Mikaela's care bear toddler quilt.

Welcome to the world Mikaela, our great niece.  The plan was to finish her quilt for a presentation I'm giving at Nifty Needlers' meeting on January 18th, then mail it to her before Valentine's Day. My baby quilts are toddler size so the child make a tent with it, drag it daycare and use it on her first big bed.  This quilt was designed using Electric Quilt 7.

Care bears blocks with flower sashing, rainbows with sunshine sashing posts.

  Laid out prior to piecing.

  Watching "How to Make an American Quilt" while piecing.

 Scant 1/4" seam allowance.  

Inside white border.

Adding the ribbons for little hands to fondle.  These 100% polyester ribbons are designed for sewing. 

Basted on.

Stitched into place with outside flower border.

The seam with the ribbons is overlocked.

Then top zig zag stitched to the outside flower border.

The only way these ribbons will come off, is to cut them off.

After ironing quilt back and batting.  The back is held taut with plastic carpenter's clamps to table edge.  The edge that is shorter than table length was taped to cutting mat with packing tape.  In the past, I have used 505 Quilt basting spray and a quilter's basting gun with plastic fasteners.  Didn't like either one because the quilting spray is too sticky.  The basting plastic fasteners are flimsy, plus once a black bit of plastic fastenser got stuck in between the quilt top and batting.  In my opinion, safety pin basting works best.

Two flowers for the care bear blocks.  Traced the paper picture on to tulle in an embroidery hoop.

Using a sharpie black marker.

Next transfer the flowers to the fabric.

I used a Pilot Friction pen, which is supposed to disappear with a steam iron.

Unfortunately, the steam iron did not remove all the pink ink and on some flowers it left a dark grey residue where the pink ink was. The other down side of this pen is if the quilt gets cold the marks reappear.  I tossed it in the freezer all the markings were back.  

Ooops! I did this backwards, should have made a test piece first. With a scrap of unbleached white cotton, I drew a large pink flower on it.  I sprained it with "Shout" stain remover, let it sit for 30 minutes then washed and dried it.  Put in the freezer - the small pink centre circle of the flower was left.  Next sprayed hairspray on it, let it soak about half a hour, washed, dried it, then put it the freezer.  All the ink was gone.  After Mikaela's quilt was finished, I drenched the care bear blocks with hairspray and let it dry overnight.  Then sprayed it with "Shout" stain remover, washed and dried it.  The grey residue is all gone.  In the past I've marked the quilt tops with ceramic pencil, purple or blue fade away marker and chalk. 

The sashing, sashing posts and outside flower border have free motion quilted butterflies, the white border is heart shaped leaves.  All the free motion quilting was stitched with a Inspira 90 titanium quilting needle using 100% polyester machine embroidery thread in both the bobbin and needle.

 Back side

 Her name is machine embroidered .

 

Finished quilt is 47" by 59" 

Dear fellow quilters, if you have an easier method for marking quilt tops. Would you please share your technique?  Someone suggested I try children washable markers.