If you have recently learned to sew and are looking for an easy baby quilt to make for a gift for someone else or for your own child, there is a very simple quilt that you can make. While it is simple in concept, it will be sure to steal the show at the baby shower and will be enjoyed by all who see it or use it.

Before you make the quilt, you need to decide on how you want the quilt to be used. Is it going to go in the nursery to match the baby bedding? Do you want it to be used for a pallet when the baby is napping? Is it more of a play quilt that will be used to stimulate the baby's senses or hold the baby's toys while they play? The answer to these questions will dictate what kind of quilt material you are going to use from soft pastels to vibrant primary colors.

Once you decide on the purpose of the quilt, it is time to go fabric shopping. Go to your local fabric store and choose two coordinating fabrics, batting and coordinating thread. You will need approximately 1 yard of each so that they can be cut down to make two large squares. Wash the fabric before you do anything else.

After the fabric is washed and ironed, cut both pieces into same size squares. Place one piece of fabric right side down on the floor. Put the batting down next. Place the second piece of fabric on top of the batting right side up. Pin the fabric and batting together starting from the center and working out. Using a quilter's pencil and a straight edge, draw a diagonal line connecting opposite corners so that you have two diagonal lines that make an X. Sew along these lines. Decide which fabric you want to be the top and which to be the bottom. Fold the bottom fabric over the top, folding twice, making a " fold. Sew on the fold the whole way around.

At this point you are done and have a cute, simple baby quilt. You can choose to add other things to your quilt such as an appliqu to the top or tying the top and bottom of the quilt together with yarn in different spots. Do whatever you want to do to make the quilt unique. Since it is a baby quilt, don't add embellishments such as buttons that could come off. This fun, easy project can be completed in about 5 hours or less depending on your sewing ability and what additional items you add to the quilt. Now it's time for you to go pick your fabric and get started.