No-Sew Baby Blanket

I found myself in need of a baby gift, and I wanted to give the new mother something handmade. I was behind the barn door when sewing talents were distributed, so whipping something up that way was out of the question. Having just seen a delightful no-sew baby blanket on http://partiesandholidays.blogspot.com, I decided to try my hand at making one.

The local Hobby Lobby happened to be having a 30% off sale on fleece, so I picked up a yard of pink plaid fleece. The first thing I did was lay it out on the dining room table and cut off the selvage (the edge that prevents it from unraveling). Then I straightened out the uneven cuts the sales lady had made, following along the pattern of the squares.

Next, I cut a three-inch square piece of paper to use as a pattern for my corners. I laid the paper in each corner and cut out the square.

Then I laid my a four-foot metal ruler from along the edge I would be cutting into strips. The ruler kept the lengths of the cuts the same (at 3”) and helped me keep the cuts to about one inch apart along the length of the blanket. I repeated this step on all four sides.

Next I tied each strip into a knot, being careful not to pull it too tightly so it wouldn’t pucker the blanket edges or stretch the fleece. I found it was easier to make the knots if I folded the strip in half before looping it around itself.

I think the only thing I would do differently next time is to change the size of the corner square cutout (and therefore, the fringe) to three-and-a-half inches. I found the three-inch-long strips a little difficult to maneuver into knots at times. I think the extra half inch would make it easier.

All in all, it was a quick (at a little over an hour from start to finish) and fun project that I look forward to doing again.