The story of my life RUSH… RUSH… RUSH! Unless I have time to plan ahead and order a gift to be shipped to me, making one can be much quicker (speaking here as a fabric hoarder!) If you are in need of a quick baby gift, you can never go wrong with a blanket. Here is an easy baby blanket tutorial I found that you can follow from Little House Living. I have also included a short video for inspiration on ways you can personalize your baby blanket.
One more added bonus in this post… YEARS ago now, I used to sell baby blankets for extra income while I stayed home to raise my kiddies. Following this baby blanket tutorial, I posted a video I did showing how I added a big fluffy back to my baby blankets. See more about that style following the shared tutorial.
If you want to save this baby blanket tutorial for later, save it here on Pinterest…
Baby Blanket Tutorial
Making your own custom receiving blankets is so easy! All you need is a few yards of fabric and some thread and you are good to go. If you are ambitious or don’t have a sewing machine you can do these by hand but it’s much quicker if you have even a basic machine. Plus, you can make these super cute if you, or your machine, can do some decorative stitches.
All you need for this blanket is:
- 2 yards Flannel Fabric
- Matching Thread
If you aren’t able to get fabric locally you can buy online as well through places like Fabric.com. If you are on a budget, you will want to check out my post on Finding Cheap Fabric. Make sure to wash, dry, and iron the fabric before sewing.
Getting Started
Start by cutting the stray ends off your fabric pieces so they are the same size when put them together. I tried to get an exact measurement, but it will depend on the width of your fabric and how crooked it was cut! You also might choose to make your blanket a little bigger or a little smaller…it doesn’t matter, either way. Mine ended up being roughly 31 inches wide by 36 inches long, this is a good baby blanket size.
Place the right sides of the fabric together and sew around all four edges. Make sure to leave an opening of several inches so that you can flip the blanket right side out. When you are done sewing around the edges, you can cut off any excess fabric to prevent bulk.
Ture the blanket right side out.
Moving right along…
Iron the blanket and make sure to press all of the edges well so that they are flat and even. If you choose not to do a decorative stitch at this point, all you need to do is whip stitch the opening shut and you are done!
I decided to do a decorative stitch around the edges. To do this, simply choose your stitch and sew around all 4 edges!
Then you are done! If you choose to do the decorative stitch this baby receiving blanket pattern will take a little longer to finish, but then it makes such a cute blanket for you or for a gift! If you don’t do the extra stitch this blanket will be done in 10 minutes and you can make several if you need them. I love these. They are so soft and much thicker than receiving blankets that you buy from the store.
AN ALTERNATIVE from Joan…
I absolutely adored this style baby blanket. It was so simple to make! You do not even need to be able to sew a straight line because the “fluff” hides it!
To start, design the front of the blanket to any size and design that you like. Then follow the video to add this big fluffy back to your blanket! Sometimes this fluffy fabric can be found in the fur section of your fabric store. It is a little easier to work with than the minky fabrics typically used in baby blankets.
Click here for a little trick to help you work with minky and faux furs.
