Operation: Slim that Stash - Ribbon Blanket

I have a baby shower to go to tomorrow morning for my cousin. She is flying in from... huh, I don't know where... Kansas? Virgina? Timbuktu? Anyway, since she is flying, I don't want give her anything big and bulky and don't want to do the typical, expected thing of a gift card. Plus, I don't want to go to the store today :).

So, since I have oodles of fabric on hand, I decided to make a ribbon blanket. They are similar to Taggies (they have lots of stuff with tags... toys, blankets, even clothing!).

1. First, I cut out four 8x8 pieces of fabric for a "pieced" top. I did two minky dot fabric squares, and two cotton fabric squares. I appliqued a design on one of the cotton fabric squares first.

2. Take two squares and sew them together. I paired a minky dot with a cotton square.

3. Then sew the rectangles together, lining up the corners real nice.

4. Square up the now 15"x15" square and cut out another 15"x15" square out of a third fabric for the backing. I used a patterned flannel-backed satin (baby satin) that I got on clearance months ago...

5. Take your front piece and attach ribbons. Cut your ribbons to 4 inches for looped ribbons and 2 inches for un-looped ribbons. Any longer than that and babies may choke on them. I cut a bunch of different width/pattern/texture ribbons and put 6 on each side, spacing them as evenly as I could by eyeballing it. I was too lazy to measure:).

6. Sew the ribbon to the top using a 1/4 inch stitch. Make sure the ribbons are on real tight, either by double stitching over each or by shortening your stitch length.

7. Sew the top square to the bottom square, right sides together, leaving a 3" hole to turn it later.

8. Clip your corners so it will turn nicely.

9. Turn inside out and top-stitch 1/4" around the edge. I ironed it a little to make the edges nice and crisp, which made it easier to get a nice topstitch.

See my applique? It matches one of the patterns on the back piece.

10. Set your stitch length to 0 and make a few stitches in the dead center of your blanket. This keeps it from slipping around and getting off-kilter when it gets washed. (Speaking of washing... if you hand-make it, hand-wash it!)

And there you have a cute finished ribbon blanket! The different textures and bright colors are fun for babies and the cute fabric is fun for moms too :)