Baby Blankets

Baby blankets are one of my favorite things to make. I think the joy that is involved with making it for a new bundle of joy mixed with the satisfaction of a relatively quick project is what I like best. Don't get me wrong, you can make baby blankets that take FOREVER, but you don't have to spend hours, days and even months making a blanket to have it turn out absolutely adorable.

There are lots of tutorials on the web for making blankets, so I'm not even going to go there, But there are a few things I've learned I will share:

1. If the fabric stretches or is slippery, use a walking foot to keep your edges lined up and pin like crazy.

*I never pinned a thing before, but I realized just how much time I saved myself from fixing mistakes if I just took the time to pin things.

2. My favorite batting for baby blankets is natural cotton batting it's not as lofty as polyester batting and is so much easier to work with. It makes the blanket less stiff and better for wrapping. Besides, when you are bundling up a baby, they can really get lost in those thick and stiff blankets. The cotton is still super warm and even better, it's made out of natural fibers.

3. Find fabrics that are washable and durable but soft and cute. My absolute favorite baby blanket fabrics are minky or minkee (which is relatively new to the fabric market) and flannel backed satin which I like using better than just any satin because it's a little bit thicker, warmer, and doesn't slide quite so much when sewing. I love to bind my blankets with flannel backed satin.

4. When choosing a size, you might want to consider what age the blanket is for. Crib size is 45" X 65", however this will totally drown a newborn so 45" X 45" or 35" X 45" might be better suited. I like to make bigger blankets because I personally love blankets and love my own kids to have blankets that they can claim as their own and acutally use as todlers and young children.

5. If you are afraid of binding ( I know... it can get scary) don't bind it at all. How? Cut your front fabric, back fabric the same size. Cut your batting just slightly bigger (1/4" or so) so it doesn't pull your blanket in funny dirrections. Then with the fabrics right side facing each other and the batting against the wrong side of the back fabric. Sew them all together, leaving a 8 inch opening along one side for turning. Once it's all sewn, just turn it right side out and hand sew your opening closed. Then, you can just sew 1/2"-1" from the edge on the right side and voila!

Anyway, I just finished a blanket for our newest addition out of minky fabric and satin binding. It's heavenly and although rather expensive to make (minky can be more than $15 a yard), I LOVE IT! He will have no choice but to have sweet dreams when wrapped in this blanket.


Happy blanket making!