Sometimes, I find out about baby showers and/or new arrivals at the last minute and it's at these times that I always wish that I had a homemade baby quilt on hand.  Well, with this pattern, it is now possible, since this pattern can easily be made so that it is suitable for either a bouncing baby boy or girl.  And if you know before-hand whether it's for a boy or a girl, then you can make it even more gender-specific.  Or, why not make two... one for each?

     Stashbusting is a term I've created that describes the process of raiding your fabric stash and using up what you have.  This is a great pattern for that since this pattern would look absolutely fantastic made from "scraps".  And, in fact, I am giving the directions for this using a "scrappy" mind-set.  Of course, it would also look great made from coordinating fabrics, so the final choice is yours.

     This baby quilt uses five color groups.  You can choose from any ONE of these color options below (which uses a scrappy look) or even mix and match them, or choose your own.  A description of each is given below, immediately above the table.  Note:  The colors that I am using in the instructions are shown at the bottom of the table.  It is too difficult to create graphics using a "scrappy" look, so the actual finished quilt will look much better!  I am giving these as samples, only.

Color 1 - These fabrics should be very light in color, and all be close to the same color family.  If using a print, make sure that it is a very small print and/or a tone-on-tone fabric.  It should read "solid" from a distance.  Good examples:  Light blues, light pinks, light yellows, light greens, any light pastel fabrics.  Even whites and creams would look great.

Color 2 - These fabrics should be mediums, medium-darks, and darks.  There should be good contrast between Color 2 and Color 1.  Prints are excellent choices for this color group, especially if you want the scrappy look, but don't have a lot of scraps in the same color group.  Consider using a medium-large or large scaled print.  These fabrics should not read "solid" from a distance.  Good examples (keep in mind that these examples include medium, medium-dark, and dark values of the same family):  Browns, Blacks, Grays.  For a little variety, you could even make dark reds work, such as maroon or even dark blues, such as navy.  A good fabric choice for this would be a color that you like that has hints of other colors, such as greens, blues, pinks, etc.

Color 3 - These fabrics should be very, very dark and able to stand out against your Color 2 fabrics.  You are going to use very little of this fabric.  Good examples:  Black, Maroon, Brown, Dark Gold, Dark Purple (such as eggplant).  And remember, this color MUST be able to stand out against whatever you choose for Color 2, so it wouldn't be a good idea to use browns for Color 2 and choose brown for Color 3.

Color 4 -  This is a single fabric used as the inner border that should be a good contrast to the background Color 1.  Good examples:  Medium or Dark Blue, Medium or Dark Pink, Medium or Dark Green, Medium or Dark Purple.  Any "baby" color.  Or if you wanted, this could even be in the color family chosen in Color 2.

Color 5 - This is a single fabric used as the outer border that should be a good contrast to the inner border, Color 4.  Good examples:  Medium or Dark Blue, Medium or Dark Pink, Medium or Dark Green, Medium or Dark Purple.  Any "baby" color.  Just make sure that this fabric contrasts well with Color 4.

Color 1 Background	Color 2 Focus Prints	Color 3 Dark Fabrics	Color 4 Inner Border	Color 5 Outer Border
Remember:  You can use any combination of the colors below!  Don't just try to use this table going across each row... that won't work.  Choose something from each column, being sure to understand how they should work together by reading the descriptions above.
Whites/Creams	Browns	Blacks	Pinks	Pinks
Light Blues	Reds	Blues	Blues	Blues
Light Yellows	Blacks	Reds	Greens	Greens
Light Pinks	Blues		Yellows	Yellows
Light Greens	Grays		Purples	Purples
Light Purples (lilacs)