Baby Blanket With Polar Bear Appliques

Guest Blogger Lulu Spencer

Who doesn’t appreciate receiving a hand-made gift for their little one? With these easy to follow steps you can make a unique and beautiful baby blanket like this one by Lulu Spencer and it’s sure to be a hit with mom and baby alike.

This project requires a sewing machine, photocopier, print & solid fabric, embroidery thread and basic sewing skills. The blanket in the pictures was designed to be for the car seat but can be adapted to any size.

Step 1
Choose a piece of pre-washed fabric with a simple motif that will be easy to cut and recognizable with just the outline and a second solid piece the same size to attach the motif to.

Step 2
Photocopy a piece of the fabric, enlarging it. In this project the polar bear was enlarged by 70%. Cut the motif out for a pattern piece to use and then pin and cut it out of felt or wool (consider re-purposing an old sweater) that has been pre-shrunk. Use embroidery thread to hand stitch the motif to the plain flannelette using a running stitch or blanket stitch.

Step 3
Sew the front panel to back panel (half-inch seam allowance), matching right sides together and leave an opening (10 – 12 inches). Trim the corners and surge or zigzag raw edges so that there aren’t any bulky seams. Turn it right side out and press the seams open for a crisper edge using a steam setting on your iron. Press the seams flat before tucking in the opening and sewing it closed. Finally, top stitch 1/4 inch all the way around (10 stitches per inch setting)

Have fun searching for that great piece of fabric and motif that makes your gift one of a kind.

More Blogs by Lulu Spenser
The “Art” of Re-purposing A Vintage Sewing Pattern
DIY Halloween Cards and Miniature Colouring Book