A Crocheted Blanket/Throw for my Great Niece

 Sharing with you today another crocheted blanket I recently made
for one of my great nieces.

I chose the Even Moss stitch for this blanket, which I found HERE on Daisy Farm Crafts
blog and followed their tutorial on their YouTube channel HERE

I would certainly recommend taking a look at both of the above, as there are lots of tutorials
and lovely patterns to follow. Although the instructions are in US terms, it is easy 
to convert to UK stitches.

I started by chaining 140 stitches using a 4.5mm crochet hook.

I crocheted the two row repeat pattern, changing the colour every ten rows
until I reached the desired length.

I finished by crocheting a border of one row of double crochet, one row of 
half trebles, one row of double crochet, and one row of 

half trebles.

I purchased the yarn online from Wool Warehouse

using 8 x 100g balls of Yarnsmiths Create DK
 2 in ‘Cream’, 2 in 'Light Pink', 2 in 'Pinkberry' and 2 in 'Purple Orchid'

Thank you for visiting my blog today. 

Janice x

Patchwork Baby Keepsake Memory Quilt

 Today, I am sharing a memory blanket made from baby grows.

My friend's daughter asked me if I could make a memory quilt from her
son's baby grows which she had saved.
After researching lots of tutorials on YouTube, I agreed to give it a go,
and this is how I went about the process.

I found using Bonnie's of Happy Space Creates YouTube tutorial really helpful,
as she goes through each step really clearly, which makes it easy to follow.

You can watch her tutorial HERE

I started by putting the baby grows into colour groups, plain and patterns and
any that had a motif or sentiment on the front which I could use.

Once I had decided which ones to use, I cut out a large piece from each one, 
and spent lots of time arranging them into some sort of order!

Next I used a lightweight Vlieseline/Vilene Iron on interfacing on each piece, which
stops the jersey fabric from stretching, and makes it so much easier
to cut into squares.

 
I used a 5.5" x 5.5" square quilting ruler to cut the squares.
I purchased this online from The Quilted Bear
They also have an eBay shop and can be found at the Knit & Stitch shows
held in London.

Next, I rearranged the squares into the final layout...

...and stitched them all together!

 I then placed the stitched squares onto a large piece of polyester wadding
(purchased from John Lewis), and pinned it in place securely using safety pins.

I then sewed along each seam channel using the 'stitch in the ditch' technique
to secure the squares. I used the quilting presser foot for this which came with
my Janome sewing machine.

Lastly, using a large rectangle of grey polycotton fabric, which I cut from a
fitted single bed sheet bought in the Asda sale, I attached it to the quilt front,

and top stitched it all the way round.

This is it when finished .

I really enjoyed making this quilt.
 It's definitely not 100% perfect, but I learnt so much and if I made
another, I know where I would make some changes.

I  think it's a great way of keeping special memories of your children
from when they were babies, and I'm pleased to say that my friend's daughter
was very pleased with it.

Thank you for visiting my blog today.
Janice x