Everybody loves a baby, with the hope he or she brings (and downright cuteness!). Just like babies, baby blankets and quilts are small in size. This makes them less intimidating and less of a time commitment than full-size quilts entail.

Whether you’re expecting your own new baby, or a new grandchild, or just want to create a baby quilt for a friend or even a charity, there’s no better project to begin today. Free baby quilt patterns make it easy to get started with a theme. Your next step is choosing fabrics. Which fabrics are best for quilting baby patterns?

Good Fabrics for Baby Projects
You can’t go wrong with cotton fabrics. They come in a wide variety of colors and designs. Cottons are easy to cut out and sew. Cotton also holds up well. If you prefer a softer touch than regular cotton provides, consider choosing cotton flannel.

Minky fabrics are popular for baby projects. It’s easy to see why: they are soft, stretchy, and some varieties even feature raised dots for an interesting texture. Be careful with minky fabrics if you are not somewhat experienced with sewing. It can stretch which makes it trickier to sew with.

Free Baby Quilt Patterns
Your pattern may dictate your fabric choices. For example, the Tumbling Blocks Raggy Quilt is a perfect candidate for cotton flannel fabrics, which would create soothingly soft frayed edges.

Consider using a mixture of fabric types in your baby quilts. The Frannie’s Flower Quilt would work well with a mixture of cotton fabrics for the flowers, and a satin fabric for the flower centers. A mix of fabrics provides interesting visual and tactile stimulation that babies will enjoy.

If the free baby quilt pattern you’re using incorporates many blocks and pieces of similar sizes, like the Sleepy Baby Buggy quilt pattern, you may want to keep your fabric options simple by purchasing fabric in the form of fat quarters or a jelly roll. These will keep your fabrics all organized and coordinated from the very start.

Click image to download the free quilt pattern.