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Well this was a fun quilt to make! I’d HIGHLY recommend it if you are looking for an extremely enjoyable way to spend a few hours of creative time.
This was a great project. No surprises or hiccups in the road. It was actually much easier than I thought.
Since I was giving this blanket as a gift, I wanted it simple and clean with straight lines. Nothing ornate or fancy. I wondered if I could do this without a binding to keep the finished product as modern as I could.
It worked, my friends.
You need:
1 yard of front fabric. (I used Birch Basics dots in Multi-Colored for the front.)
1 yard of back fabric. (I used Birch Basics dots in Blush for the back.)
1 yard of batting. (I use 100% cotton but would use wool if it wasn’t so expensive.)
Hand quilting thread. (I used Cotton Pearle in Ecru, size 8.)
The fabrics I purchased for this blanket may be getting difficult to find, but if you need some shops to browse, try a few of these. Some of my favorite fabric shops are Sew Organic, Kiwi Fabric, and Field and Cloth. If I’m looking for lots of yardage of basic colors or linen or something like that, I will shop from Fabric.com. Morgan Kelly Quilts is also a great place for fabric bundles. Since she doesn’t carry a high selection of fabric, it’s a good shop to browse if you’re overwhelmed easily.
1. Start by squaring up the front yard of fabric. I usually fold the fabric in half and then use the crease as my straight line guide.
You don’t need a perfect square piece of fabric, but I recommend having 90 degree angles at each corner. In other words, the fabric can be rectangular in shape; just have perfect square corners.
2. Spray baste the front of your fabric to batting. (You can definitely use basting pins, but I converted years ago to spray.)
Take note that the brand of spray baste in the picture below is VERY sticky. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. Once the fabric hits the glue, there is no getting it off the batting if you happen to end up with an unexpected ripple.
3. Cut the batting down the the exact same size as the top fabric. Below you can see all my batting trimmed up.
4. Take the bottom fabric and lay it face up on a table. Take the top fabric and batting (all basted / glued together) and lay it face down. Pin all the way around the edges.
5. Sew all around the edge using a generous quarter inch seam allowance. Be sure to leave an approximate six inch hole so you can flip your blanket right sides out.
After you’re done sewing around the outside, cut the excess fabric from the back.
6. Using the hole you left, flip your blanket right side out. Be sure to push out the corners to make them as pointy as you can.
7. I hand quilted this blanket. I stitched first around the entire perimeter of the blanket and sewed the hole shut.
It was rough going for a bit hand stitching through four layers of fabric and batting since I stitched through the seam allowance on the edge. Slowly and surely, though, I made it the whole way around.
8. After I sewed around the perimeter, I hand stitched a grid pattern. I used a hera marker to draw lines five inches apart.
9. I’ve been doing lots of quilting by hand lately. I love it and foresee myself hand quilting for years to come! I’ve been spending lots of time hand quilting without a hoop, but with this project, I used a hoop.
I may forever use a hoop. I actually really enjoyed it, and I think it made hand quilting easier for me. Whether I use a hoop or not, my stitches on the front are even, but the hoop made a HUGE difference for my stitches on the back. They were much more even and accurate. Plus, it is very convenient stitching with the fabric pulled taught.
I am really pleased with the simplicity of this quilt. I especially like the edge without the binding. Clean lines are always welcomed in my book. I may have to try this blanket on a larger scale.
What do you think? Do you miss the binding?!?
Like I mentioned above, if you’re in the mood for a simple and stress free project, this is a great one! I wished I would have tried it years ago. 🙂
Do you think this technique could work if using gauze for the back? I like the convenience and simplistic look of not using binding, but I wasn’t sure if it would change the shape since gauze shrinks after washing. I’m excited to try the gauze baby quilt from another post!
Yes! I’ve done it many times with an entirely gauze & wool quilt. One of my favorites for a baby!
This is absolutely amazing. Binding for me is up in the air at times. Sometimes it looks good and sometimes it doesn’t. Thanks for this alternative, that might become permanent for me.
I love this! Just to clarify – I know it’s all hand quilting, but on step 5, did you hand or machine sew the layers together?
Thanks!
Hi Angie, good question. I machine sewed the layers together. 🙂
What thread do you use for the quilting? I’m new to quilting and I’ve seen that stitch before but I can’t seem to find that stitch on my machine. I love it!
Hi Alicia, I use Pearle Thread in size 8, but this blanket has been quilted by hand. Some machines have a ‘hand quilted look’ stitch option, but this blanket, in particular, I hand quilted. Sewing machines are all different, but I know most cannot take as thick of a thread as a size 8.
Here is the thread I used here for hand quilting: https://amzn.to/2Rfciq6
Maybe you’d enjoy hand quilting something small like a baby blanket. 🙂 It takes a lot longer than machine quilting, but I find lots of joy in the stitching slowly by hand!
I hope that’s helpful!
I loooove this! I can’t wait to try a no binding quilt. How did you hide the knots since the quilt was already assembled? Thanks for the great info.
Hi Cheryl, if I remember correctly, I popped the knots through one layer of fabric like I do when hand quilting a pieced quilt.
I love this simple clean style! Thank you for explaining so well how you did it. I’m new to quilting and am exploring all different styles.
I enjoyed the way it turned out too, Carol. 🙂 And you’re welcome!
Hi! Do you think machine quilted will work? I’m thinking it may cause puckering from excess fabic. Is there a way to use a hoop but machine quilt?
Hey there, I think machine quilting would work. I’d recommend quilting the inside of the blanket first, though, and then sewing around the perimeter. Maybe that would prevent any excess fabric from bunching and it’d secure all your quilt lines. You think that would work?
Hats off to you for hand quilting. The last time I tried to hand quilt was more than 20 years ago I made a mess of things. I’ve been thinking of trying it again – just for baby quilts. I love the look so much!
This is a super cute quilt and I LOVE the simpleness of it. I would have never guessed that I would like the grid quilt pattern, but it looks really cute!
PS Where did you get the fabric. I love it!
Thanks Sandra! I’ve just recently started hand quilting, and I’ve loved it. You should try again!! I agree with you…the look of it is super pretty. I bought the fabric for this quilt from Kiwi Fabric on Etsy. Here’s a link: http://tidd.ly/4b77372c 🙂 If you search for Birch Basics, she may have some of the same fabric still in stock.
I love this 😊. As a novice quilter could you please tell me what stitch you used all around the edge? Were you just doing up-and-down like a seam or a special blanket like stitch? Thank you 😊
Hi Fiona, it’s just the basic up and down stitch. I don’t know too many stitches either, but I believe it’s just referred to as a running stitch. Nothing fancy here!
So pretty! Thanks for the idea for a fun and wonderful project.
You’re welcome Karin! I hope you give it a try!
Thank you for this! Can’t wait to give it a try. I love the simple, clean look of this sweet little blanket.
I was so happy with the way it turned out. Nothing tricky! You should give it a try, Barbara!
Hi! I know this is an older post, but I am wondering if you ever ended up trying a larger blanket? I love a blanket without binding!
Hi Baylee, I did! Here’s a link to a Christmas quilt I made without the binding. I love the look too! https://www.thewillowmarket.com/how-to-sew-a-cuddle-quilt-without-the-binding/
Even though I used a thick cuddle type backing for this particular quilt, I would use the same process for a cotton quilt backing. I hope this is helpful!