Cotton Print and Minky Baby Blanket
January 11, 2012 by Lara
I always find myself wanting to start projects this time of year. The cold winter months seem to drag unless I keep myself busy! It is also a great time of year to get organized and start the year on the right foot. I love to be prepared for birthdays, baby showers, wedding showers, etc. At the beginning of the year I always try to collect and make my “gift stash” for the rest of the year. My favorite baby gift is this darling designer style blanket. I made several of these when I had my baby and let me tell ya… they are the best!
This is such a simple blanket to cut and sew. It is cheaper than a double sided minky blanket with binding. Plus it’s perfect for Winter and Summer babies!
The supplies you will need:
1 1/4 yard woven cotton print fabric
1 1.4 yard minky fabric
thread to match
and sewing supplies
Start off by washing and drying your fabric according to it’s directions (check the bolt or online guides when purchasing). Once they are dry, iron the cotton fabric.
I like to make my blankets a little bigger. My favorite size is 40 x 40 inches, it seems just perfect to wrap up and snuggle a little baby. Most minky fabric comes 60 inches wide, so if you wanted to get more for your money, you could make 2 blankets with the width by making them 30 x 36 inches. Decide the dimensions you want your blanket.
The BEST way to cut 100% cotton woven fabric is to tear it. Start out by tearing the edge off of 2 touching sides. This will give you a perfectly straight line to work with. Then measure your dimensions (adding 1 inch for seam allowance) and tear the fabric at the correct length. To tear: clip the fabric about an inch in from the edge and pull on either side of the cut. I tore my fabric to be 41 x 41 inches.
Once your woven fabric is torn you will have a perfectly square or rectangle piece to work with. Press the torn edges of the cotton fabric. Next lay out the minky fabric with the fuzzy side UP. Then lay the cotton fabric with the print side DOWN. This will make the right sides face each other (My fabric below is opposite what you should do 
). Line one of the cotton fabric edges with the selvage of the minky fabric.
Cut the minky against the edge of the cotton fabric. You won’t need to cut the selvage edge since it should already be lined up with the other fabric.
The right sides will already be facing each other. So place several pins about 5-6 inches apart around the edge of the blanket. Make sure you place a pin in every corner.
Sew around the blanket with 1/2 inch seam. Leave a 2-3 inch opening. Don’t forget to back stitch!
Once it is sewn you will flip the blanket through the little opening you left. Push out all 4 corners.
Smooth the edges and top stitch around the edge of the blanket at 1/4 inch. Be careful when you sew over the opening you left, make sure you close the hole completely!
If you need to press the edges use only a warm iron. Then you’re done!
Your perfectly adorable little blanket! From start to finish this only takes about 30 minutes! Tie it with a ribbon and you are ready with the perfect gift!
Let me give a warning.. You might get carried away with all the cute prints out there! I have to make one of these out of every cute fabric I find…… and…. I may or may not have some for myself
You can find tons of adorable printed fabric and great deals on minky at Fabric.com. It is my favorite place to online shop.
Some of our other favorite homemade gift ideas for the little ones:
or order some for FREE – check out this post to get your FREE nursing cover, car seat canopy and baby sling! There are a bunch of different trendy fabrics to choose from…so cute!
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You’re KILLIN me! I’m cutting WAAAY back on spending and I’ve been doing great. Now, however, I’m convinced that both of my girls (and myself) NEED these!
The blanket turned out so darn cute! And that little baby…ADORABLE!
So cute!
& I’m in love with that last photo!
Ohhhhhh my goodness, that is the cutest thing! I’ve got a sewing machine just hanging out in our hall closet because I don’t know how to use it… Stuff like this makes me think it’s time to learn.
How simple is that!? I’m always looking for great ways to use minky and this is the most uncomplicated, (yet adorable and cuddly) way I’ve seen yet. Hmmmm… which one of my friends is pregnant because I need to make one!
Lara – so adorable! I think I can even pull this off – it looks simple enough. Your baby is killing me! Those eyes are a photographer’s dream!
Thanks for another great tutorial!
This is SO cute and simple enough for a beginner like me!! Wahoo!! I have one question, though. Do you need to make any stitches in the center or around the blanket like a quilt?? (I guess that may not be an issue because there isn’t batting in the middle, right?)
You won’t need any stitches between the layers
because there’s no batting (you’re right!)
Happy sewing!
Love the blanket. Looks snuggly. I think I’ll make one for myself!
This is a great project! Baby stole the show, by the way!
i have a couple questions. i’m a beginner sewer
i’m making this blanket right now and i wasn’t quite clear on 2 things. #1 what do you mean when you say “Start out by tearing the edge off of 2 touching sides.”? and #2 when you leave the hole to turn the fabric right side out, do you stitch it closed by hand or just leave it?
Thanks!
So with the Cotton fabric.. when you are looking at it you are going to tdap the edge off of two touching sides.. like two sides that form am L shape. You will make a cut on the edge of those two sides. You’ll want to clip in about an inch from the edge. Then tear the fabric from that cut.
With the opening you will stitch that closed as you top stitch the rest of the blanket. Just be careful to make sure the raw edges are tucked well inside and the topstitching catches them.
*tear (not tdap)
haha THANK YOU for clarifying ‘tear’. i was like, oh crap now i’m gonna have to ask her what tdap means.
that all makes sense now. wish me luck!
Oh, good gravy! That is the cutest thing ever!! One of my bff’s is having a baby shower next month and this will be perfect!! Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi there! I found a link to your tutorial on pinterest. I’m just learning how to sew and I was wondering exactly what kind of minky fabric you used for the blanket pictured. I’d only be able to find the dot minky fabric, but I like the more shaggy look of the one you made.
Thanks!
Super cute!!! I am expecting a baby boy in a few months and he needs some blankies… I am totally going to make some of these!!!! I was wondering what type of minky you used? The one that is hanging over the crib edge. I can’t tell if it is the same print as the ones in the tutorial. They look different, but I could be wrong. I am in love with that style of minky and have never seen it before. Did you get it from Fabric.com?
To be honest I have no idea what the designer name or collection those 2 fabrics are from. I stocked up on cute fabric and minky while it was on clearance. The minky is actually a alligator/reptile pattern. You could always check out your local quilting shops, they generally carry nicer minky and may have a wider variety of designs to choose from.
On Fabric.com they have several darling collections sporting polkadot prints similar to the one I used above.
The Kaufman Remix Collection: http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-kaufman-designer-cotton-print-fabric-remix.aspx
and the Michael Miller Retro Collection: http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-michael-miller-fabric-michael-miller-retro.aspx
If you go with a minky from fabric.com I would recommend the cuddle rose, cuddle paisley, or cuddle dimple dot designs: http://www.fabric.com/SearchResults2.aspx?Source=Header&SearchText=embossed+minky&CategoryID=1d5f47dc-9991-4088-93f3-26a376046a5e
hope that helps
Love your fabric choice. Will you share the name? TIA!
To be honest I have no idea what the designer name or collection those 2 fabrics are from. I stocked up on cute fabric and minky while it was on clearance, and unfortunately the designer name wasn’t on the selvage!
On Fabric.com they have several darling collections sporting polkadot prints similar to the one I used above.
The Kaufman Remix Collection: http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-kaufman-designer-cotton-print-fabric-remix.aspx
and the Michael Miller Retro Collection: http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-michael-miller-fabric-michael-miller-retro.aspx
hope that helps
Great idea!!
Hey! Great post today! I wish I could make this blanket(not saying I won’t) but my little Landry has more blankets than I know what to do with. She can’t use all of them to go to bed with…can she!?!?!
Thanks for sharing this. So cute.
This is adorable! Thanx for sharing the easy directions…XoXo
Awww… this is a great baby blanket. It is adorable. I love it…
Greetings from Germany
Catrin
How nice a cozy. I’ll have put this on my mus make list.
Hi
This is so cute. I do not sew but I am a learner. This will be my first try. I have a question. Do I wash and dry the minky fabric before sewing? Thank you for your answer.
Yep! Wash and dry both of the fabrics, just check the wash instructions when you purchase the fabrics!
Lovely blanket…If we do the 40×40, then we can probably do matching burp cloths with the left over minky.
LOVE this! I’m wanting to make my daughter’s blanket for her bed as I redecorate her room into a Dick & Jane, throw-back kind of style. Do you think I could do this blanket with a quilt front and just do buttons to quilt it on the fluffy side? Hmmm…I ‘m wondering! I plan on binding it with a slim (not wide) satin binding too (she LOVES those satin edges on the blankets!)
Oooh…just be careful with the buttons (choking hazard), they eventually work themselves loose!
you could definitely quilt a front for it and then just use it as if it were a single piece of fabric, you shouldn’t even need to quilt it or tie it as long as it isn’t too large! You sound like you know what you’re doing
Love it! Another request for the name/maker of the cotton fabric and the minky! Love them both and have been looking for something just like it for some time, but can’t find it anywhere:) Thanks!
To be honest I have no idea what the designer name or collection those 2 fabrics are from. I stocked up on cute fabric and minky while it was on clearance. The minky is an alligator/reptile pattern. You could always check out your local quilting shops, they generally carry nicer minky and may have a wider variety of designs to choose from.
On Fabric.com they have several darling collections sporting polkadot prints similar to the one I used above.
The Kaufman Remix Collection: http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-kaufman-designer-cotton-print-fabric-remix.aspx
and the Michael Miller Retro Collection: http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-michael-miller-fabric-michael-miller-retro.aspx
If you go with a minky from fabric.com I would recommend the cuddle rose, cuddle paisley, or cuddle dimple dot designs: http://www.fabric.com/SearchResults2.aspx?Source=Header&SearchText=embossed+minky&CategoryID=1d5f47dc-9991-4088-93f3-26a376046a5e
good luck!
Thanks for the follow-up, Lara!
I love this tutorial so much, your blanket was adorable!!!!! I have a question. I went to fabric.com to look for minky fabric and I ended up with the shaggy fabric which when i got it in the mail I almost cried because it was so non-infant approved… I was wondering if what you got was the Minky rose fabric???? I’m having trouble deciding on the website but nothing looked like what you used so I was just wondering. Thanks so much!
The minky is actually a alligator/reptile pattern. You could always check out your local quilting shops, they generally carry nicer minky and may have a wider variety of designs to choose from.
If you go with a minky from fabric.com I would recommend the cuddle rose, cuddle paisley, or cuddle dimple dot designs: http://www.fabric.com/SearchResults2.aspx?Source=Header&SearchText=embossed+minky&CategoryID=1d5f47dc-9991-4088-93f3-26a376046a5e
I have a rose bud minky and the dimple dot minky for several of my baby’s blankets and I love them both. The Paisley print is a bit more girly and it is so soft and cute! I hope that helps!
hope that helps
I was writing with a quick question…I’m in the process of making one of these blankets for a baby shower gift, and I’m also pretty new to sewing…while following ur tutorial I noticed that when u turn ur blanket right side out, u can see where u have sewn it together….did u sew it again once u turned it right side out? If I’m doing this correctly and sewing it inside out, I should not see the stitching…or am I missing a step??
thank u so much for ur help and ur tutorial!, I’m excited to finish it!!
Ok, I haven’t attempted this project (YET), but that tearing the fabric tip just changed my life!!! For some reason, squaring up the fabric and making sure it was all laid out right just intimidated the crud out of me! I just got finished trying your tip, and my fabric is PERFECT!! Thank you so so much. Off to quilt!
How fast can I get to the fabric store to try this! It’s soooo cute! I want to make a couple for myself and for all the people I know having a baby this year. Thanks for the great instructions!
Hi! I’ve made these in the past, but the minky always drives me crazy! It seems that no matter how I try to get it the right size for use with the top piece, it stretches and doesn’t match up too well. I’ve only bought minky from Joann’s – - could my problem be that I just need to get better quality minky? OR, is that what the washing and drying will help prevent (I usually never wash my material first..need to do that!)
Is the cotton fabric just regular quilting cotton or is it knit? Flannel? I’ve wanted to make one of these for a while, but I haven’t been sure what type of fabric to buy. Thanks!
Hey, so I’m here via pinterest, and I’m SO WANTING MINKY like this… where did you get it, i can’t find anything besides plain/dot ANYWHERE. any help would be so appreciated. thanks!
Will this work for a bigger blanket, say to fit a twin size bed?
What are these fabrics called so I can find them on fabric.com? The polka-dot is perfect for the baby colors I need. Also, woven cotten fabric is going to be thicker sort of like canvas, but not as stiff right? So, is it soft when washed??
Hi just wondering where you get your mink fabric from? I’m from Australia and we don’t have it our fabric stores…
Kind regards
Rebecca
Great tutorial! Thank you. I have made a few of these and I always have the same problem…I end up with extra minky fabric when I go to stitch the hole shut and it wrinkles, no mnatter how careful I am about measuring and pinning. Any suggestions for troubleshooting this problem? TIA
This looks so awesome and easy. I was just wondering if it was possible to make a bigger version???
I love this blanket! Gorgeous!! I’m assuming you mean 1 and a quarter yards minky fabric, it looks like 11.4 yards. That would be one giant blanket! :0)
Oh my gosh, I love the fabric that you used for this adorable little blanket! Thank you for such an easy tutorial! I will definitely be trying this out for my little guy who is due to make an appearance in 2 months!
Thank you for this great tutorial! Love the blanket and the color choice.
Do you have to use a special Minky needle for this project??
I would recommend a little quilting like maybe stitch a X from corner to corner. I hate it when the front and back are not aligned. More important, I also cut off all selvages. They often shrink at a different rate than the body of the fabric. I love making baby quilts with a pieced cotton front and a polar fleece back. Minky is even softer.