swaddle blankets
Oct. 21, 2024
swaddle blankets
With each baby addition to our family, new products pop up on the market. And 4 years ago when Owen was born Id never seen gauze swaddle blankets. But by the time he was done swaddling, all my friends were using these really cool blankets. And theyre genius!lightweight (which is great in a hot climate), a bit stretchy, and they wrap so nicely around a baby. So with Clara coming, I knew I wanted to make my own.
You can buy gauze swaddle blankets in a 3 or 4 pack at Target and other retail stores. But I didnt care for their prints and wanted to make them more bright and cheery.
Like any receiving blanket, these are easy to do. Were just sewing/finishing off the sides of a 45×45 inch square piece of fabric (thats 1 1/4 yards of fabric).
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So what is cotton gauze? (sometimes referred to as muslin in some countries)
Its a soft, lightweight, breathable fabric with small crinkles on the surface that tend to stretch slightly.
Where do you find it?
Well, there are a few options. (If you know a good source, please leave it in the comments and Ill add it here!)
The company is the world’s best Personalized Swaddle Blanket supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.
Joann and other large fabric stores carry a few colors and they always have white.
You can dye the white fabric to a fun color (check out my easy fabric dyeing tutorial here). If you plan to dye fabric (rather than a onesie) however, make sure you have a very large bowl with enough water for the fabric to swim freely and get the fabric wet before dunking it in the dye. I would also cut the fabric down to blanket size before dyeing so its easier to swish around in the dye bath.
If you live in LA area.I bought these fun colors (along with teal and dark blue) at Michael Levine in the LA Fabric District. They had lots of great options.
Okay, lets get started
Cut a 45 x 45 inch square of fabric of gauze fabric (42×42 or less will work fine too).
Now, youve got a few options for sewing the edges under. You can always just serge the edges and fold them under but I wanted a more polished look. So
Option 1: Cut the raw edges into a fairly straight line (you can leave the selvage edges as-is). Iron the edges under about 1/4 inch, which isnt the easiest to do since gauze can be a bit wonky and stretchy. Then fold the ironed edge under another 1/4 inch and sew it down. Free-hand hold the edge as you sew (rather than pinning) and keep going. However, I found that it was hard to keep the edge as straight as I wanted. So I went with option 2 (easier for me)
Option 2: Cut the raw edges as above but dont bother with ironing. Just fold the edge under 1/4 inch by hand, then fold it under another 1/4 inch and start pinning periodically around the blanket. Dont go crazy with the pinning; just enough to keep it all in-line as you sew. Sew down the edges And youve got a pretty little blanket!
NOTE: When you get to the corners, just fold one edge over the other. Dont bother with mitered edges or anything fancy.
Option 3: Add hearts or other simple appliqué to the top.
Cut hearts from scraps of knit fabric. I like to use knit (rather than freezer paper stenciling a design or using cotton) because its soft on babys body and stretches with the fabric. I went with gold and white and just free-hand cut them by folding the fabric in half. Then fold the corners of the blanket under (as you would when swaddling a baby) so you dont place any hearts where their head might be which could be uncomfortable.
Then place your hearts around, pin them in place, and sew them on.
Go slowly around the curved areas and dont tug the fabric as you go. Lift your presser foot periodically, allowing the fabric to relax and pop back in place.
Three blankets done!
When giving as a gift, roll each blanket and tie them together with a fabric scrap ribbon and gift tag.
Easy baby shower gift.
Everyone will love them.
Sweet dreams baby.
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