Ivy Lil Dinos Digital Cuddle is a 58/60-inch-wide, 100% polyester minky plush from Shannon Fabrics, printed with sweet dinosaur friends and tropical foliage in blue and green hues — best for ultra-soft quilts, throw blankets, pillows, and crib sheets that kids will reach for again and again.
What Is Ivy Lil Dinos Digital Cuddle Fabric?
Digital Cuddle is Shannon Fabrics' digitally printed minky plush line, made by Shannon Studio. Instead of a woven or repeating screen print, the artwork is printed digitally onto a smooth Cuddle minky with a short 2.5mm pile, so the dinosaurs, foliage, and soft blue and green colors come out clear and detailed across the surface.
The print itself is pure storybook charm: sweet prehistoric pals wander among tropical leaves in shades of blue and green, on the colorway called Ivy. It has a playful feel without being loud, suiting a nursery, a child's bedroom, or a family throw.
At 58/60 inches wide and sold by the yard, one cut goes further than standard 44-inch quilting cotton. That extra width is a real advantage for blanket backs, crib sheets, and pillows, where a wider fabric means fewer seams — or none at all.
How to Use It
Cutting: Lay the fabric flat and smooth it without stretching before you cut. Check the direction of the pile first — run your hand over the surface to find which way feels smoothest, and mark the top edge of every piece so the dinosaurs and the pile all run the same direction. A rotary cutter and long ruler, or sharp scissors, give clean edges; expect a little loose fluff at cut edges and give pieces a shake outdoors before sewing.
Sewing: Minky plush can creep under the presser foot, so pin generously or use clips along your seams. A slightly longer stitch length helps, and a walking foot, if you have one, feeds the plush layer evenly against a cotton front. Sew a test scrap first if you are pairing it with quilting cotton, since the two fabrics behave differently.
Pairing: The blue and green palette pairs beautifully with solid Cuddle or quilting cottons in soft blues, greens, cream, or grey. Use Lil Dinos as the feature fabric on a blanket front with a solid back, or flip it — a pieced cotton top backed with this print makes the dinosaurs the surprise every time the blanket is turned over.
A Project to Try
Try a simple two-sided dinosaur throw blanket — the project this fabric was made for. You will need Lil Dinos for one side and a coordinating solid fabric for the other.
1. Cut both fabrics to the same size. One and a half yards gives you a blanket about 54 inches long by the full 58/60-inch width — a generous throw or crib size.
2. Lay the two pieces right sides together, making sure the pile on the Lil Dinos side runs in one direction, and pin or clip all the way around.
3. Sew around all four sides, leaving a gap of about 6 inches on one side for turning.
4. Clip the corners, turn the blanket right side out through the gap, and push the corners out gently.
5. Pin the opening closed and topstitch around the whole blanket, which closes the gap and gives the edges a finished look.
The result is a soft, washable, dinosaur-covered blanket with no batting to manage — perfect for blanket forts, picnics, and nap time.
Care and Handling
This fabric is made to be used and loved, not saved for best. Follow the care instructions supplied with the fabric when you wash finished projects. Between projects, store cut pieces flat or loosely rolled so the short pile is not crushed, and relax the fabric flat and unstretched before cutting so your measurements stay honest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Digital Cuddle fray?
No — minky plush is a knit-style polyester, so cut edges do not unravel like woven cotton. Freshly cut edges may shed a little fluff at first; a quick shake before sewing keeps it off your work.
How much do I need for a throw blanket?
One yard is 36 inches long by the full 58/60-inch width. For a throw about 54 inches long, order one and a half yards; for a longer blanket around 72 inches, order two yards.
Is Lil Dinos good for babies and young children?
Yes. Shannon Fabrics lists this ultra-soft, smooth plush for quilts, throw blankets, pillows, and crib sheets, and the gentle dinosaur-and-foliage print in blue and green was designed with little ones in mind.
Shop the Ivy Lil Dinos Digital Cuddle 58/60" Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
