Pattern Freebies: GO! Talk to the Animals Baby Quilt Pattern

By National Quilters Circle Editors

talk to the animals 1Are you anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new baby in the family? Looking for a fun pattern you can use with your fabric cutter? You can create a comfy blankie for your little one with nine of the most adorable babies from the animal kingdom to keep him or her company in the crib using the GO! Talk to the Animals Baby Quilt Pattern, which you can download for free courtesy of our friends at AccuQuilt.com.


Download Pattern
Traditional applique techniques require hand cutting shapes individually, paper-piecing, and hours spent ironing to get perfect curves. Using your fabric cutter and fusible webbing cuts your preparation time down dramatically. You can still hand-stitch your critters to the square patch, or use your sewing machine to finish the edges with a zig-zag or embroidery stitch.

talk to the animals 2In this pattern, instructions for each animal from the wise owl to the sly fox are color coded so you know exactly which pieces need fusible web attached before cutting. A layout guide that shows how to position your pieces on the backing square ensures you won’t have any trouble getting the bunny’s ears perfectly straight, but nothing says you can’t get creative and tilt one ear slightly to the side if you want to add your own whimsical touch.

You’ll create one block at a time with a simple, three-step process. Lay out, fuse, and applique. Then, move on to the next block until you have nine adorable baby animals ready to be assembled with joining strips. Once you attach the border, you’re almost finished! The pattern doesn’t provide detailed finishing instructions. As with any quilt, you simply layer the batting between your top and backing, pin or hand baste layers together, and quilt, tie, or machine finish your blanket. The final step is adding a narrow binding and mitering corners.

talk to the animals 3If you have time and want to create an heirloom your friends and family will ooh and ahh over, you can hand-quilt the front and back with different techniques. Outline quilting the front to accentuate the animals and freehand quilting the back for added details takes a bit more time, but the final product is worth the effort.

If this is your first time using fusible web, these tips will help the make the process easier:

1. Wash and press fabrics before cutting. Skip the fabric softener and starch as both may prevent the webbing from fusing properly.

2. 100% cotton fabric works best. Some synthetic blends melt when ironed with high heat, but the good news is there are low-temperature bonding fabrics available.If you are using a blend, use fusible web for the weight and fabric and test on a small scrap.

3. Never iron directly on exposed fusible web – you’ll have a sticky mess to clean up on your iron and waste your beautiful fabric!

4. Using an applique ironing sheet cuts down on that gunky glue that builds up over time, and you won’t have to worry about stopping to clean your Teflon plate in the middle of your project.

We hope you enjoy creating this adorable crib companion quilt. Send us a photo when you get through and tell us how you liked the pattern! Happy quilting!

Download Pattern

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25 Responses to “Pattern Freebies: GO! Talk to the Animals Baby Quilt Pattern”

  1. Sue

    Measure twice - cut once!

  2. Rhonda White

    Great for my children in my charity group. Thanks so much.

  3. Sue clemens

    Thank you for the pattern

  4. Julia C Ferrell

    For my grandson! Cute!!

  5. Elaine Nemeth

    None

  6. Joyce

    price of GO!

  7. Maureen

    Love to get this pattern.

  8. Carolyn Wallace

    thanks

  9. Kathy

    Love this

  10. Kathy

    Love this