Since Grace was born, we've been storing the baby clothes she outgrew in boxes in our basement. As we packed up each size, I put my most beloved pieces in a separate box, destined to become a keepsake quilt. Before I knew it, the box contained hundreds of outfits, bibs, and hats.
We found out not long ago that we're expecting another baby girl, and I knew I needed to get working on Grace's keepsake quilt. If I didn't, those outfits would get pulled back out and reused for the new baby.
Reusing the outfits isn't inherently bad, as they are my favorites. But these are my favorite outfits from Grace's infancy. I want to make a quilt that's just for her. The new baby will have plenty of her own clothes.
How to Make a Keepsake Quilt from Baby Clothes
Step One: Find and Sort the Baby Clothes
The first step in making the baby clothes quilt is to find the clothes. I had many more than I needed, so I went through the box with a very critical eye. The pieces to which I didn't have an immediate emotional reaction got put back into the basement for the new baby to use.
When I was finished sorting, I still had about 75 pieces to use, ranging in size from newborn to 2T.
Given the volume of clothes, I set out to find other baby clothes quilts that could inspire my own pattern.
Step Two: Look at Other Baby Clothes Quilts for Inspiration
I scoured the internet for baby clothes quilts. I was surprised at the variety I found. As you'll see below, they range from very large squares in a patchwork pattern to very small pieces in a fancy pattern. Some have borders between the baby clothes, others have the squares butting up next to each other.
From Vermillion Rules, the blog currently hosting a baby clothes quilt along:
This was my favorite design, but I found it in Google images and the link to the site no longer works. Bummer! (If this is your photo, please email me and give me a current link that I can use to give you credit.)
From Wee Wonderfuls, a boy and girl version:
From Legacy Quilts, a mompreneur who makes keepsake quilts from a combination of whole clothes and cut up clothes:
From Goose Tracks, a small company that makes and sells keepsake quilts and pillow shams:
From Willow Creek Baby, a mompreneur who makes and sells keepsake quilts:
From Jelly Bean Quilts, a mompreneur who makes and sells keepsake quilts:
From Kathy K. Wylie, a mompreneur who made this quilt from very small circles cut from baby clothes:
The next step is to actually design the keepsake quilt.
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Michelle Campbell says
I have 8 kids and I have a few of the baby clothes that were special hand me downs. I wanted to keep them for myself but make quilts from the kids activities shirts, i.e. baseball uniforms, brownies vests and sashes, you know. The baby clothes quilt will be all mine.
Bonnie Kayser says
How do you attaché the front to the backing. I am in the process now of making one. I sewed the baby clothes to a square. Not sure how to quilt it all together.
Tara Ziegmont says
You will have to get a tutorial for finishing a quilt. You have to make what's called a Quilt Sandwich and then sew the whole thing together and quilt. I'm not very good at it, but I once took a class from Quilting Weekly and found it was very good. https://feelslikehomeblog.com/2009/05/quilting-weekly-review/
Carol Sanders-Reed says
While this is a nice idea, it makes me sad because those clothes could have clothed some new baby. If they were stained, or torn, then yes, use parts in a quilt, but if they are still in good condition, cutting them up for a baby quilt seems like a waste.