Oh, Baby...Make It Quick!

Need a quick and personal baby gift? DTFM is here to help! My new grand-niece, Ruthie, is two months old today, and Uncle DTFM decided to make her a personalized blanket. There are plenty of ways to make a baby blanket...just check Pinterest!

I chose to use "Cute as a Bunny" flannel co-ordinates by Springs Creative from JOANN for Ruthie's blanket. The collection consists of a 3-D panel with embroidery and applique, matching flannel prints and a patchwork flannel using the matching prints. Find them here: https://www.joann.com/search?q=cute+as+a+bunny

For this blanket, I chose to use the patchwork fabric on the front and a printed flannel for the back, with another printed flannel for the binding. The the panel could also be used for the top, instead of the patchwork fabric, but quilting it would be more of a challenge.

You'll need a yard each of the front and back fabric, and about a half yard of the print for the bias binding. I also used a yard of single-face solid cotton quilted fabric for the batting inside the blanket, but other options include poly or cotton batting or a flannel sheet.

To begin, place the back fabric face down on your work surface, place the batting layer on top of the back fabric, and place the front fabric on top of that, face-up, lining up the edges as much as possible. After stacking the fabrics and batting, pin the layers together from the center outward at all the patch intersections. Trim the fabrics to equal size.

From the front side of the blanket, also beginning from the center and working outward, stitch in the ditch (or in the patchwork seams) using matching or contrasting thread. On the back, the rows of stitching will form a grid which will hold the fabric layers together when the blanket is laundered.

Next, trim the blanket edges even, if necessary, and round off the corners, using a bowl or cup to trace the curve; trim off the corner along the traced line (a rounded corner makes binding easier).

Make the bias binding (it's not so hard, really, and you can match the fabric to your project). Stitch it to the face side of the blanket. Fold it to the back side of the blanket, turn under the raw edge, and stitch it down by machine or by hand, (I stitched it by machine; I'm allergic to hand sewing.) How to make your own bias binding? https://makeit-loveit.com/make-continouos-strip-bias-tape-binding

For this special blanket, I also added a monogram. In Word on my laptop, I typed out the initials using a font I like and 250 point size letters (play around a bit until you like the size). I changed the fill color to white (to save ink), added an outline in black and printed the page. I cut out the letters from the paper and set them aside. Using a piece of Wonder Under fusible web, I ironed it to the back of a scrap of one of the printed flannels. Flipping over the cutout paper letters so they are face down, I traced them on the paper side of the Wonder Under and cut them out. After pulling off the paper backing, I positioned the letters on the blanket with the Wonder Under side down and ironed them on, then stitched around the edge of each letter with a straight stitch (could also use a zig-zag stitch if you're not into raw edges). For this blanket, I also added Ruthie's name in machine embroidery as an overlay on the monogram. To learn more about Wonder Under, go here: http://www.pellonprojects.com/products/805-wonder-under-2/

Making a baby blanket is a quick and fun way to sew something personalized for a little one. Use your imagination in putting different fabrics together, and remember to keep the fabrics soft and snuggly.

Until next time, keep those sewing machines humming, and think about making yourself something soft and snuggly (after you finish the baby blanket, of course).

danthefabricman@yahoo.com

@danthefabricman