Are you always jealous of that person at the baby shower that brings the cutest homemade gifts? Maybe it’s just me. As crafty as I am, I always just default to buying something because I don’t have time. Well, I’m trying to get ahead of the game by stocking up on some easy, homemade baby shower gifts. I thought I would show you how to make a blanket for a baby that is super duper easy. All you need are a couple yards of flannel, which comes in some of the cutest nursery prints! Coordinate this with some cute matching burp cloths or hair bows, and you will be the one that everyone is jealous of. Here’s my tutorial for how to make a baby blanket from flannel. Also take a look at these other easy homemade blanket tutorials.
(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended.)
To make a baby blanket, you’ll need:
- Two pieces of flannel – At least 1 yard each. I used 1-1/4 yard pieces to make them a little bigger.
- Coordinating thread – One to match the top and one to match the bottom.
- Cutting mat and rotary cutter (optional)
- Sewing machine
- Chopstick or crochet hook
- Iron
Watch the video!
After you’re done reading the post, if you still need more help, I filmed a step-by-step tutorial that shows you exactly how to make a baby blanket. You can watch it in this post. (If you’re using an ad blocker, you may need to turn it off to see the video.)
How to Make a Blanket
First thing you need to do is lay out your flannel and straighten up all of the edges. Make sure the two pieces of flannel you use are the same size. Use a rotary cutter and cutting mat to make it easier to cut your edges straight. Pin the two pieces right-sides-together (with the print on the inside).
Sew a 1/2-inch seam all around the outside of the blanket. Remove the pins as you go.
Leave about 8 inches unsewn.
Cut off each of the four corners, being careful not to cut through the thread.
Turn the blanket right-side-out by pushing the fabric through the gap in your stitching.
Use a chopstick or crochet hook inside of the blanket to poke out each of the corners.
Iron the sides of the blanket to get a nice, crisp edge.
Stitch around the edge of your blanket using a straight or decorative stitch. If you use a decorative stitch, you should hand stitch the opening of your blanket closed first.
If you use a straight stitch, you can just sew the opening shut when you sew around the blanket. If you are a beginner, I recommend just doing the straight stitch. The decorative stitches can be hard to line back up if you run out of thread or make a mistake.
To ensure the blanket keeps its form in the wash, I like to sew little spots on the blanket using a tight zig-zag stitch. This is the reason that a lot of people “tie” blankets with yarn, but I like this look better. In the photo below, you can hardly see it! I didn’t care very much about being accurate, so I just folded the blanket in thirds and then in thirds again. I marked the four corners of the folds with pins, and that’s where I sewed. I changed my top thread to match the top of my blanket and the bobbin thread to match the bottom. The zig-zag stitch length on my machine was set to .5, and stitched about 8 stitches forward and 8 stitches back. Easier than it sounds, I promise!
That’s it! Hopefully you now know how to make a blanket so you can make cute baby shower gifts. These are so easy to make, I stitched up a few in new time. Now someone just needs to have a baby girl so I can give her some blankets.
Be sure to check out these other baby crafts.
DIY Burp Cloths with Appliqués
Easy Baby Quilt from Receiving Blankets
Necktie Onesie with Baby Tie Pattern
How to Make No-Sew Fleece Blankets with a Braided Edge
How to Make a No-Sew Baby Blanket with Minky Fabric
If you like making baby blankets, also check out this easy strip quilt pattern from Woodberry Way.
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Sue Andrews
Sunday 18th of September 2022
I luv easy patterns
Helen Baran
Wednesday 2nd of September 2020
Being my first baby blanket, I didn't understand what it meant but sewing 8 inches forward and 8 inches back. Could you explain a little more? Thanks. Mrs. B.
Mary
Monday 12th of October 2020
The directions are for 8 STITCHES not INCHES. Does that help?
Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts
Wednesday 2nd of September 2020
A zig zag stitch would normally show up as a zig zag that you can see. Like triangles without the bottoms and connected. When you change the stitch length, it makes the zig zags super close together, so the needle still travels up and down, but it looks more like straight lines all next to each other. So when you go 8 stitches forward, you are just letting the needle go down about 8 times. The thread will travel forward slightly, and you'll end up with a little square shape of stitches like under the unicorn in the photo. Then you stitch backwards over the same stitches just to make sure all of your stitches stay in place. I hope that makes sense!
Mary Jane
Wednesday 26th of August 2020
Kim not understanding about the folding in thirds.
Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts
Wednesday 26th of August 2020
The folding is just so you can measure where to sew the darts. I put 4 darts in it. So if you imagine folding a piece of paper in thirds, one way (2 fold lines to make 3 equal sections), then fold in thirds the other way, the darts would go in the 4 spots that the folds intersect. So when you fold the blanket, you mark those spots with pins, and then sew the darts in those locations. You could also measure to find the 4 spots, but the folding seemed faster to me.
Cathy M
Thursday 30th of July 2020
This will be my first baby blanket! I have a question about the zigzag stitch. I’m confused as to how you’re doing this. I’m just not getting it. Please help! All your other instructions I get. Thank you in advance!
Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts
Tuesday 11th of August 2020
You just want to make little "tacks" to keep the fabric in place. Set your machine to the zig-zag stitch (I think most machines have that as an option). Make the stitch length really short so the zig-zags are close together. Then you just go back and forth a bit. Get a piece of scrap fabric to practice on so you can make sure it looks right.
Taylor B
Wednesday 15th of January 2020
I made a blanket using your instructions, my first blanket ever! It only took me about 30 minutes and came out way better than I imagined! I’m new to sewing and your instructions were so easy to follow! I will be making many more!!! Thank you so much!!!