No Fuss DIY Baby Blanket

Do you ever have a project you start off really excited about and then things fade? Maybe it starts off on the kitchen counter, then travels to the basement stairway, then to the basement, and finally, comes to rest on the top shelf in the craft room.. That was totally this DIY baby blanket for me!

I bought the fabric last November, with every intention of making the blanket for my son to use during the cold winter months. But here we are, mid-March, and it’s finally done. I guess I should be thankful we had to surrender the miter box we’ve been borrowing from my father-in-law as it forced me to get some inside projects done!

This “No Fuss” blanket was simple to make. My 3-year-old daughter wanted to help, and I couldn’t say no. I remember “helping” my Grandma sew a lot! And she would probably chuckle and shake her head at me because I was nowhere near precise as she always was. I only made one or two marks where I needed to cut, eyeballed the rest, and used maybe 4 pins. Without further ado, here’s how you can make your own.

tools used

Fabric, Sewing Machine, Scissors, Needle, Thread, Tape Measure, Pins

Please read through all steps before starting! Also note, the amount of fabric needed is all dependent on what size blanket you want to make. Generally, I add 1″ to both the width and length of the desired size, which allows me to have a 0.50″ seam on all sides.

DIY Baby Blanket Instructions

Step 1.) Measure and cut fabric to size. Mine was for a baby/toddler, so my starting measurements were 37.5″ by 30.5″. I wasn’t accurate on my cutting as my daughter was helping hold the scissors handle, but we maintained about a 0.25″ tolerance! Lol

Step 2.) Place the right/printed side of each fabric together.

Step 3.) Set up your machine.

Pick your thread (can be matching or contrasting) and thread.
Select stitch pattern – I wanted a close stitch since kids can be rough on things, so I used the B setting.
Mark your seam. I used a 0.50″ seam. My sewing machine has an engraved ruler on the needle plate, so I didn’t need to do anything other than follow the engraving. If your machine doesn’t have this feature you can mark the seam with a piece of tape

Step 4.) Starting with one corner of the blanket, position your fabric so the cut end is butted up to your seam marker. You’ll start the first stitch about 0.50″ down (black dot in the picture). Sew about 1″, backstitch to the starting point, and then continue sewing in a straight line until you reach the next corner.

Step 5.) Once you reach the next corner; backstitch about 1″. With the needle still in the fabric, lift the presser foot, rotate material 45 degrees counterclockwise, and put presser foot back down. Sew forward about 1″ and then backstitch. This will reinforce your corners. (Picture shows the backstitched portion in black.) Repeat this step for the next two corners.

Step 6.) On the last corner (should be the one you started with), leave a 3″ opening in the blanket. Backstitch your final stitches. Tie the loose threads together.

Step 7.) Cut the pointed tip of each corner off. This allows your corners to lay flatter.

Step 8.) Pull the fabric “inside-out” through the 3″ opening you left. Pull gently and take your time so you don’t tear any stitches out. This step only took me a couple minutes. Leaving a smaller gap would have been much more difficult.

Step 9.) Flatten each corner of the blanket. I just stuck my hand in the opening to do what I could by hand and then used a needle to fine tune. Insert the needle halfway into the corner and pull up. Repeat until corners are nice and flat!

Step 10.) Using a 0.75″ seam; sew another single line around the edge of the entire blanket. Make sure to use the same starting point and go in the same direction as you did the first time.

Step 11.) Pull the ends of both threads back through the fabric. They should be on the wrong side of the fabric. Tie a few knots. (One less knot to see!)

Step 12.) Sew the 3″ opening closed, using backstitching on the ends. Tie the loose threads together and trim as close as possible to the fabric. Usually, I would try to match up the sewing lines (so it looks like one continuous line, not two), but my daughter was sitting on my lap helping backstitch, so this is what we got! That and a bunch of memories!

And there you have it. A no-fuss DIY baby blanket! I’m glad I started with a smaller size to brush the dust off my “sewing skills”! I also have some knit sweater fabric to make a blanket for the living room. Who knows, maybe that will get done before next winter!

Need other fun, simple ideas? Check out these other DIY projects!