Baby Blankets

Baby blankets

These end up being bigger than commercial receiving blankets, which are usually 30" square. They seemed gigantic when my daughter was born, but 2 months later, they already looked perfectly sensible. Buy a package of commercial ones for swaddling your newborn and wiping up spitup and use these for warmth when awake and as playmats. (Experts advise not putting blankets on sleeping babies -- if you choose to, these are as safe as any others.)

Simplest baby blanket in the world (requires only scissors, easy to get in any color and lots of prints)

Buy about a yard of polarfleece at any fabric store. Or, if you want something more square, a yard and a half or so. If it has funky edges, trim them off. You're done. I use these in solid colors for photo backdrops a lot. Opal adores these, which has the side effect that it's very difficult to get her to let me cut into any polarfleece. It has to be done while she's not looking.

Next simplest baby blanket (still requires only scissors and comes in any color and lots of prints)

Buy a yard or more of polarfleece. Trim off any funky edges. Cut fringes along the edges (keep them in the 3-4 inch range and about a half inch wide to avoid strangling hazards). We have one of these in a sushi print for occasions where plain solid green isn't dressy enough.

You can also make baby blankets by simply buying about a yard of cotton flannel, washing it, and hemming it, but I don't like these as well because the less decorative back shows.

Simplest elegant baby blanket (actually uses sewing, but very very easy sewing)

Buy about a yard (a yard and a quarter if you want a square) of cotton flannel, and the same amount of all-cotton quilting fabric or flannel in a coordinating print. Wash them both. Iron them together (this is the hardest, most tedious part). Cut them to the same size. Pin them right sides to right sides and sew around the edges, leaving an inch or so opening on one side (it'll show more if it touches a corner). Trim the corners to the seamline, and turn the blanket right-side out through the opening. Iron the blanket (yes, again, it's easier this time). Either slip-stitch the opening closed, or use a decorative stitch to topstitch around the entire blanket. Stitch another line of stitching an inch or so in from the edge to keep it all flat, or it will roll annoyingly in the wash.

If you use fat quarters (half-yards cut in half the other direction, so they're squarish, readily available for quilting purposes) you get a good generous doll blanket. You can omit the second round of stitching on these; they're small enough they don't creep as much in the wash.