Easy Snuggle Quilt

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Keep your teddy bear warm and cozy wherever you go with this Easy Snuggle Quilt! It's a great beginning quilting project and makes a great gift.

Did you have a favorite teddy bear or stuffed animal that you couldn't part with as a child? My daughter has always had a "soft" spot in her heart for stuffed animals and cuddly blankets. She's got a few particular favorites that go practically everywhere with us, which also means we need to throw it in the wash often to keep them fresh and soft as ever. September 9th was National Teddy Bear day, so to celebrate, we put together a snuggle quilt for our Snuggle teddy bear - the newest addition to her stuffed animal family!

Snuggle® also knows how special a teddy bear can be, which is why for the second year in a row they are brightening days everywhere with the #ShareABear campaign by donating 5,000 bears to children in need.

Our local Walmart offers multiple sizes and scents of Snuggle® products to choose from. Snuggle® PLUS SuperFresh™ is a quality fabric conditioner that will, after using it as the packaging suggests, create even more snuggle-up moments with your laundry and stuffed animals by giving them Snuggly Softness™ and a long-lasting fresh scent.

To create your own Easy Snuggle Quilt, you'll need five cotton fabrics in different colors and patterns. You can go through your own fabric stash, or head to the store and choose some. My best tip for choosing fabric is to start by finding one with multiple colors in it (like the floral one on the bottom right). Then, you can choose other fabrics that coordinate with different colors and patterns. Just have fun with it and don't be afraid to mix things up!

Cut the fabric into 2 ½ inch squares. If you have a quilt pattern in mind, you can count out how many squares of each fabric you'll need. I didn't count how many squares for each, but I did cut more of my main/floral fabric than the others because I wanted that fabric to be a little more prominent. 

Lay out all your squares and create the quilt pattern. You can do a repeating pattern or keep it random. This is also when you can decide how large you want the quilt to be. I set mine up to be 5 squares across and 7 rows.

Once you've settled on your design, TAKE A PICTURE with your phone! That way if anything gets mixed up, you can refer to the photo to get things right. Stack the squares from each row so they will be in order. Place the stacks in order so you can start to sew the rows together.

Start with the stack for the first row. Put the first two squares together, right sides facing each other. Sew the pieces together with a 1/4" seam allowance, making sure to backstitch at both ends. Open up the pieces, and place the next square face down on the second square you just sewed. Keep repeating until the 5 squares are sewn together. Sew the rest of the rows together, and iron the seams so that the rows lay flat.

Lay the first and second rows right sides together. Try to line up the seams as best as you can and pin in place. Sew the rows together, backstitching at the beginning and the end. Sew on the third row to the second row, and repeat until you've got all 7 rows sewn together. Press the seams down with an iron. Now the quilt front is complete!

Next I got a piece of fluffy, cuddly fleece fabric for the quilt backing. Since this quilt is for teddy bears and dolls, I didn't worry about adding any batting. If you want a little more padding to your quilt, you can also cut a piece of flannel, batting or fleece to go in between the layers. Lay the quilt top face down on the right side of the fleece. Cut the fleece to be the same size as the quilt top.

Pin the fabrics together and sew 1/4" around the edges. Leave about a 4" opening and cut each corner at a diagonal angle, but not through the seam/stitches. Turn the quilt right side out and use your fingers or a slightly pointed tool to push the corners out to a nice point. Lay the quilt out, straighten the seams and iron.

Fold the fabrics of the opening over and pin together. Topstitch over that area and follow around the entire outside edge of the quilt. For the quilted effect and to keep the fabrics together better, sew a straight stitch on either side of the quilt seams.

Now the quilt is ready to be snuggled! Wrap up your teddy bear up in this new snuggle quilt to keep it warm and cozy! If you'd like, you can easily adjust the sizes of the squares to make a larger, matching quilt for kids to snuggle in.

Embrace the #ShareABear spirit all September long by sharing stories, memories, and pictures of your loved ones with a teddy bear on social media. Join the fun on the Snuggle® Facebook page and in the Snuggle® Bear Den (which is the best place for special content, offers, and prizes)!!