TUTORIAL: Easy Baby Doll Blanket

I am having a lot of fun lately making clothes and accessories for dolls.  Last week I showed you how to make a diaper for your doll.

 

This week, I have been working on doll blankets.  I am working on a quilt (coming soon), but today I want to show you how easy it is to make a basic blanket. 

 

 

Using bias tape to trim the edges is an easy, fun, and cute way to make a doll blanket! 

 

 

I sometimes like to make my own bias tape, but for this quick blanket I used the store bought kind.  Much faster if you ask me.....

So, gather up a few supplies and lets get started!

You will need:
3 yards of 1/2" double fold bias tape.
Cotton fabric for the top of the blanket
Flannel for the bottom of the blanket

You will need to use a rotary mat and cutter to cut two squares from your fabric.  For my blanket I used cotton for the top, and flannel for the bottom.  The flannel is perfect and gives a soft touch to the inside of the blanket.  Cut a 20" by 20" square from your cotton fabric, and from your flannel fabric. 

You will want the four corners of the blanket to be rounded so that you can easily pin and sew the bias tape around them.  To do that, fold your blanket in half, and then fold it in half again.  All four of your corners should now be folded together.  You can cut them separate, but I find it easier to cut all four at once.  Take a kitchen bowl, or something round and place it on your material where the four corners are.  I took a sharpie marker and traced the curve of the bowl onto my fabric.

Now, cut along your mark to round the corners.  Repeat this step with your flannel fabric as well.

Place your top and bottom fabric with wrong sides together.  If they don't line up perfectly, don't worry.  Just do a little bit of trimming until they do line up.  I did have to trim mine up a bit.

Now, grab your stash of bias tape and choose a color!  Remember that you will use almost 3 yards of bias tape to get all the way around your blanket.  Of course, we chose pink.  We like pink around here.

You will notice when you look at the bias tape, that one side is just a little bit wider than the other side.  You want the widest part of the bias tape to go on the bottom of the blanket, and the more narrow side on the top of the blanket where you will be sewing.  That way when you sew it on, you will be sure to catch the bias tape underneath. 

Please note that this is not the proper way to sew the bias tape on.  For this project, I am going to use the cheater way.  It is faster, and it works very will for this project.

Sandwich the two layers of fabric in between the bias tape.  Remember that the more narrow part of the bias tape goes on the top.  Leave a 7" tail of bias tape before you start to pin.  Be sure to start pinning right before one of the curves as shown below.  Continue to sandwich the fabric into the bias tape and pin all the way around.  You need to leave a 9-10" gap between where you started pinning and where you end.  Leave a 7" tail on the end of your bias tape, and then you can cut it.  You are ready to start sewing!

Start sewing right after your first pin, sew all the way around the blanket and then stop at the last pin.  Make sure you leave that 10" opening and don't sew on it. 

Be sure to back stitch at both ends.  Sew as close to the inside edge of the bias tape as you can.

When you are finished, here is what your blanket should look like.  You can see where I sewed and that I left that 10" gap open for now. 

You will now need to trim the tails of bias tape that you left.  They will need to overlap by 1/2" as pictured below.  I used my ruler to make sure they overlapped by 1/2", and then I cut the ends.

With the right sides of the bias tape together, pin.

Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew them together.

Fold the bias tape back up.

 

Sandwich it over your fabric, and pin.

 

 

Sew those last 10" closed.  Be sure to back stitch at both ends.  You are finished!

 

 

 

Wrap your doll in her new blanket and it is playtime!  Enjoy!