While I was taking meds by the handful and sipping hot tea, I did some simple sewing. I finished hemming up these baby blankets for our new grandson, who is coming this month:
I can't even tell you how great these turned out. Have you bought baby blankets recently? They're awful--tiny and thin! So instead of buying those I spent some money at the fabric store and got some heavier flannel. I bought a yard and a half of each of these and washed them twice in hot water. Then after I removed the selvages, squared them, and hemmed them, these finished about 42 inches square with only a couple inches of waste. They're way prettier than what I found in stores and I think they'll last a lot longer than the thin ones, too.
I hemmed these using this foot for my machine:
Hard to get a picture of a shiny metal foot! This is a rolled hem foot that came with my machine. I used to use this when I made dresses for my girls, which means I haven't used it in a while! It gives a beautiful narrow hem:
The foot folds the fabric and stitches it. No need for pressing tiny little hems! Once it gets started it goes pretty fast. All five of these blankets took only a couple of hours from start to finish. Of course, I broke that up so that it took all week, but if your head wasn't throbbing it would only take a little while.
That was it for this week! Hey, every little bit of progress counts. And I finally did get a package with some more brown in it, so I can finish those last couple of blocks for the Forest Friends quilt. Hope to have that done next week. Cannot wait to meet the little guy!
Everyone have a great weekend. Not sure what I'm going to be up to yet, but pretty sure there will be some fabric involved, even if it's just cleaning up those flannel threads!
Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finish it up Friday.
11 comments:
I love making baby blankets too. We make ours double sided. and use the left over fabric to make burp cloths. Baby can use them until they are 2+.
How exciting to get a new grandchild! Congratulations. Is this your first?
I also made lots of flannel blankets for my grandkids as they arrived. I like the self-binding (2 sided) ones but a simple hemmed one like these are also wonderful and so much appreciated by the new moms. They are just the right size and weight. And I've given away a LOT of these as baby gifts. My one granddaughter is still using her blankies, but now they are wrapping up her baby dolls.
Goregous choice of flannels. I have seen those prints in the store and they are a nice thick flannel. They will last forever.
I have a foot like that and have never used it. It looks like it works fantastic.
Feel better Mari.
I have never used that foot it came with one of my machines too
Congratulations on the grand baby -- how very exciting!! Love the home made flannel blankets (must go see if I have one of those feet)
Oh the blankets are sweet but seeing your rolled hem foot makes me think I definitely need one for when I sew for my girls!
Love it! Your grandson is going to be wrapped in love. I have that same green/brown polka dots flannel and use it for my kitties.
What a great idea. While you are cleaning up the threads, don't forget to clean out your bobbin case. Flannel lint can really accumulate. Hope you feel better soon.
I don't think I've ever tried that foot. I wonder does it stretch the fabric on the cross grain? Even when I press a tiny hem, and sew it down with regular foot, it sort of stretches a little and looks a bit wavery. If this foot is the answer I'll be singing!
Leeanna
Oh, sorry to hear you've had the Crud, as we call it by us. I hope you feel better soon, so you can welcome that little grandbaby. The baby blankets look so cozy. And I really like the tiny hem. (I wonder if I have one of those feet. If I do, it's been collecting dust forever.) It does look like you're gramma nesting. As baby gets closer to arrival, you will find all sorts of last minute things that he absolutely needs to have made. (Suggestion: bandanna style drooly bibs. Addictive. Just sayin')
What a delicious photo of love made in flannel !~! We run a family daycare in our little home and blankets are Always needed, wanted, used to pieces, loved, drug in and out of the house, laid on the floor, clean up spills, capes for dress up, lovies when napping... a zillion uses that continue long past infancy. Thanks for the advice about the tiny-rolled-hem-foot. Off to search my pile of accessories.
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