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.


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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!

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

  17. Cheryl

    I am a member ot accuquilt.. but can’t get my email address and password to work… love this quilt

    Reply
  18. Mona

    A friend made a baby quilt by piecing together front, back and batting and sewing them together thus needing no quilting. Does anyone have instructions on this. My friend passed before I got to make one

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hello Mona,

      Unfortunately I am a bit confused as to what you mean by pieced together in a way that doesn’t need quilting. Can you provide a picture or more information and then I might better be able to provide you with instructions or a pattern.

      Thanks!
      Cheers,
      Ashley NQC Video Membership

      We’d love to have you be a part of our community. We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips. We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first year membership.
      http://go.nationalquilterscircle.com/C8410

      Reply
  21. Sue

    Does the pattern contain the baby animal applique patterns? Or do you have to have a Go machine and the baby animal cutter?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi Sue. This pattern is to use with a fabric cutter and a GO! cutting die, which is what is shown in the pattern. So yes, in order to use this pattern you would need that cutting die.

      Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi Linda. Yes you can mix minky and flannel in the same quilt top, however there are some things you want to consider when doing so. Many people choose to piece minky using a wider seam allowance, usually 1/2″, so you would want to keep that consistent throughout the quilt top. Also, you can not press minky like you can flannel as it can melt. You will need to use a press cloth or another piece of fabric to protect the minky and/or use a cool iron when pressing the seams.

      Hope this helps!

      Reply
      • Georgia Davison

        If Minky fabric melts under an iron, then it should NOT be use in a baby quilt !!! Use good old cotton flannel and quilting cotton fabrics only as they are more flame retardant. Safety first for kids clothes and blankets.

        Reply
    • Georgia Davison

      Linda, for children’s safety, nothing that melts with an iron is safe to use. Stick with cotton flannel and cotton quilting fabrics…they are more flame retardant.

      Reply
    • Donna Elliott Thayer

      I really love hand applique…are your patterns applicable.☺

      Reply