Baby Blanket

Want a baby blanket that will have everyone wanting to know how you made it?

Baby Showers are fun.  It is wonderful to celebrate the arrival of a new little one.  This occasion gave me a reason to drag out my sewing machine and make a baby blanket.  I wanted something useful, cute, quick, easy, and soft.  This blanket fit all the requirements.

warm, soft fleece

A little boy blanket in the colors of blue, green, yellow, and white would be perfect.

Cut fleece in 6 1/2 inch squares.  20 of each color.

Why 6 1/2 inches?  Because that is the width of my ruler!

 Sew all the yellow and white squares together in pairs using 1/2 inch seam allowance. 
Then sew the blue and green squares together.

Sew block pairs together to make rows.

8 blocks in a row.  10 rows.
Row 1: blue green white yellow blue green white yellow
Row 2: white yellow blue green white yellow blue green
Row 3: green blue yellow white green blue yellow white
Row 4: yellow white green blue yellow white green blue 
Repeat this color pattern until 10 rows are complete.

Leave ends of each row open 1 inch.  Lock ends of row seams with backstitch about 1 inch from beginning and end.  This is to prepare the outside edges for a braid-like finish.

On remaining outside edges lock seams about 1 inch in with forward and backstitches.
Remove original seam stitches 1 inch to open edges.

Cut in from outside edge 1 1/2 inches.  Cut 7 times in each square to make 8 tabs per square.  (fold block in half and snip, fold each half in half and snip, then fold each quarter in half and snip.)
*HINT:  With a sharpie mark your scissors 1 1/2 inches from tip.  Align the edge of fabric on that mark and snip to end of scissors.  Perfect 1 1/2 inch cut every time.

Create a hole in each tab by folding down 1/3 of each tab and making a small snip about 1/4 inch long in the fold.  Do not cut all the way through the tab.  

Do this on each tab all around the outside edge of the blanket.

The corners will look like this, with a small square cut out of them.

Slip one tab through the hole of the one next to it.  Continue all around outside edge of blanket.

Where blocks connect slip two tabs through hole, one of each color.  Treat those two tabs as one and slip next tab through both colors at once.

Go around corners just like straight edge.

 Slip last free tab through.

Cut through hole to sever, dividing tab in two.

 Tuck one part of severed tab under first tab to make a continuous pattern around blanket.

 Hand sew severed tab back together.

Tuck seam back in place. 

Snip all remaining seam allowances.  Make snips about 1/2 inch apart, being careful not to cut into seam itself.

Both sides of blanket are beautiful.

Make a matching 6 segment ball and you have a beautiful baby gift that does not even need to be wrapped.  The mothers' eyes lit up when this was handed to her during the gift opening section of the shower.  

The ball was a big hit.  Everyone wanted to know how to make the ball as well as the braid-like trim.

This post shared at:
All Things Thursday Blog Hop    Weekly Homemaking Party