The 6" Square and "Project: Kidz Quiltz"

When we were living in Missouri I briefly went to a quilting group at the Presbyterian Church across the street from my house.

One day on their marquee I noticed that they were working on their "Project: Kidz Quiltz" and were asking for volunteers to join them. I'm sure they were meaning for members of their own congregation to help, but what they got was me instead! They were all Grandma's, and then in walks a "20 something" me with my two little kids. They were very appreciative of the help and were so kind and patient with my kiddos, even telling me how much they enjoyed having them as a "distraction."

I learned SO MUCH from this crafty bunch of women. Their "Project: Kidz Quiltz" was a well oiled machine. They had a whole room in the basement of the church filled with donated fabrics, all color coordinated and sorted. They would go down and pick fabrics (some of which I thought were pretty ugly) and turn them into patchwork quilts to give to the local shelter. I think they give about 120 quilts every 6 months. And even the ugly fabrics somehow looked great when they'd put it into their quilts. Lesson learned: There is no such thing as ugly fabric.


Here is an example of a "Kidz Quilt":


They used a basic 6" square (15.2 cm) and added a double border of coordinating fabrics. The borders were usually a 3" (7.6 cm) outer border and a 2" (5.1 cm) inner border -- all measurements are before sewing. Their quilts were made with only 2 different fabrics to save themselves time. They would finish them off by tying them and doing a fold over binding (taking the extra fabric from the back and folding it over to the front).

I've made tons of these little quilts since spending time with those ladies. Now, for the past 3 years or so, I have been cutting up all the small scraps in my stash into 6" (15.2 cm) squares. I really don't like having small odd shaped scraps in my fabric stash so this helps me keep them organized. I sort them in Ziploc bags by color. Whenever I need some fillers I pull out my stash of squares. I cannot tell you how well this has worked for me.


This is my "go-to" present when I need something fast for a baby shower. The finished measurement of these quilts is approximately 45" (114.3 cm) square. It's a perfect size for babies!

The details: All you need to remember is the number SIX--Six squares across by six squares down with six different coordinating fabrics all cut into six inch squares. You can see in the above photos that I usually create 2 different 4-patch squares, which when laid out, creates a 9-patch design overall (look closely and you'll se it!)

EDITED: FINISHED QUILTS CAN BE SEEN HERE.