About a year ago, I decided that Daphne “needed” a big snuggly blanket, so I went to Joann’s and got some deliciously soft minky dot fabric and some pretty pineapple patterned fleece- after an hour or so, I had the two cozy fabrics sewn into one amazing, comfy, lovely blanket that has truly stood the test of time. I have been coveting a fleece minky dot blanket of my own, and I knew that Gloria should absolutely have one as well, so I picked up some more fabric and set to work.

Materials Needed for this project:

Baby /Toddler All Purpose Size 

1 yard of minky dot (though there will be extra.)

1 yard of fleece (again- there will be extra!)

Grownup Sized Throw

2 yards of minky dot

2 yards of fleece

For both sizes– sewing machine(threaded with a color of your choosing,) and scissors!

*Note- Always pre-wash your fabric before you sew that way, any shrinking or shifting within the fabric will be done!

Gloria is only 7 months old so I kept her blankie on the smaller side ( I basically just eyeballed a size that I thought would work for snuggling in on cold morning car trips to get Daphne to school, rolling around on the floor, napping under and providing that all purpose wonderfulness one seeks in a good baby blanket.) I started with 1 yard of turquoise minky dot and 1 yard of leafy/butterfly patterned fleece but my eyeballing turned into both the minky dot and the fleece being cut into a 37” by 41” rectangle.

Right sides together- I sewed about ½” around the entire perimeter of the blanket leaving an opening that was about 4” long at the end.

*Reminder to backstitch (the forward-back-forward dance) when you begin and end your sewing- this keeps your stitches strong and happy!

I trimmed the extra fabric off the edges and cut the corners (see pic) then pulled the blanket right side out through the opening I left.

I shook out the blanket, went corner to corner with my fingers to make sure the corners were out, then pinned the opening closed and went around the blanket once again  sewing about 1/2″ from the edge.

For the final step I picked a few spots in the middle of the blanket to  tack, and used the sewing machine to backstitch about ½” through both layers and keep the whole of the blanket in place.

Shazam- Done!

I used the exact same steps to make my very own snuggly fleece minky dot blanket- I know, I am a grown up- but who cares! I used 2 yards of minky dot and two yards of fleece- it ended up being 60” by 72”- plenty of blanket to get super cozy in (I found the sweetest flower and bird fleece at Joann’s, I knew it was meant for me.) My blanket awaits me, along with my knitting and tea in my corner of the couch- the perfect spot to catch up on Poldark.

 

*So what of the extra fleece? A matching hat of course! See Gloria modeling it here and check out my fleece hat in 15 minutes or less tutorial to make one for you or someone you love!

* And the extra minky dot? I am saving it for some inspired use down the road…