Hey everyone. Today we're making a gentle nursery receiving blanket that is soft, simple, and ready to wrap up a little one.
Let's start with the fabric, y'all. This is the 2 yd Luxe Cuddle Cut Willow Lavender, from Shannon Fabrics. It comes to you as a 2-yard Luxe Cuddle cut.
The color is Willow Lavender. It is a soft lavender tone. It feels calm in a nursery, and it works for a gift, too. You do not have to know a theme. Lavender just goes with so much.
Luxe Cuddle is the plush side of the family. Folks also call this kind of fabric minky. Run your hand across it once. You will feel that soft pile right away. That touch is the whole point here.
This fabric is 100% polyester. Care is simple and clear. Machine wash cold. Tumble dry low. No fabric softener. Softener can coat plush fibers over time. Skip it, and your blanket stays soft longer.
A 2-yard cut is generous for this project. One receiving blanket uses part of it. You will have fabric left over for a second smaller blanket, or a lovey later. Completely up to you.
The Project: A Nursery Receiving Blanket
A receiving blanket is a lightweight blanket for a newborn. You use it for swaddling help, for tummy time, and for the car seat. You toss one over your shoulder, too. It is the blanket that goes everywhere.
We are aiming for about 30 inches by 40 inches finished. That is a handy receiving size. It is big enough to wrap around a baby. It is not so big that it drags everywhere. If you want it larger, cut it 36 inches by 40 inches instead.
Why does this fabric suit it so well? A receiving blanket lives on touch. It sits right against soft skin, hour after hour. Plush Luxe Cuddle feels gentle every single time. The pile also hides small seam wobbles. That is a kind gift for all of us.
Materials
- Your 2 yd Luxe Cuddle Cut Willow Lavender — part of the cut makes one blanket about 30 inches by 40 inches, with fabric left over
- 50-weight polyester thread to match
- A 90/14 ballpoint or stretch needle
- Wonder clips or long pins — plush likes to shift
- A walking foot, if you have one
- Sharp scissors or a rotary cutter, ruler, and mat
- A marking tool and a tape measure
Brief Steps
First, decide your cut size. For a 30-inch by 40-inch finished blanket, cut one piece 32 inches by 42 inches. That gives you room for a 1-inch double-fold hem on all sides. Measure twice, folks. Then cut once.
Shake the piece gently outside, or over a trash can. Fresh-cut Cuddle leaves little fluffy bits. That is normal.
Check the pile direction before you hem. Run your hand down the fabric. Smooth is the direction the pile runs. Mark the top edge lightly on the back.
Fold each edge over 1/2 inch to the wrong side. Then fold it over another 1/2 inch. Clip all the way around, every 2 to 3 inches. Plush stretches a little as you sew. Clips help hold it honest.
At the corners, fold one side in first. Then fold the next side over it. That makes a neat, simple corner. No fancy miter needed. We're not reinventing the wheel here.
Sew close to the inside folded edge. Use about a 3.0 to 3.5 millimeter stitch length. Go slow and steady. Backstitch at the start and the end. If the fabric creeps, stop, lift the foot, and smooth it. Just like that, you are back on track.
Practical Tips
Use a walking foot if you have one. It feeds that plush layer evenly. If you do not have one, use lots of clips and sew slower. Slow down near the corners, too. That is where plush likes to creep.
Here is your permission beat. It does not have to be perfect. If one edge waves a tiny bit, nobody will lay it flat and measure it. You are your own worst critic. Take your time. It is not a race. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
For a gift, fold the blanket once, then roll it gently. Tie it with a soft ribbon. It looks really really sweet, and it is super duper easy to hand over.
For care, remember the basics. Machine wash cold. Tumble dry low. No fabric softener. That keeps the Willow Lavender color and that soft pile feeling good, wash after wash.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the 2 yd Luxe Cuddle Cut Willow Lavender at Linda's Electric Quilters.
