"Small steps" is an ultimate baby quilt. It symbolizes the path a little baby will take to grow up and to live his or her life. I designed the Small Steps quilt a while ago and you can find the pattern in my Etsy store.
The original quilt was unisex made in yellow and gray colors. In this blog post, I share a boys' version of the "Small Steps" quilt with blue-grey fabrics.
RELATED PATTERNS
TEAL WITH GRAY FOR A BOY
"Small Steps" quilt is very versatile when it comes to fabric choices. Any color combination of solids, small prints and/or large prints would work for this quilt. For a boys' quilt, I decided to make it in teal and gray fabrics.
I picked 3 teal fabrics, one with zigzag lines and the other two with different size white dots. Then, I added one dark gray and three light gray fabrics with either stripes or dots. And finally, I had three geometric prints that combined teal with light and dark grays. For the background, I used solid white. This fabric combination gave me a very clean and gentle look, perfect for a baby boy.
EASY PATCHWORK
The patchwork of "Small steps" consists of playful square in a square blocks that are quick and easy to make. In the video below you can see me piecing the outer square of the those blocks. I chain piece for speed.
BABY FOOTRPINT APPLIQUE
The trail of baby footprints is the highlight of the "Small Steps" quilt. For the boys' version, I chose "toddler" footprint shape, whereas in the original quilt, I had growing footprints from a baby to an adult shape. To applique the footprints, I used simple and quick raw edge machine applique technique. I even made a video tutorial on how to applique footprints with fusible web.
PLAYFUL BINDING
A baby quilt is a perfect place to put all the cute details in! The "Small Steps" quilt is framed with a narrow white border, so any colorful and playful binding works for this quilt! To tune the cuteness higher, I made the binding with stripes. For that, I used one of the prints that combine all the colors.
QUILTING THE NEGATIVE SPACE
Quilting the "Small Steps" quilt is a little challenging, as the pattern is not fully uniform. Same as in the original quilt, I chose to stitch in the ditch all the patchwork squares. Yet, the negative space behind the footsteps is too large to leave unquilted. In the original quilt, I quilted some square meanders, whereas in this one I chose to quilt simple straight lines that turned back once facing a footstep. This quilting did its job in enhancing the footsteps very nicely.
CUTE LABEL
Every quilt needs a label. And baby quilts need cute labels! I think this time, I found a perfect quote for a baby quilt.
"Let's begin by taking a smallish nap or two." (A. A. Milne, The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh).
Babies should always be surrounded with softness and cuteness. I think this blue "Small Steps" quilt can do just that! After making the "Small Steps" quilt for the second time, I am sure I will make one more! This time, for a baby girl in shades of rose, I guess :)
Enjoy quilting!
1 comment
Love ❤️ love this