making a modern black-and-white baby quilt with simple blocks, so a bold stamped print stays clear and easy to love.
Here we go.
First, the fabric
This one is the Atomic Paper Stamped Cotton 44"/45" Fabric Per Yard, from Free Spirit Fabrics.
What we know is right in its listing. It is cotton, 44 to 45 inches wide, and sold by the yard. The collection is Stamped, and the designer is Seth Apter.
Its tags tell the color story plainly. Black, white, and black and white. It is also tagged as a blender and a pattern. A blender print can carry a whole block without shouting, and it can sit next to a solid and still hold its own.
We will cut it big enough to read, then frame it with quieter pieces so the pattern does not turn to mush. Just like that.
The project: a blocky baby quilt
A baby quilt needs to work hard, folks. It is a floor mat one minute. It is a stroller cover the next. Then somebody folds it over a tired baby and hopes for a nap.
Ours finishes about 36 inches wide by 48 inches long. That comes from twelve blocks, each finishing at 12 inches, set three across and four down. A good, useful size. Not too small to outgrow in a week.
Why does this fabric suit it? Each block uses a 6 and a half inch center square, so the stamped pattern gets a real stage. Plain strips frame it. The black and white gives strong contrast, and you never have to match a busy print at every corner. Completely up to you how much print you show.
Materials list
- 1 yard of Atomic Paper Stamped Cotton 44"/45" Fabric Per Yard (for 12 center squares)
- 1 yard of a coordinating solid in black, white, or a soft gray (for the block frames)
- Backing fabric: about 1 1/2 yards of quilting cotton, pieced if needed
- Batting: at least 40 inches by 52 inches
- 1/2 yard for binding
- Thread for piecing and quilting
- Rotary cutter, mat, ruler, pins or clips, iron, and your sewing machine
I piece with a size 80/12 needle and a stitch length around 2.5 millimeters. For quilting, I start with a walking foot and keep my lines simple. We're not reinventing the wheel here.
Brief steps
- Cut the centers. From the Atomic Paper fabric, cut twelve squares at 6 and a half inches. You can get five squares across a 44-inch width with room to spare, so square up as you go.
- Cut the frames. From your solid, cut twenty-four strips at 3 and a half by 6 and a half inches, and twenty-four strips at 3 and a half by 12 and a half inches.
- Build each block. Sew a short strip to the top and bottom of one center square. Press away from the center. Then sew a long strip to each side. Press again. That block should measure 12 and a half inches square. Make twelve.
- Lay it out. Arrange the blocks three across and four down. Turn every other block a quarter turn if you like a little movement. Step back before you sew. This is the cheap moment to change your mind.
- Sew the top. Join the blocks into four rows with a quarter-inch seam. Press seams in opposite directions from one row to the next, so they nest. Then join the rows and press well.
- Layer, quilt, and bind. Layer backing wrong side up, batting, then the top right side up. Baste well. Quilt with stitch in the ditch around each center square, then echo once inside the square, about a quarter inch in. Trim, then bind with strips cut 2 and a half inches wide.
Tips from our table in McKinney
Check each block with your ruler before you sew the rows, folks. If one is a touch big, trim it now. If one is a touch small, do not stretch it and hope. I have done that. It waves at you later, I promise.
Go slow when you quilt through thick intersections. Slow down there, or the needle can deflect and snap. Ask me how I know.
And here is the permission part. A baby quilt will be washed, dragged, and loved. It does not have to be perfect to be perfect for that job. You are your own worst critic. Take your time. It's not a race.
If I can do this, y'all can do it. Super duper cute, and done in blocks you can finish one at a time.
Alrighty. Thank y'all so much for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Atomic Paper Stamped Cotton 44"/45" Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
