First you purchase your material I like the big baby blankets so I buy 1 1/4 yds of two different flannels for the receiving blankets or enough fabric to piece together a top typically 45X45 for a quilt. When making a quilt you also need batting. They sell crib size quilt batting in a bag or you can buy it from the roll. Wash your fabrics and iron the cotton if your making a quilt. Next cut out your quilt pieces as you want the design to look. I like using graph paper to figure out how much I need of each and a design I like. Then cut out using a rotary cutter and mat. I love my omnigrid. It is so helpful to keep things square. Be sure to leave 1/4 inch on each side of piece as you cut so for a 6 inch square when finished cut out 6 1/2 by 6 1/2 squares.
Lay out the fabric in your design. Start sewing the pieces right sides together to make rows.
Next sew the rows together. Press seams so they lay flat.
Finished quilt top.
Now put the front and the back right sides together (for quilt or receiving blanket) and sew the edges in a 1/4 inch seam. Leave a 4-6 Inch hole on one side to turn it. Turn so the right sides are out and the seams are in the inside. Press edges so they lay flat. Make sure the corners are all turned nicely. You can use a chopstick or pencil to push them out. Fold the edges of the hole and press. Pin all the way around the edges to keep your pressed edges nice as you sew. Sew around the outside closing the hole and leaving a nice edge in the blanket.
Sew the blanket down the middle in a design you like. I just did straight rows across the middle and down the middle long ways on this one. This helps to keep the fabrics from getting bunched up even if they are not being quilted or tied. I have been using this technique on receiving blankets for a while now and it really helps.
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