A dear friend of mine just announced recently that she is pregnant, and I would like to make her a baby quilt. I've made a few regular quilts already, so I think I can handle a baby quilt. But I'm wondering if there are any things I need to keep in mind when making it? Does the kind of batting matter? Any gotchas I should be aware of?

Wash all fabrics beforehand or wash quilt after it is finished would be the only suggestion I can think immediately.

do NOT make a rag quilt for a baby and do NOT tie a baby quilt....too easy for small threads to go into the mouth and cause troubles.
************************
DO use a lot of bright colors and I personally LOVE black in any quilt but when you use black in a baby quilt, it makes those brights really POP and sparkle
*****************
when I make a baby size quilt, I use any extra blocks for burp pads.....no waste!!

jodi in leavenworth

I always flannel as it is nice and soft for the baby skin. And warm and natural for batting, never use poly batting as it can work its way through and be rough on the baby's skin.

I like buying a fabic panel, this way machine quilting is easy by just doing all the outlines. No cuting needed. I use warm and natural batting and a flannel backing. Seems to work for me. Do wah all your fabrics first except the batting. Have fun!

Maybe quilt it more than normal, so it will stand up to a lot of washings.

if it is for a girl a ruffle would be nice also. and you don't have to go fancy with the blocks. or with tons of colors. especially if they are not quilty people. they might not want to use it. something simple like a nine patch or four patch is nice. and make sure it is soft and easily crumpled into a little ball. I have two baby quilts one for my son and one for my dd. my dd's I like better because it "feels" softer. and my sons is a little more "stiff" they are both very simple two color quilts. I love them to death. Ds's I made and DD's was a baby shower gift from a lady at church. the quilting doesn't have to be fancy also. a simple SID would be fine. You might want to find out what colors or "theme" the mommy is going with and make something that would work with the room. but this is just my opinion. being a "new" mommy I have two fab quilts from a grandma in law and i don't let the kids have them yet because they are "too detailed" for them to ruin in a year or so. (we are hard on blankets) They are hanging on the walls as art work for now. when they are bigger and wont chew a hole in them or pick them apart then they will get to use them. (they have lots of embroidery on them).
and I would definitely wash them with a softener for babies and baby soap. you can get a small bottle of it from the grocery store. or what I do is cut whatever soap I am using in 1/2 for what is recommended for my kids stuff. (dd is very sensitive to chemicals and other things in fabric). I would also make it close to lap size this way the baby can use it for a long time. hope this helps. you will have lots of fun making the baby blanket. they are always fun to make.

don't use mono-filament thread (clear nylon thread) Babies can get it wrapped around fingers or toes and cut off circulation.

when I make baby quilts as a gift, I always add an extra border then use satin binding. Babies love the silky satin as they grow into toddlers and drag the quilt around.

This is the quilt I am current working on for a baby due 12/14
I am using black/white and purple.

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/03/...aby-quilt.html