Baby clothes quilts are made from baby clothes and other soft, washable baby items.
A simple baby clothes quilt uses a block or two from each item.
A complex baby clothes quilt can include outfits, collars, buttons, zippers, hats, bibs and other 3D details.
Either way, we use your baby clothes to make a real quilt with a Too Cool puzzle-style layout and our wonderful quilting.
On This Page:
Simple vs. Complex Baby Clothes Quilts
What Can Be Used in a Baby Clothes Quilt?
A baby clothes quilt is made from baby clothes and other soft, washable items saved from a baby’s first year.
It can be made for the parents, for the child when they are older or for the whole family. Some baby clothes quilts are made from one baby’s first year of clothing. Others are made from the first-year clothing of all the babies in a family mixed together into one quilt.
The quilt shown here was made from clothing from five brothers and one sister. Even with five boys in the mix, the pink still found its way into the quilt in a noticeable way.
A piece from each child’s baby blanket is lined up across the top of the quilt.
A simple baby clothes quilt is made using a block or two from each clothing item. These blocks are pieces of fabric without special items sewn down, such as collars, bibs, hats, socks or whole outfits.
A complex baby clothes quilt also uses blocks from each item, but those blocks can include zippers, buttons, bows, collars and other details. We can also include items like whole outfits, dresses, soft shoes, bibs, hats and bloomers sewn onto another block of fabric.
What can be used depends on whether you choose a simple or complex baby clothes quilt. Some items can be cut into flat blocks. Other items need special handling because of their shape, thickness or details.
There are a lot more possibilities than we can list here. For the full planning list, read our baby clothes quilt planning guide.
Flat pieces cut from baby clothes and soft, washable baby items. This includes any item that we can at least get a 5" block from.
Items with details like collars, buttons, zippers, bows, hats, bibs, soft shoes or whole outfits.
This is a very rough estimate. The number of items needed will depend on how much we use from any one item. The more we use from each item, the fewer items you will need.

For example, we might use a larger block from a blanket than we would from a onesie with a small design on the front.
Most people will send us what belongs in the quilt and tell us what size they are hoping to get. We will work with you to make the quilt the size you would like with what you have sent to us.
But don't send us 100 items and expect to have a lap size quilt made.
Baby clothes quilt pricing depends on the size of the quilt and whether you choose a simple or complex style.
The easiest way to see your options is to use our pricing calculator. It will help you compare sizes and styles before you decide what works best for your clothing and your budget.
Baby clothes quilts cost more than standard T-shirt quilts because baby clothes are small, stretchy and full of details.
The more details you want included, the more time the quilt takes to make. That is the main reason complex baby clothes quilts cost more.
A simple baby clothes quilt takes less time because we are cutting flat blocks from the clothing.
A complex baby clothes quilt takes more time because we are working with collars, buttons, zippers, bows, pockets, hats, bibs and other pieces that need extra handling.
Most baby clothes quilts are made in our Too Cool puzzle-style layout, but that is not the only option.
A baby clothes quilt can also be made in our Stained Glass style or as an Ultra Modern quilt. These styles require extra planning because baby clothes are small, stretchy and full of details.
If you are interested in a Stained Glass or Ultra Modern baby clothes quilt, let us know when you start your order. We can tell you if your baby clothes will work well for that style.
Choosing which items to include in your quilt is a very important first step.
Start with clean baby clothes for the best outcome.
Your order form has all the information we need to get started on your quilt.
Yes. Many baby clothes quilts are made from the first-year clothing of all the babies in a family mixed together into one quilt. If you want each child represented evenly, sort the clothing by child before you send it.
Yes. We try to cut around stains when we can. If an item is very stained but still important, we will work with you to decide if it should still be included
Send us the baby clothes that belong in the quilt and let us know what size you are hoping for. We will look at what you have and work with you to make the quilt the size you would like, or as close as your items allow.
The fewer items you have means we will use more pieces from each item.
Start by separating the must-use items from the maybe-use items. We will begin with the must-use group first, then add from the second group if we need more to reach the size you want.
The more items you have will mean that we will use smaller blocks from each item.
Yes, whole outfits can be used in a complex baby clothes quilt. They will be sewn onto another block of fabric so details like sleeves, hoods, buttons, zippers or pockets can still be part of the quilt.
Baby clothes are small, stretchy and full of details. Even a simple baby clothes quilt takes more time and skill than a standard T-shirt quilt because the pieces are smaller and harder to work with.
Yes, baby clothes quilts are washable. Start with clean baby clothes before sending them to us, and after your quilt is finished, follow our quilt care directions.
Jenny H., Baby Clothes Quilts, Complex