Skip to Content

DIY Stamped Muslin Swaddling Blankets

Only a couple months to go and I’m in full baby prepping mode.  All I want to do is get baby stuff and clean my house!  Oh and I realized I never announced here that we’re having a BOY!  I’m super excited because that will give us two boys and two girls.  So perfect, right?  Unfortunately, that means that little baby boy has nothing to wear.  On a day that I had decided I was no longer having any more kids, I got rid of all of the baby boy stuff… ALL of it! 🙁  Gotta do some shopping, I guess.

Since my little Leah was born, 3 years ago, they’ve already come out with cool new stuff for babies.  Everyone is using big muslin swaddling blankets for their babies now.  I love swaddling my babies, so I need some, of course!  I also have really big babies (like there’s a very good chance this one could be 12 lbs big), so the idea of having big swaddling blankets is really appealing.  After doing some searching on the internet, I found out that these blankets are actually made of a fabric called “gauze” that you can get at JoAnn’s.  YES!  Time to get my DIY on!  Here’s what I came up with. (edit: Since writing this post, I found out that some gauze is softer than others.  Some people recommend getting a soft “bubble gauze” which would be better than what I found at JoAnn’s.  I recommend researching some other options for purchasing your fabric.)

DIY Stamped Muslin Swaddling Blankets

I stamped the blankets with some woodland-themed stamps that I made myself!  Yep, that’s right, I made them!!!  Stay tuned for a tutorial on that (edit: click here for the stamp tutorial).  It’s really easy to do.  Oh, and do the shapes look familiar?  They’re the same animals I used for my felt deer and fox ornaments and fabric lacing cards.

DIY Stamped Muslin Swaddling Blankets

I can’t decide if I like the foxes with the trees…

DIY Stamped Muslin Swaddling Blankets

…or the squirrels with the acorns better.

DIY Stamped Muslin Swaddling Blankets

To make your own stamped muslin swaddling blankets you’ll need:

  • gauze fabric (36 – 45 inches for each one)
  • thread
  • fabric ink or paint
  • stamps (click here for a tutorial to make your own)

I found the gauze fabric in the same section as the linen in JoAnn’s.  They had a cream color and the white color that I chose.  Make sure to bring a coupon to use if it’s not already on sale! First thing to do is wash your fabric.  It will get really wrinkled and bunch up, so iron it a little before cutting.  I cut each blanket about 45 inches square.  Honestly, I probably could have done just a yard (36 inches) for each one, and it would have been just fine.  I was just going off of what the store-bought blanket dimensions are.

All I did to make the blankets was cut out a square, and hem all of the sides.  Don’t worry about ironing to get the hems perfect.  Just roll about 1/2 inch and roll again 1/2 inch as you are feeding it through your sewing machine.  If you have a serger, you could even just serge all of the edges.  Super easy.

DIY Stamped Muslin Swaddling Blankets

You’ll want to use ink or paint that is labeled for use on fabric.  Fabric paint will give you a more vibrant look.  I wanted something really soft though, and sometimes fabric paint can feel a little scratchy.  I’ve used these inks to stamp fabric before, so I know they work well.  Any brand that says you can use it for fabric should do the trick, just make sure to read the back.  Even this brand makes some ink that isn’t for fabric.  This ink does fade a little after multiple washings, but that’s ok with me.

DIY Stamped Muslin Swaddling Blankets

You can pretty much use any kind of stamp.  I would suggest something that isn’t super detailed so you don’t loose the design in the wrinkles of the fabric.  Again, I’ll get back on here soon with a tutorial to make your own stamps.  Put something under your blanket to protect the table, and stamp away!  I tried to make a bit of a pattern, but you could also just stamp randomly.  I put my plastic cutting board under the blanket to help me line everything up because I am slightly OCD.  Make sure to practice on some fabric scraps first to get the amount of ink and pressure right.  Oh, and don’t be a dummy like me and drop the entire ink pad on the blanket.  🙁  I’m still hoping if I don’t heat set that part that it will wash out.

DIY Stamped Muslin Swaddling Blankets

And finally, iron over the ink to heat set it.  This will help keep the ink from fading when you wash it.  Do the same thing if you used paint.

DIY Stamped Muslin Swaddling Blankets

I was hoping to save a little mulah by making these myself.  Turns out good old Walmart sells the blankets now, so I didn’t really save anything by DIYing them, but I bet the ones from Walmart aren’t made with love!

DIY Stamped Muslin Swaddling Blankets

I can’t wait for our little boy to come so I can use these (and because I’m WAY over being pregnant).  I’ve still got some more fabric, so I think I’ll whip up some more.  Ooh, maybe I’ll try dying some different colors.  So many possibilities!  Also take a look at these easy homemade blanket tutorials.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Trach

Sunday 16th of August 2020

So cute!!! I tried it but I came across the issue of the gauze kind of being too wrinkled and skipping design.. did you stretch and then press it on? Or go over the natural creases?

Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts

Monday 24th of August 2020

I'd probably iron it flat first. I that doesn't get it flat enough then yes, I'd stretch it out a little before putting the stamps on. Sorry, it's been a while, and I can't remember exactly how it went for me.

Liz

Sunday 18th of March 2018

I am thinking of sewing a muslin to make a milestone blanket. I'm worried about the shrinking. How did you pre wash the fabric. Some people say it frays a lot also, and I should sew it first then wash. What do you think.

Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts

Wednesday 21st of March 2018

It's been a while, but I'm sure that I prewashed it just regular in my washing machine. I think I remember it fraying a bit, but I just cut off the edges. Sorry I can't be more help. I would definitely use a softer linen than the stuff at Joanns if you can find it.

Lindy

Tuesday 12th of July 2016

I just did this the other day and well... It didn't work ?. Completely washed out... So I started looking onpinterest and found this! I even used the same ink as you. So couple of questions, how long did you iron it for? And do you wait until ink is completely dry or still wet? Prob dumb questions but I'm a newbie to this kind of stuff ?

Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts

Wednesday 13th of July 2016

Oh no!!! This brand makes several different types of ink. Are you sure you are using ones that say they are for fabric? I ironed each spot for probably like 10 seconds. Wait until the ink is dry before ironing. For good measure, you might even want to try throwing the blanket in the dryer for a while before washing to really heat set it. Hope that helps!

Erika

Tuesday 12th of April 2016

Did you have any fading with any of your colors? I have never stamped fabric before and don't think I will do it much in the future. So I don't want to spend much. Curious since you used different inks.

Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts

Tuesday 12th of April 2016

It faded a little, but the designs are definitely still there.

Jennifer

Sunday 24th of January 2016

Love your forest animals pattern for stamps. Tried it today and it came out pretty well I think ???

Thanks bunches!

Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts

Monday 25th of January 2016

Yay! You're welcome. So glad it worked out for you!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.