Bound Baby Blanket
What to do when there's a new arrival, and you have some muslin and flannelette lurking in your stash?
A bound baby blanket/wrap of course.
I just love these retro/vintage duckies. I scored a long piece of this flannelette from an op shop, and haven't quite known what to do with it. But teamed up with this feather muslin (gauze), it's perfect for a soft and snuggly baby blanket. The binding was made from broadcloth I had already started cutting on the bias for piping.
The trickiest part of this is cutting the two fabrics so that they are the same size. My starting rectangles were width of fabric for the flannelette, and about 45" long (about 115 cm).
With both rectangles lined up, I basted around the outside edge 1/4" in from the raw edge. When that was done, I double checked both sides to make sure that the edges were lined up nicely, and fixed any areas that had slipped. You could add an extra step here of overlocking (serging) around the edges, to keep everything nice and neat.
I made many, many metres of bias tape, using my ironing board and a pin (found this method here). The original tape was cut to 2.5" wide, stitched together at the ends to make one long length, then folded into the middle with the biggest width I could make with a pin. Sometimes I use a bias tape tool/nib, but honestly, I find I often get best results with a pin. I sit my iron flat on the board (with an extra cloth thrown under to help not to melt the foam, then pull the tape under the iron from one end, while directing the other end through the pin to get an even fold.
Once that is done, I press the tape in half, ready to be fed into my adjustable binding foot. I really love this little gadget. One of the best Christmas presents ever. It makes attaching binding a lot easier. I really wish, though, that I'd read this Craftsy post first (https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2016/05/bias-binding-foot/). My corners are quite wonky, and needed a little hand stitching to make sure everything was in place. Next time I will follow the instructions on the post (I am getting better at taking fabric & binding in & out of the foot), or curve the corners for an easy fix (trace the curve with a saucer, and trim so there's no sharp corners to get around). As I approached the beginning of the binding, I cut off the extra, folded the end back on itself (no raw edges), and finished it off. The link I posted has a nicer way of making sure it's all nice and neat - so make sure you check that out.
Then hold up your blanket, and admire your handiwork. Or give it a quick cuddle to check it's all nice and soft and cosy. Or fold it up neatly and give it a good pat. But don't forget to pass it on to that new bub.
A bound baby blanket/wrap of course.
I just love these retro/vintage duckies. I scored a long piece of this flannelette from an op shop, and haven't quite known what to do with it. But teamed up with this feather muslin (gauze), it's perfect for a soft and snuggly baby blanket. The binding was made from broadcloth I had already started cutting on the bias for piping.
The trickiest part of this is cutting the two fabrics so that they are the same size. My starting rectangles were width of fabric for the flannelette, and about 45" long (about 115 cm).
With both rectangles lined up, I basted around the outside edge 1/4" in from the raw edge. When that was done, I double checked both sides to make sure that the edges were lined up nicely, and fixed any areas that had slipped. You could add an extra step here of overlocking (serging) around the edges, to keep everything nice and neat.
I made many, many metres of bias tape, using my ironing board and a pin (found this method here). The original tape was cut to 2.5" wide, stitched together at the ends to make one long length, then folded into the middle with the biggest width I could make with a pin. Sometimes I use a bias tape tool/nib, but honestly, I find I often get best results with a pin. I sit my iron flat on the board (with an extra cloth thrown under to help not to melt the foam, then pull the tape under the iron from one end, while directing the other end through the pin to get an even fold.
Once that is done, I press the tape in half, ready to be fed into my adjustable binding foot. I really love this little gadget. One of the best Christmas presents ever. It makes attaching binding a lot easier. I really wish, though, that I'd read this Craftsy post first (https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2016/05/bias-binding-foot/). My corners are quite wonky, and needed a little hand stitching to make sure everything was in place. Next time I will follow the instructions on the post (I am getting better at taking fabric & binding in & out of the foot), or curve the corners for an easy fix (trace the curve with a saucer, and trim so there's no sharp corners to get around). As I approached the beginning of the binding, I cut off the extra, folded the end back on itself (no raw edges), and finished it off. The link I posted has a nicer way of making sure it's all nice and neat - so make sure you check that out.
Then hold up your blanket, and admire your handiwork. Or give it a quick cuddle to check it's all nice and soft and cosy. Or fold it up neatly and give it a good pat. But don't forget to pass it on to that new bub.
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