Baby Blankets 3 Ways {#3}

Here's the last of three baby blankets I made for some sweet new babies in our neighborhood!! This one is a "faux chenille" style and is so soft on the back. It even would be great in a grownup size for snuggling on the couch. :O)

To make this I used a yard of a cotton print for the blanket top, and three yards of flannel (1 yard each of three colors for variety) for the faux chenille on the bottom. You could use just one color of flannel, or three different ones to get some color variation. Either way is fine. I also used satin ribbon for the trim and two spools of thread. Yes, all that stitching takes lots of thread -- make sure you have enough so you don't run out before you're finished!!

Putting this blanket together is easy -- all you need to know how to do is make a straight stitch. But be prepared to stitch for a loooong time!! I worked on it for a half hour or so at a time so I wouldn't get tired of all the long straight lines.

The first step is to lay out your three layers of flannel, then lay your cotton fabric on top. Pin together. Now make a diagonal straight line from one corner to the opposite corner. Make sure your bobbin is full and you have lots of thread and get ready to sew!!

Stitch the layers together. Stitch on top of the diagonal line (you might want to increase your stitch length here -- it looks nicer and will make the sewing go faster). Using that line as a guide, keep stitching diagonal lines about 1/2 inch apart over the entire top. Use your presser foot as a guide -- no need to mark lines on the fabric.

Stitching on the top and bottom.

Now you are ready to cut the faux chenille. Turn the blanket over to the back (flannel facing you). Using a very good pair of fabric scissors or a chenille cutter, cut through ONLY the three layers of flannel. Be careful not to cut through the cotton or poke a hole, or you will cry and have to repair the hole.

 Flannel layers after they are cut.

Then square up the sides and bind with whatever you like and you're all done with the construction. Wash the blanket once and the cut flannel will turn into a lovely faux chenille. Every time it is washed it will get softer!!

Satin ribbon for binding with a mitered corner.

Time for a spin in the washing machine and dryer!!

Now you have a soft and textured "faux chenille"!!

This blanket has lots of texture on the top with all the close stitching, and of course on the bottom with the soft faux chenille effect. Perfect for baby to play or sleep on. You'll just want to rub your hands on it all the time; it will be hard to turn over at the baby shower!!

So pretty and soft all over. :O)

Well folks, that's all for the Baby Blankets 3 Ways series. See Blanket #1 and Blanket #2 for peeks at the other blankets I made for the sweet new additions to our neighborhood. Next up will be a baby quilt I made for my newest little nephew (yes, something for a boy!!).

Baby Blankets 3 Ways {#2}

Here's the second blanket of three for the newest addition to our neighborhood. The top is a "race" or "jelly roll 1600" type of design. Here's some more about those along with pictures of other beautiful full-size race quilts.

I was lucky enough to find a jelly roll that used the same colors from baby's room. The parents wanted baby's gender to be a surprise, so they decorated the nursery in pretty muted blues, greens and grays. It's really a stunning room and a great concept for a gender-neutral color scheme!!

To make this blanket I used one half of a jelly roll (20 strips), backing fabric and matching fabric for the binding. Its finished size is 31" x 41".

First I sewed together all the strips with a diagonal seam. To do this you lay two strips together, right sides facing, in what I fancily like to call an "upside down L" (LOL). Then you sew a straight diagonal line from corner to corner, and when you open it up you have nice diagonal line. Do this over and over, joining all the strips together into one big strip.

Sew the strips together with a diagonal line.

When finished it will look like this, with a diagonal seam.

Sew all the strips together and you'll get a nice pile of one long strip. :O)

After you have one long strip, find the midpoint, move up a little and cut so that you now have two long strips. You don't want to cut it exactly in half or the diagonals will line up and that's not what you want. Now sew these two strips together. Again, find the midpoint and cut. Repeat this process until you have your blanket top. Easy peasy. Time consuming, yes, but also easy.

After cutting and sewing the strip together once, then cutting in half and getting ready to sew together again.

The finished top with all the pieces sewn together.

Next I made bias tape for the binding that was from the same fabric as the backing. If you have never done this, it's easy and much more economical than purchasing ready-made bias tape. Plus you know you have a finished binding that matches just right. Bias tape makers come in a variety of sizes. To make the bias tape, simply cut your fabric to the right width and length, run it through the bias tape maker tool and press with an iron and you're done. I also like to spray with starch before ironing so the binding folds stay neat and clean. Mary Ellen's Best Press starch spray in lavendar is my favorite!!

Making the bias tape for binding is easy!!

My 1" finished bias tape (and my handy dandy bias tape maker).

Next I pinned together the top and bottom pieces of fabric, wrong sides together, and stitched-in-the-ditch up every other row of strips. This gives a nice quilted look and also helps the blanket hold together. There is not any batting in the middle -- you certainly could do this if you wanted. But for this blanket I chose to keep it simple. I personally like blankets that are not too thick -- I find they are great for simple cover-ups when a thick blanket would just be too much, are easy to transport and great for baby to sit on and play.

The last step was to put on the binding, and I used a mitered corner (if you need help with this, do a quick search on YouTube for some great tutorials).

Binding with mitered corners; top and bottom of blanket.

Back of blanket.

This blanket is fairly easy to put together and just requires a little time to get done. The design makes a lot of impact for minimal effort compared to other piecing techniques and patterns. Add some matching burp cloths or other baby essentials and you have yourself a great shower gift!!

A pretty blanket ready for a beautiful new baby!!

So now you've seen Blanket #1 and #2 -- next week will finish this neighborhood Baby Blanket triparte!! But no worries -- if you like baby blankets there are more to come. :O)

Baby Blankets 3 Ways {#1}

Our neighborhood has been blessed with three baby girls right in a row. That means I had an excuse to sew up three baby blankets -- yay!! I absolutely love fabric shopping (yes Mom, you heard that right) and had lots of fun picking it out especially for each baby's blanket.

For Baby Blanket #1 I chose a bright pink and green color pallete to match baby's room. This blanket is a simple 36"x36" square. I simply cut the front and back fabric to size, sewed right sides together, then turned out and finished the seam. On top I sewed on some white and sparkly silver ric-rac about 4" inside. Then I finished the edges with a pretty embroidery stitch on my machine.

I also made some coordinating burp rags out of cloth diapers and flannel fabric. On one of them I got a little crazy and added some green ruffles to the pink flannel to match the blanket. Someday I will get one of those weird-looking ruffler contraptions that actually fits my machine and ruffles will take less time. Someday.

I like these types of blankets because I think they're great for baby to sit and play on or for easy cover when it's not cold enough for a thick blanket. Add in the useful (pretty) burp rags and you have a great shower gift.

Alltogether this was an easy project. The hardest part was waiting on my sewing machine to do all its lovely embroidery stitching around the edge. Lucky for me I have a wonderful chiropractor to realign my neck and back after a long stretch of using bad sewing posture. :O)

Stay tuned for Baby Blankets 2 & 3!!