Home » Home & Style » Quilting » Stairstep Baby Quilt

Stairstep Baby Quilt

© Jeanne Walsh

With seven grandchildren, and nearly all of them grown, it is time for this old lady to concentrate on baby quilts for those great grandchildren I hope to have some day. So, here is a pattern for you to try. It is easy enough for beginning quilters, and tricky enough for the more experienced. You can enlarge the pattern for a couch quilt, or a bedsize quilt. The technique calls for accurate, ACCURATE 1/4 inch seams and accurate pressing of those seams.

No, we're not going to cut all those little squares so haul out your cutting mat and sharpen up that rotary cutter. (Incidentally, have you invested in a blade sharpener yet? I did, and it is great to have a really sharp cutter without buying a new blade.)

Needed for quilt 36 x 38

1/3 yd of 6 cotton fabrics
1 1/4 yd backing fabric
1 1/4 yd batting
seam ripper tool
neutral cotton thread for piecing
monofilament thread for machine quilting top
thread to match back for machine quilting
even feed foot for machine quilting

Determine the order of the six fabrics and make a swatch card, numbering the fabrics. You will need to keep this same order throughout.

Cut four 2 1/2 inch strips WOF (width of fabric) from each. Stack each color by your machine in order.

Directional sewing
Sew strips together in sets of two. Place 1 and 2 together right sides facing with 2 on top. Flash feed through machine all 1-2 sets. Place a safety pin at the beginning of each set so you will know which end is the direction you sewed the strip. Repeat with 3 and 4 with 4 on top, then 5 and 6 with 6 on top. Remember to place the pins.

Directional pressing
Press the seam on all strips toward the higher number fabric. This emphasis on pressing is to aid you in sewing the blocks together - - so do be careful to press in the correct direction.

More directional sewing
Did you place your pins? Okay, then turn the sets around and sewing from the other end, stitch sets 1-2 to 3-4. Flash feed all of those sets, then add 5-6 sets. This changing the direction of sewing on these strips will keep them from curling up or bowing. Now to press!

The copyright of the article Stairstep Baby Quilt in Quilting is owned by . Permission to republish Stairstep Baby Quilt in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.