When I was little, I sucked my thumb.
A lot.
In fact….when I wasn’t so little.
I sucked my thumb.
When I wanted to get a prize for stopping, I would.
Then I’d get my prize…and start up again.
(see…I’m sly like a fox!)
When I got a little older, I only did it at night, or when I watched TV. At one point, my parents decided that my blankie was the trigger. And so, they told me I was too old for a blanket, and they made me throw it away. They made a big deal about how I was a “big girl” and they even recorded me throwing it in the garbage can.
Fast forward to EVERY ONE OF MY SIBLINGS….who were allowed to keep theirs. (not bitter….okay maybe still bitter) Granted, they didn’t suck their thumbs. But still.
You know, us oldest kids should just be given therapy funds as part of our birth-right. I’ve started my son’s fund now, just so it can be nice and big when he needs to un-do all the weird things we thought were super necessary for him to do.
One thing I know NOT to do is force my kids to throw away their blankets. And so, they both have one favorite. And those blankets are like members of our family.
I think blankets are one of the best things in the whole world. When I had my son, I still couldn’t sew much more than the pillowcase pattern that I learned in 7th grade Home Ec. But I really wanted to make him a special blanket. I spent a weekend at my Mom’s to get help.
She taught me this MOST simple blankie pattern. And I’ve probably made it 50 times since. It’s fast, affordable, customizable, sizable. It’s SO EASY! It’s kind of my “go to” baby gift.
You can make it about any size from 30″ square to 45″ square. You don’t even have to make it square if you don’t want to. I started with using 2 pieces of flannel. And I still like that for a little snugglie blanket. But now I’ve moved to using different combos with cotton. I’ll show you some of those as we go.
This one is about 45″ square. So I get 1 1/4 yards of each fabric. I like them bigger because they are good for older kids as well. I’m using cotton, and a piece of brown corduroy.
Cut your fabric so that the pieces are the same size, then pin them right sides together. I’m an “avoid measuring at all costs” kind of gal. So I usually lay both fabrics on top of each other, right sides together, and then cut them at the same time. This can backfire, if you cut weird or something. But usually works. Just make sure you cut straight!
Sew around the whole blanket, leaving about a 4 inch hole on one side for turning. (I usually use a 3/8″ or 1/2″ seam)
Cut the corners off on the diagonal so that they’ll lay flat. Then pull the blanket right side out through the hole that you left. Making sure to poke the corners out all the way.
Then hand-stitch the opening shut. (Or, machine stitch as close to the edge as you can. I don’t think it looks as nice, but it is a bit faster.)
Then iron the edges so that they lay flat. This is an important step to avoid having to pin again. So don’t skip it!!
Then you’ll make a square of stitching in the middle of the blanket. You can go anywhere from 1 1/2″ from the edge….all the way to 4″ from the edge. It just depends on how you want it to look. I usually like 3-4″. Stitch a straight line until you get close to the opposite edge, then turn, until you have a square.
This is a great time to use decorative stitches if your machine has them. I sewed on a 1960′s Bernina up until this spring. So I’m loving the ability to do fancy stitches. However, sometimes just a simple wide zig-zag looks best. Just play around on a spare scrap of material until you find a look you want. Keep in mind that zig-zags are super fast…and decorative stitches will take a lot more time, and thread.
Here’s the finished product! I love the corduroy. It’s actually really soft. But is so durable. It washes up like a dream. And is great to spread on the grass in the summer.
When my daughter was born, I went a little blankie crazy. I thought I’d show you some variations and different materials. (that’s what makes these blankets so much fun!)
This one is one of my favorites. It’s black minkie. I love having a black blanket for my baby girl. It’s a little more common now, but when I made it….it seemed a little daring. Some people thought it was weird. But they were obviously silly!
This one is made with a red corduroy. But the wales are really small. Wales? What? Well, yes…that is the name for the little ribs on corduroy. See how you learn things here on Less Cake {more frosting}.
(okay so I had to look it up)
But still….wale? Really? Is that why corduroy pants make me look like a “whale?” Or is that just a coincidence?
This one’s got a chenille back. I used this over her carseat…before those carseat covers were invented. I bet that chick’s a ba-jillionaire! Isn’t that a “why didn’t I think of that” moment? But I still love the chenille. And I kind of still love this fabric.
I love the possibilities with this easy, EASY sewing project!
If you’ll come back next week, I’ll show you a really fun way to wrap it up as a gift.
And….if you’ll go home and master “blankie level 1″, in the upcoming weeks I have “blankie level 2″ all ready to show you.
And in conclusion, blankies are good. Don’t traumatize your children by making them throw away their blankets. (oh, and we also learned to start therapy budgets for our oldest children. Because, let’s face it, they’re the guinea pigs….and they’re gonna need it!)
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HAHAHA! I sucked my thumb and had a "blankie" too! Although, my mother never made me throw the blankie away, instead I had smoe weird metal contraption put in by the dentist.
I have been crocheting baby blankets forever, cuz my sewing skills are b.a.s.i.c. at best, but I think I could actually do this one. I've been saving some fabric forever that I might actually be able to use now!! Thanks for that!
Great tutorial! I agree that oldest children should have a special fund for therapy!
I love the Mickey on your sewing machine! So cute!
Thank you for the tutorial. These are simple enough for even me. Love the pink and brown.
beautiful. I am a blankie kinda of gal myself… all 3 of my babies (one of them is 17) still have them.
Hi Ellie~
First off~ thanks for following Craftomaniac, and I loved YOUR COMMENT! I too can't really stay calm, but would craft over cleaning any day. However, if you said Keep calm and eat a cupcake.. I may stay calm for that.
lOVE YOUR blog, love your sense of humor and witt! I think every child should have a blankie. Mine is packes away pink and white check with yarn ties.
Love your blankets and how great to of learned a go to pattern from the mums. Have a great weekend. Jenn
i love the chenille backed one!!
ps i looove the name of your blog!! so true!
I had to laugh while reading your post. I was a thumbsucker too but no blankie. My Mom tried everything to get me to stop and finally just gave up! Guess I quit when I was ready (she always says my stubborness showed itself quite early.. LOL). Thank you for such a great tutorial. I love finding things that us beginning sew-ers can make. I'll be doing blankie level 1 and can't wait for level 2.
I love simple ideas like this with beautiful results. I've made blankets like this but hadn't thought about putting the square stitching line more towards the inside, and I love the decorative stitching. Thanks.
Those are darling! I can't wait to have a home again to make "crafy" things in. I especialy love the black. I would have never thought to do black for a baby but I love it! I will now try to think both "black and white" when coming up with a baby gift. Super cute!
Awesome. I'm not so sure of my ability to sew a straight stitch…but for you (and Max) I'll give it a go. My kids have all had blankets (well Michael's wasn't exactly a blanket, but that's a story for another day). I never had one as a child, but my brothers did. Middle children need therapy funds too!
Such a great blanket!
I sucked my thumb and had a blankie too. My parents made me stop stucking my thumb and my dad wanted to throw my blankie away but I STILL have it! It is SUPER thin and full of holes but I still have it! haha
I sucked my thumb and the only way that I quit was that I burned it when I picked up a sparkler on the wrong end. I cried and cried because I couldn't suck my thumb. I had a blankie, but my son did not. Had no interest in one. He is definitely not his mother's son in that regard.:-P
I can't wait to try one of your blankets. Looks easy-peasy! Thanks for sharing!:-)
Love this idea and love your blog! You make it sound so easy to do little things every day. I tend to just do big crafty (oops, "not crafty", sorry!)things, so you definately inspire me! Thanks for your cute ideas!
These are adorable {and I love your little sucking thumb story!} The fabrics and decorative stitches are gorgeous! Thanks so much for joining The Sunday Showcase – I greatly apprecite it! Hope you have a great week! ~ Stephanie Lynn
I have at least 150 blankets. I am a blankaholic. My mom buys be blankets all the time! I'm obsessed… So thank you! I am loving all of yours!! I need a sewing machine! I can't wait to start making blankets!!
I too am a firm believer in letting my kids have their "stuff" My son has a blanket, a small dog blanket (it has a head and a tail and 4 paws but it has a small blanket body) he loves them! My daughter just has a blanket but I think if it makes this world a little less scary and they are comfortable when the blankets are around, why would I take their comfort away!? Never!
Oooh, my kids LOVE their blankies (even my 10-yr-old… I did too). Thanks for sharing this tutorial – what a great idea! I'm not such a great seamstress, but I think I can handle this one.
btw, love the mickey on your sewing machine!!
missy
btw, I can't stop thinking about this darling blanket – can't wait to make it! I posted a link:http://ificould-ificould.blogspot.com/2011/01/simple-blanket.html
Thanks for sharing!!
I found this tutorial on pintrest of all places and tried it. It was my FIRST sewing project & it turned out great. Thank you so much for sharing. I’m hooked and look forward to other how to’s.