Baby Season: Self-Binding Receiving Blankets

In May 2013 I made a couple of self binding receiving blankets, based on the great Missouri Star Quilt Company tutorial on these blankets. The first blanket I made was for one of my friends who was due in May. Then I made two additional blankets for my son who is due in December. Next I made a blanket for my other friend who was due in August. Finally I have updated this post, with one more blanket that I made in 2014 for my sister and her newest baby.

These blankets are super easy and all they require our two pieces of fabric one cut 40" x 40" and the other cut 30" x 30".  This means you need just under a yard for one cut and just over our yard for the second cut. I use flannel for these blankets, with the exception of one blanket which are used minky or cuddle fabric for. I found the Minky very hard to work with as it seem to stretch and not keep in place as well as the flannel while sewing. 

The first blanket was for baby Ryker, I did a car racing game for him.

 

The next two blankets were for baby Colton, my son. I did an animal theme for both. 

The fourth blanket I made was so much fun, and it was for baby Madison. Had already created some pink and white and purple and white pinwheels and just wasn't quite sure what to do with them. So I pieced them together as blocks and then did the self binding tutorial on the outside. 

 

This tutorial is truly great because it allows you to create mitered corners with barely any work. Plus you do not have to add binding to your blanket which for me is huge!! 

Update: it is the most recent so finding blanket I have created it was for my niece Ezry who was born on derby day in May 2014. 

I love all of these blankets, and they are so quick to make. Under an hour! Cannot beat that when working on baby gifts.

Baby season part two: burp cloths

Being pregnant with my first child, means that I am in the nesting mode! I have been working on all sorts of things to make life easier when C arrives. Having made him blankets already, I have now started on burp cloths. I found a great tutorial from the Thinking Closet and followed it.

I went to Target and purchased a pack of Gerber 10 pre-folded cloth diapers. Then from a Ritz cracker box I cut out a cardboard template of the size of the diaper lengthwise that I was going to be covering with cute flannel. The tutorial I used showed that this was the easiest way to make sure you had your seem allowance that needed iron to be accurate for all of your burp cloths. 

I used some of the excess fabric left over from the receiving blankets I had made for C, and then I also used a fat quarter bundle of flannel fabric that I had purchased. 

I think the ironing took the longest part. But the burp cloth turned out great! 

I was very happy with the tutorial I used and the results of the burp cloth.