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Home / Kids / Baby Crafts / How to Make a Blanket for a Baby

How to Make a Blanket for a Baby

March 21, 2018

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. 

How to make a blanket for a baby out of flannel. Great beginner sewing project and easiest way to make a baby blanket!

sew flannel baby blankets

(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

rabbit and unicorn flannel fabric

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).

How to make a blanket for a baby out of flannel.

Sew a 1/2-inch seam all around the outside of the blanket.  Remove the pins as you go.

How to make a blanket for a baby out of flannel.

Leave about 8 inches unsewn.

How to make a blanket for a baby out of flannel.

Cut off each of the four corners, being careful not to cut through the thread.

How to make a blanket for a baby out of flannel.

Turn the blanket right-side-out by pushing the fabric through the gap in your stitching.

How to make a blanket for a baby out of flannel.

Use a chopstick or crochet hook inside of the blanket to poke out each of the corners.

How to make a blanket for a baby out of flannel.

Iron the sides of the blanket to get a nice, crisp edge.

Iron baby blanket

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.

How to sew a baby blanket with flannel.

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.

How to make a blanket for a baby out of flannel.

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!

How to make a blanket for a baby out of flannel.

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.

How to make a baby blanket for beginners.

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 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.

Cutesy Crafts is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This post contains affiliate links.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Helen Baran says

    September 2, 2020 at 5:58 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts says

      September 2, 2020 at 9:34 am

      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!

      Reply
    • Mary says

      October 12, 2020 at 9:40 am

      The directions are for 8 STITCHES not INCHES. Does that help?

      Reply
      • Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts says

        October 12, 2020 at 11:05 am

        Oh, good call! I didn’t catch that she said inches. I also just put a video in the post that shows each step. That should help a lot!

        Reply
  2. Mary Jane says

    August 26, 2020 at 6:36 pm

    Kim not understanding about the folding in thirds.

    Reply
    • Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts says

      August 26, 2020 at 9:39 pm

      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.

      Reply
  3. Cathy M says

    July 30, 2020 at 4:03 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts says

      August 11, 2020 at 1:25 pm

      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.

      Reply
  4. Taylor B says

    January 15, 2020 at 11:43 am

    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!!!

    Reply
  5. Cara says

    July 20, 2019 at 5:25 pm

    Thank you so much for posting this tutorial! I just finished my first blanket for a baby shower… so soft! I used the scalloped stitching and tacked it as you said. I wish I could post a picture for you! I would like to make a bigger one for adults, but I am not for sure how I would do that.

    Reply
    • Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts says

      July 31, 2019 at 9:29 pm

      Same way, just more fabric? Although the fabric would need to be pretty wide. You could also get a couple flannel sheets and sew them together. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Sheryl says

    July 7, 2019 at 1:01 pm

    Why did you fold blankets in thirds to sew corners?

    Reply
    • Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts says

      July 15, 2019 at 8:47 pm

      Just so I know where to sew the tacks. That way I don’t have to measure.

      Reply
  7. Joanne Atkisson says

    April 30, 2019 at 8:08 am

    Hi, I have lots of fleece scraps from a non-sewing group that makes blankets for less fortunate Mexican babies in Mexico. I live about 40 miles from the border. Wondering if I can make these blankets in other sizes and measurements with fleece on one side and flannel or another smooth material on the other. Love the idea of the decorative stitch on the border!

    Reply
    • Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts says

      May 2, 2019 at 1:53 pm

      Such a wonderful cause! Yes, you can definitely use different measurements and fabric! Fleece is pretty thick, so the seams will be a bit bulkier, but it should still work. If you have smaller fleece scraps, I also have a tutorial for a way to piece them together to make blankets. You can find a link to that near the bottom of this post: https://cutesycrafts.com/2017/03/things-make-fleece-scraps.html

      Reply
  8. Rhona says

    May 22, 2018 at 7:27 pm

    I like the idea of the baby blankets that I made two for my first great grand expecting to arrive in July.

    Reply
    • Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts says

      May 23, 2018 at 1:46 pm

      Oh that makes me so happy to hear! Glad you liked the idea. Congratulations on your great grand baby. That is so exciting!

      Reply
  9. lilian costa machado says

    March 24, 2018 at 12:32 pm

    Jessica, I loved the idea of cute baby blankets. I also prefer to give a gift that I made myself, but we do not always have the time. I think I’m going to take your advice and make some assemblies ready. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts says

      March 25, 2018 at 5:23 pm

      Thanks Lilian! These are so easy to make, and there are so many cute flannel fabrics to choose from. So glad this idea was helpful to you!

      Reply
  10. Diana says

    March 22, 2018 at 3:30 am

    So clever. The decorative stitch takes it to the next level and the zigzags are such a good idea. I can’t wait for someone around me to have a baby.

    Reply

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