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Summary: Handmade blankets are treasured gifts for a baby, and though knitting and crocheting are popular methods, there are many ways of making a baby blanket.
The key elements are to ensure that it is soft, warm, washable and that overall it is durable quilt.
One popular pattern is the No-Sew Fleece Blanket. The materials needed for a this are two pieces of matching or complimentary fleece, 1-1/2 yards in length, scissors, one 4" x 4" piece of paper and a tape measure.
Simply align the edges of your two pieces of fabric together; one will be your front and one will be your back. Trim off any necessary, excess fabric to align the pieces. Using the 4" x 4" piece of paper as a guide, cut a 4" x 4" square piece out of each of the four corners of your layered project. From each corner notch that you cut out, measure 1" and make a 4" deep cut, to create your fringe. Repeat this cut at every 1" interval, going all the way around the blanket, until you reach the point that you started. A helpful hint to make this step go more quickly is to use a guide or marker to mark your 4" depth, so you can lay a tape measure next to your one and simply snip along at the one-inch marks, only measuring one direction instead of two.
Now it's time to bind the fleece together. This is done by tying the fringe from one fleece to the fringe from the other in a knot - so you are working with a 1" strand from each side. Without flipping your blanket over, tie every other fringe this way. Then flip it over and tie the remaining pieces of fringe with the same process. Reversing the blanket and tying every other fringe piece changes the direction in which the fringe knots are tied and gives it a more finished look. Your knots can be a single tie, similar to the to the tie that you would begin a shoelace with or a double knot, double what you would start a shoelace with; it is only a matter of preference.
Another stylish and easy to make is a 'Simple Sew Blanket Design', this design requires minimal sewing. Using One yard, 44"/45" of 100% cotton fabric, 2-2/3 yards of double bias tape, scissors, thread and a sewing machine, you can have the Simple Sew Blanket completed in approximately 20 minutes.
Clean all the raw edges of the fabric; make sure that it is cut square. Pinning the bias tape along the raw edges of the fabric, hiding the ends by tucking them into the seam, sew the tape into the blanket fabric using a straight, zig-zag or fancy stitch. If you'd like, you can embellish the blanket by sewing a rolled hem around all four sides, squaring the corners ¼" or embellishing it with roping.
Appliqué templates can be used for decorating your blanket. This is a technique that can be applied to a homemade or pre-purchased blanket, to add that special touch. All that is needed for the appliqué technique is a simple appliqué template, straight pins, tailors chalk, thread and scissors you dont need to be an embroider or have any craft.
Print out the appliqué, in the necessary size; these are available online and in fabric stores and might need to be resized for your project. Trace the design onto heavy weight paper or cardboard and cut it out. Trace the cut out cardboard onto your project, using tailors chalk (in a contrasting color to your blanket so you can easily see it). Trace and cut out the appliqué (allow a ¼" margin for a seam allowance) and pin it in place; using the zig-zag stitch on the sewing machine or sewing it hand, attach the appliqué.
If you are adding this to your fleece blanket, go to step one of that project and begin matching up the edges. The appliqué technique can be added to almost any baby blanket to make it unique.
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