Every time my mom comes for a visit, we always do two things: crafts and clean.  So today we are going to spend some making some baby blankets.  They are so easy to sew, and very cost effective.  If you have a baby shower, or baby coming in to your life or family, this is a great idea.

All you need is a sewing machine, thread, top and bottom fabric, batting, and binding.

Materials for making a baby blanket

You will need thread, a sewing machine, binding, bunting, and top and bottom fabric for the blanket.

Overall, we made a total of three blankets of different heaviness  and softness for various uses.  When you choose your fabrics for the top and bottom of the blanket think about what the blanket will be used for.  Will they be floor blankets for the baby to lay and play on? Crib blankets to line the crib and sleeper with? or will they be sleeper blankets for the baby to have around the house?

completed blanket

completed blanket

To start, lay out the pieces of fabric you will be working with and iron each to get rid of the creases.  Ensure the iron is set to the appropriate setting (polyester, cotton, etc).

 

Ready to iron

make sure to set the iron to the appropriate setting for the fabric and remove all the creases from the fabric

blanket layers

line up the 3 layers of the fabric after removing the creases, pin together the layers

Place the fabric together and pin the edges, about 1 inch in from the edge.  Now, take out the sewing machine and use a basting stitch to keep the fabric together while you add the binding on to the blanket.  Ensure your basting stitch goes through all the layers of the blanket, and sew it about 1/2 inch from the edge.

sew together the layers

using a basting stitch, sew together the layers of the blanket

sewn layers

to hold the layers of the blanket together while adding the binding, you want to have a basting stitch in place

The binding seems to be what hangs people up the most, and unfortunately, the packages do not come with instructions.  The first part to note when you open the package and take out the binding is there is a short edge, and a longer edge.  Take note of where the short edge is, this is where you will be sewing the binding to the blanket to ensure you completely through the all pieces and the blanket stays together and lasts.  If you are using satin binding like I am, I recommend using binding clips instead of pins to prevent pulling while you are sewing the project.  Binding clips look like hair clips and snap in to place.

binding tape

note the shorter and longer edge of the binding edge

binding clips

to prevents snags and holes in the satin binding use binding clips instead of straight pins

Take the binding and fold each corner of one end in to the crease, like you are making a paper airplane.  Take out the iron and iron the crease to keep it nice and smooth.  Now, slide the blanket in between the short and long edge of the binding.  The diagonal edge of the binding will be where the sewing binding starts and ends, and will give you a nice smooth line.  Using your binding clips, clip the binding all the way to the corner of the blanket.  Do not continue all the way around the blanket.  This is to help ensure a nice smooth corner and prevent bunching.  Now sew the first strip of binding all the way to the corner.

crease the binding edge

diagonal binding edge

after folding the corners of the binding in like a paper airplane, iron the crease to create a smooth line

clip the edge

place the edge the blanket into the crease of the binding and use the binding clips to hold the pieces in place while sewing

zig-zag stitch

set the sewing machine to a zig-zag stitch

sew on the binding

using the zig-zag stitch, sew up the diagonal start of binding in the middle of the blanket, and up the top edge of the binding to the first corner

When you hit the corner you are going to turn the blanket and the binding to create a smooth corner.  Right now do not worry about doing any back stitch, because you are going to overlap the binding as we continue through the blanket. Cut the thread and move back to your workspace.

Lay the second edge of the blanket down in the crease of the binding. At the corner, create a 45 degree angle on the top and bottom of the blanket corner. Use the binding clips to hold the binding in place. To make sure there is a nice even crease, run the iron across the corner.

Back to the sewing machine, this time with the needle at the intersection of the last edge and the new edge.

Continue this process around the remaining corners and edges of the blanket.  This is going to bring you back to the starting point of the blanket. 

The end of the blanket binding is going to be just like you started.  Cut the binding just a few inches past the starting point and fold the edges in paper airplane style.  Clip the last edge of the binding in to place.

As you sew the binding with the zig-zag stitch, go up the diaganol edge of the airplane corner as well.  This is where you do the back stitch to finish off the blanket.

Use the same diagonal method on each corner to keep the overlapped binding down.

Ta-Da....you have made a beautiful, soft baby blanket

Become a Subscriber

Leave a comment

Leave this field empty
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Submit

0 Comments

Previous Post Next Post

Archive

Go