Easy Peasy Receiving Blanket {or more people having babies}

When we moved here, I was five months pregnant. We were lucky to find a Sunday School class with a great group of young families. Most of the families had kiddos between six months and two years old when we started. I call Emma the Sandwich Baby. There's all the kiddos who are a year or two older than her. A couple of months ago, the first of the second wave of babies was born. Between now and November, at least six women are expecting. So, there's lots of showers to be making gifts for. 

I think I'll be making these Easy Peasy Receiving Blankets for each of the many showers I have coming up. They are super quick and look great for the next to no effort required. They rag more and more with each wash. All you need is two one-yard cuts of flannel and coordinating or contrasting thread! I stocked up on flannel when Joann's was having a $2.50/yd sale a couple of weeks ago.

I hate pre-washing fabric. I an not a fan of the big old ball of mess that comes out. I know many have an aversion to washing fabric too. Despite this, make sure you pre-wash your flannel for this blanket. Flannel shrinks a lot and any of you who have had little ones know how much you wash receiving blankets!

Start out by evening up your fabric and getting rid of that nasty threaded mess that the wash caused.

I like the look of rounded corners. I recently learned a quick tip for having evenly rounded corners on each side. Place your fabrics wrong sides together {ignore the picture!} and use a disappearing ink pen to trace around a plate or bowl. Then fold your blanket into fourths {so all four corners are stacked on top of each other} and cut along your traced line. Ta-da! Pretty rounded corners!

You can use a decorative stitch {if your machine is cooler than mine and has them}, a zig-zag stitch, or a good old fashion straight stitch. Whatever you choose, make sure its a short length. Sew with an inch seam allowance so you have a good area to rag.

Then, sit down, put your feet up, and go to town. Snip all the way around, being careful not to knick the stitches.

Throw your blanket in the wash and then dry it to start the ragging process. The blanket's edge will fluff up more with additional washes. You might want to let the momma to be know what kind of detergent you used. Some have concerns about detergents for little ones.

I'll be sharing the rest of the present for this little girl in the next few days.

Come party with me!

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