Easy Baby Blanket

One of my dearest friends is expecting her second child in a few months.  So, when a group of us got together this weekend, I figured I could make a baby blanket for her new boy that's on the way. 

Without a pattern or directions, I just sorta made this up.  Not a total disaster.  Not a total success. 
But, hey, a girl's gotta start somewhere!

When I make another one, it'll hopefully be a little prettier....I'm still working on sewing a straight line!


Here's how I did it though in case you're feeling adventurous. 
(well, to me it's adventurous, but maybe I don't get out enough!)

First, get you some cuddly fabric.  I found a Minky fabric in green and a soft army print in a fleece. 

Wash your fabrics first!  For some reason, when I started sewing I was always afraid to wash my fabric.  But, duh to me, if you're going to wear/use/snuggle with whatever you are making, you gotta wash it first. 
Ignore all the threads that'll shred some in the wash.  Just cut them off.  Better for that to happen now than after you've put all this work into it.

I cut a 17"x24" rectangle out of each fabric. Remember this blanket is for a newborn, so I made it teeny tiny.

Place right sides together and pin all the way around.  Leave about a 4" opening on one side.  That's where you'll flip it right-side out.  I double-pinned there to remind myself not to sew it shut.

Sew all the way around except for your 4" section. Don't sew that. 

Before you flip out your fabric, cut your corners.  Makes it prettier and less bulky that way.

Then, when your fabric is right-side out, pin the opening shut and sew the hole with just a straight stitch. 

This is where mine didn't turn out as pretty.  The Minky fabric stretched a bit and I sewed it a little crooked.  I was able to hide it later on so it looked a bit better.

Fold and pin down about 1/2" of fabric all the way around to make a fancy edge. Sew around.  (Sew close to the inner edge so the fabric won't keep flipping up).

I had a really hard time getting the folded fabric under the foot of my machine.  It was so thick because of the fabrics I was using, especially on the corners.  Next time if I use a thicker fabric I may use another one that's thinner to pair with it.  

 

Now, I don't have kids.  So I don't know what babies like and don't like.  But, I do remember seeing that my niece's baby blanket had a little spot to hook her thumb onto while she was carrying it.  I figured if I made something similar I could cover up my mistakes where I didn't sew straight and at the same time make the cover-up functional. 

So, I sewed the edges of a skinny leftover piece.  I just folded the edges in and sewed along the side.

Then, I attached it to a corner of the blanket.  (Sorry this pic is super blurry...it was late at night.)

And, you are a superstar! A cute, homemade baby gift!