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I made my very first DIY baby quilt for my baby girl and I wanted to show you how I made it and how the baby quilt turned out!
This homemade baby quilt was actually a bit easier than I was expecting it to be. I’m a beginner when it comes to all things sewing, but I found this project totally doable and so fun!
I love the way it turned out and it’s such a special piece I could give to my baby girl that she can keep forever.
My DIY Baby Quilt
I’ll show you how I made my DIY baby quilt if you want to make your own homemade baby quilt, too!
Supplies Needed:
2 packs of 5″ charm pack squares – 1 pattern and 1 solid
- I used this pattern pack and this solid pack.
1 1/4 yard of backing fabric – I used a white cotton.
Wondering, How do I make a simple baby quilt? Let me show you how I made mine!
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How I made my DIY baby quilt:
1. Lay out the squares
First, I laid out the 5″ squares in the order I wanted them. For a baby quilt, you will use 81 squares total – 9 rows of 9 squares.
2. Stack the rows and label
Once I had my pattern decided, I stacked the squares for each row and labeled them so I knew which row was which.
I started with the left side, and stacked the first square on top of the second and so on.
3. Sew each row together
Now that all my rows were stacked together, I could start sewing the rows.
Starting with the left piece, I placed the first and second piece right sides together and sewed a straight stitch with a 3/8″ seam.
Then, I placed the second and third squares right side together, and sewed those, and so on until my whole row was sewn together.
I repeated this for all 9 rows.
4. Press the back of the squares
To get my rows smooth and straight, I used an iron to press the back of the squares. I pressed the seam towards the pattern squares so you couldn’t see the seam through the white solid squares.
5. Sew the rows together
Once all my rows were sewn and pressed, I started sewing the rows together to form the quilt top.
I pinned two rows together and sewed a straight stitch with a 3/8″ seam, until all rows were sewn together for the full quilt top.
6. Press the back of the rows
Once my quilt top was all sewn together, I pressed the back of the rows just like I did with the rows to create a smooth quilt top.
Once this is done, you are finished with the quilt top!
7. Lay down the batting, the back piece right side up, and the quilt top right side down
To start putting the whole quilt together, I laid down the quilt batting, the back fabric right side up, and the quilt top right side down.
8. Pin everything together, leaving a hole to turn the quilt right side out
Once everything was laid out and smooth, I pinned all three pieces together, leaving about a 12″ hole so I could turn the quilt right side out.
You can also trim the excess batting and back fabric now.
9. Sew all around the quilt, leaving the hole open.
Once everything was pinned, I sewed all around the quilt with a 3/8″ seam and stopped when I reached the hole I left.
For the corners, I stopped about 3/8″ from the edge, left the needle down in the fabric, pulled the foot up, rotated my fabric and continued sewing down the next side.
You will also want to reverse sew when you start and stop your sewing on this step.
10. Turn the quilt right side out
Once I had sewn all around the quilt, I turned the quilt right side out and pushed the corners out.
11. Pin and sew the hole closed
Now, I pinned the hole I had left. I just eye-balled this to match the rest of the quilt.
And then, I sewed the hole closed.
Almost done!
12. Sew a straight stitch all around the quilt.
Next, I pinned the edges in place and sewed a straight stitch with a 1/4″ seam all around the quilt to keep the edges flat and smooth.
13. Add the ties with embroidery floss
To keep the quilt together, I added ties on each corner of the squares with embroidery floss.
I used an embroidery needle for this, and pushed the needle through the top of the fabric, and back up in a close spot, then double knotted the floss, and cut it off about 1″.
And that’s how I made my very first DIY baby quilt!
I had so much fun with this project and can’t wait to make another quilt! This simple baby quilt was much easier than I was expecting, and I love the way it turned out!
And here’s my cute little model: Emmie Jane! 🙂
What size is a homemade baby quilt?
This quilt is about 42″ X 42″.
How many 5×5 squares do I need to make a baby quilt?
For this quilt, I used two charm packs and 81 squares total.
I hope this helps you make your own DIY baby quilt! Have fun with this project!
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