Saturday, February 7, 2009

Quilted Lovie with Tags

This isn't a full-fledged tutorial, because I didn't take pictures of all the steps. But it's pretty simple if you have a basic comfort level with sewing and/or quilting.
From Tarkheena Crafts

I made this "Lovie" for my soon-to-be born son out of a few extra flannel squares from another project. Here are the basic steps

Materials:
* About 1/4 yard each of fabric in at least two contrasting colors. I used flannel.
* Less than 1 ft each of several colors of grosgrain ribbon, or other ribbon you don't mind a child chewing on.
* Thread to match

Tools:
* Sewing machine
* Scissors
* Cutting mat and rotary cutter (optional)
* Pins

Skills:
* Basic sewing machine operation
From Tarkheena Crafts

Instructions:
1. Cut 9 6x6 squares using either scissors or a rotary cutter.
2. Sew into a 3x3 grid, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. (Remember, right sides together. Press your seams if you're a perfectionist; just sew them flat otherwise!)
3. Fold your square into a triangle, still keeping right sides together.
4. Pin in the "taggies." Cut ribbon into approx. 2 inch lengths, and fold in half. Remembering to put the loop *inside* the triangle (since you're sewing this in-side out!) pin each tag between the two layers of fabric, 2-3 per square. Leave less than 1/2 inch of loop exposed: you don't want too big a loop to catch baby's fingers.
5. Sew the two sides of the triangle together, leaving at least 3 inches at the last square for turning
6. Turn the piece inside-in
7. Carefully "blind-stitch" the turning hole shut. I did this by machine, but by hand is often easier.
8. Optional: "quilt" the finished product by sewing a straight line across the diagonal of each square.

That's it! Now find a baby to cuddle your new toy!

Options and Ideas for Improvement:
* Use several fabrics of different textures
* Sew a jingle-bell inside
* Add a crackly bit of nylon or other plastic inside one or two squares for extra noise. Just keep in mind that some options won't be machine washable

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