The Modern Housewife: Crochet Backed Quilt

I love combining textures and techniques. Baby blankets are a great way to do that. They are small, and work up quickly so you don't feel like you are doing the same project FOREVER.

I found this pre-pieced fabric when I was pregnant with my little guy. I decided it would look really cute with a simple crochet backing and some yarn tacking instead of stitch quilting. But I flaked on it. Imagine that. I picked it up a couple of weeks ago and decided to finish it. Here is what I did!

First I made the crochet backing. I worked it up in a simple double crochet pattern and made it about 36" square. You can use any yarn, pattern or size you wish. This is simply a technique.

Next, I laid the afghan down on the quilt fabric and pinned it in place. Leave some extra around the edge just in case it shifts while you tie it together.

Now for the very repetitive and boring part. This is where I lost interest and flaked. Be strong! Don't quit! It is worth it.

Using embroidery thread or yarn (regular thread is not strong enough), tie your blanket. Go in through the side you want your ties to show on, being sure to catch the afghan on the back (this is what holds the two layers together).

Be careful not to pull the tail through! I like to leave about a 3/4" tail. Bring the needle back to front about 1/8" away from where you went in.

Pull the yarn through leaving your tail showing and tie the two ends in a tight knot.

Snip the long end that is attached to the needle, leaving a similar length tail. Repeat like, a million more times.

**I put my ties at the corners of my squares to make things easy, but you can use any pattern you want, just don't get more than a few inches apart or it won't do it's job of holding the layers together well.

**It can be difficult to pull the yarn through the layers. I use a lid gripper (It is a flat piece of rubber to help grip jar lids while you open them) to help me grip the needle.

Now trim the extra fabric around the blanket.

Cut your binding strips. I cut mine 2" wide. The ONLY reason I do this width is because I have a ruler that is 2" wide and it makes it easy to mark the strips. I do not cut mine on the bias. Bias is only important if you have curved edges. If they are straight, save yourself some difficulty and fabric and cut on the grain. Once you have them cut, sew them together end to end into one long strip. Press the seams open.

Now all you have left to do is sew on the binding. I use a 1/2" seam allowance. Here is the way I sew my corners. Once you sew it on, fold it over, turning under the raw edge, and hand stitch it down. I know. It sucks. Do it anyway. It is the best way to do binding.