Help with Making a Soft and Cozy Baby Blanket

March 21, 2009 by  
Filed under Baby Gear

Every baby needs a soft, cozy blanket, which could be purchased or better yet, made at home. Not only is this a great way to make something special for your baby or perhaps as a gift for another new mother, making your own baby blanket will also save money.

Tips for Sewing a Baby Blanket

Using flannel or fleece, sewing a baby blanket is actually easy. All you need to do is purchase fabric the size you want plus a few inches and then hem. Although you could make whatever size you want, the most common homemade baby blanket is made using one yard of fabric that measures 40 to 50 inches wide.

Now, if you know how to embroider, you could add something special such as the baby’s name, initials, or a cute design. However, if you do not know how to embroider, you can simply purchase an iron on or sew on patch.

When making a baby blanket for colder climates, all you need to do is purchase two layers of fabric. In between one piece of flannel or fleece place cotton batting and then add one piece of cotton fabric with a design on top, sewing the two pieces together. For an extra warm baby blanket, use two pieces of flannel or fleece.

Crocheting a Beautiful Baby Blanket

If you know the basic stitches for crocheting, all you need to do for a baby blanket is make a chain that would be the same width of the finished blanket. Then, form two rows by using the double stitch. Depending on the look you want, the yarn could be single or multi colored, or even alternated with different colors. Once the full size of the blanket is complete, you would need to crochet a single row around the edges and for the corners, use three chains.

Another great way to crochet a baby blanket is by taking colored or designed squares consisting of three to four rows, attaching them. For instance, if you wanted a nice checkerboard design, then all you would need to do is use two or more contrasting pastel or bold colors.

Additionally, many unique crochet baby blanket patterns could be used but before you start, make sure you look at the required stitches so you know if you can do them. Obviously, it would be a shame to buy a gorgeous pattern only to discover the most important stitch is something you do not know how to do.

In addition to crocheting a baby blanket, you might also consider hand knitting one. For this, plain knitting stitched would be used. However, another possibility is the moss stitch for a solid baby b, which is done by one knit and one purl along with a plain stitch at the location of a previous row purl, etc. Just as with crocheting, a hand knitted baby blanket could be done as a single color or any type of design wanted. In fact, some people will take knitted squares and to complete the blanket, sew them together.

In fact, when taking knitted squares and connecting them, the blanket can be expanded as the baby grows.

Now, whether crocheting or knitting a baby blanket, you want to always choose the best yarn. Babies have very delicate skin so the yarn needs to be extra soft. The best option is to avoid anything synthetic, going only with 100% wool or cotton.

Again, whether making a baby blanket for your newborn or as a gift to someone special, the thought, time, and effort that goes into the process is what makes this a cherished gift.