John Deere Baby set - Lovey Blanket

Well today is part 3 of my baby set.  If you missed the burp cloth and the bib you can find them here and here.  OK so now on to the lovey blanket.  Like with the other two there are several different ways to make these.  I am only going to share one way today but if you have any questions feel free to ask.  Because I will apologize ahead of time that I did not take step by step pictures.

For my blanket I used flannel material because it is just softer.   So supplies you will need- 1/4 yard of two different materials (for your front), 1/2 yard of backing material, several different colors and textures of ribbon, a square (or object you can use of a square), and a sewing machine.

my square ;)

I made my lovey in a patchwork fashion, kinda like a quilt but with out the padding.  If you wanted the extra time you could definitely go back and add stuffing and quilt around the edges but I was fast and lazy.  :)  I only used two different colors of material for this blanket, the John Deere print and then a plain yellow for contrast and the backing.  You start by tracing out 9 squares.  I do not have a technical square so I use the top of a cd case.  :) Ok no laughing it works and it did not cost me a thing I just stole the top off of one of my cds.  Again you could make this blanket so many different ways.  You could make it bigger by adding more squares, or you could have several different patterns going on, or make it completely solid, etc.  I have made mine in a variety of patterns and styles, so this is only one way, feel free to experiment. 

Anyway to make this blanket, trace and cut out 5 squares from your 1st fabric and 4 squares from your second fabric.  Then you will need to serge/sew your squares together in rows of 3.  After you have your rows, sew them together to form your front.  Then lay your front layer on your backing fabric and trace out a large square to match it's size.  Again so sorry I do not have pictures but feel free to ask if you are confused.  I would add a drawing but that is something I have not learned how to do just yet, still super new to blogging.  I went back and took some pictures of a different blanket just for you!  Don't you feel loved now. :)

sewing squares together

cut out squares of fabric

Your 3 separate rows                                 2 rows sewed together

all sewn together

Now that you have both of your pieces, you need to decide how many ribbons you want on your blanket and how long you want each piece.  I chose 4 different colors with all the same texture but different widths.  Cut your ribbon to the length that you want and lay them out on your top piece to decide what kind of pattern you want.  Once you have decided on how you want it to look, you will want to pin your ribbon the the right side of the front piece.  I know that sounds funny but you will sew it tucked in so that when you turn your blanket the right side out your ribbon will be attached neatly on the inside.  So pin your ribbon so a little hangs over the edge of your material and the rest of the ribbon lays on your front piece.

(Here is a pic of another blanket I will show later)

I hope you can tell the ribbons have been pinned up with a little bit of over hang to catch when you sew.

Then pin your backing piece right side down on the ribbon to your front.  (I feel like this sounds confusing)  Make sure you leave a 1 inch opening so that you can turn it inside out.  I like to put several little pins where I am not going to sew to remind myself to stop.  Cause once I get going well sometimes I just keep going.  ;)   Now you can serge it closed or sew it on a regular machine.  I have done both but since I have a serger now I just love it!

After it is sewn together, push/pull your blanket right side out.  Tuck your extra fabric in your opening and then you can top stitch it closed or hand stitch it.  Most people think top stitching all the way around is more professional looking but again it is your choice.

Well this is probably one of my longest posts but I felt it was a tad confusing.  Please come back later this week I have a chair redo that I am just so tickled with!  Have a great day!
Linking to some of these great parties:

www.watchoutmartha.net

www.funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com

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www.sugarbeecrafts.com

www.creationsbykara.com

www.733blog.com

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