A Modern Baby Quilt Full of Story and Stitch

Baby quilts are happy quilts. This one is also a stitching adventure, a chance to explore creative techniques, work with solid cotton fabrics, and let the stitches tell the story.

The inspiration came from the song Climb Every Mountain. The fabrics royal blue, kelly green, and white serve as a background. The stitches, however, do all the talking. This quilt works equally well in novelty prints or with more than three colors, so feel free to use what you have on hand.

materials

fabric

• 1 yd [91.5cm] 100% cotton – royal blue
• 1 yd [91.5cm] 100% cotton – kelly green
• 1 yd [91.5cm] 100% cotton – white

other

• tear-away stabilizer
• water-soluble fabric marker (fine tip, purple)
• 55″ [140 cm] square of batting
• 55″ [140 cm] square of backing fabric
• coordinating thread in blue, green, white, and yellow

Cutting Instructions

Cut pieces in the order listed to make the best use of fabric.

Blue

• 6 squares, 9″ [22.9cm]
• 2 squares, 8½” [21.6cm]
• 12 rectangles 4½” x 8½” [11.4 x 21.6cm]

Green

• 6 squares, 9″ [22.9cm]
• 2 squares, 8½” [21.6cm]
• 12 rectangles 4½” x 8½” [11.4 x 21.6cm]

White

• 4 squares, 9″ [22.9cm]
• 8 rectangles 4½” x 8½” [11.4 x 21.6cm]

Floating Stitches on the Rectangle Units

Floating stitches add texture and character right during block construction. To make each rectangle unit, place two fabric rectangles right sides together. Next, lay a 1″ [2.5cm] strip of tear-away stabilizer along one long edge on the bottom. Stitch a floating stitch down that edge, then remove the stabilizer and gently open the fabrics to reveal the stitch.

TIP Line up the fabric and stabilizer edge with the inner metal edge of the presser foot to keep the seam allowance intact.

Make the following rectangle units:

• 4 white and blue units – use a yellow thread and a star-like floating stitch
• 4 green and white units – use blue thread
• 8 blue and green units – use white thread, varying the stitch pattern on 4 of them

Chain stitching units of the same color pairing saves time. If you do, press the stitch restart button so each unit starts at the same point, or don’t, for a more spontaneous look!

Making Half-Square Triangles (HSTs)

Next, make HSTs from 9″ [22.9cm] squares in these pairings:

• 2 white and blue
• 4 blue and green
• 2 green and white

Draw a diagonal line on the back of one square using the water-soluble marker. Then place the marked square and its partner right sides together. Sew ¼” [6mm] from each side of the line. Cut on the line to create two HSTs. Press the seam toward the darker fabric. Finally, trim each HST to 8½” [21.6cm] square.

Assembling the Quilt Top

Work one quadrant at a time using a design wall. Assemble the blocks into rows, pressing seams in alternating directions. Then sew the quadrants together: press the top pair’s joining seam to the right, the bottom pair’s to the left, and the final horizontal seam toward the bottom. The seams should nest neatly.

Quilting: Radiant and Stippling Stitches

Before layering the quilt, mark curved lines on the quilt top using a round glass plate and the water-soluble marker. These act as guides for the radiant stitches.

Once the quilt layers are pinned together, start by stitching in the ditch along all vertical block seams. Also, stitch on both sides of each floating stitch. Work through the blue areas first, then switch to green, then white.

Radiant stitches stitch out behind the presser foot, so pay attention to fabric direction. Line up the needle with a marked curve and press Start/Stop. When the machine pauses, turn the fabric slightly and press again. Repeat until the line is complete. Use thread that contrasts or blends to suggest trees, rain, sunshine, flowers, or whatever landscape you imagine!

Stippling stitches fill in the remaining open spaces. Use a single stitch pattern with a longer stitch length in most triangles and at the points where rectangle units meet. The thread that matches the fabric keeps the stippling from competing visually with the rest of the design.

Binding

Use leftover fabric to cut binding strips at 2¼” [5.7cm] wide. You need approximately 200″ [508 cm] total. The finished quilt should trim to approximately 48″ [121.9cm] square. Mixing all three fabric colors in the binding gives it a cheerful, scrappy finish. Change thread as needed while sewing to keep it nicely hidden.

Original series by Sarah Vanderburgh on QUILTsocial.com. Photos by Sarah Vanderburgh.