I made about three quilts as baby gifts for friends and then stopped. I like to give baby gifts that people are going to use rather than put in the closet for ‘good’. Receiving blankets are good for lots of things, not the least of which are superhero(ine) capes and playmats. I wrote about a full list of the possibilities which I could think up the last time I did a big post on receiving blankets.
I don’t always make receiving blankets for people. Sometimes I just go to Target and get the something off their list. I just felt like sewing some receiving blankets this time.
I think I said this before, but for new readers:
- I use 1.25 yards of flannel.
- I wash all the flannel in a baby friendly laundry soap,
- then I hem the edges with a decorative stitch. I don’t hem the selvedge edges. It works for me, they are relatively quick to make and I get great feedback on them.
The red piece in the upper right hand corner is more of a wrap. Sometimes something a little smaller is nice, especially if the mom is layering.
Great gift! Try some!
Sets of three of these receiving blankets are my go-to gift for new babies. If I am not under the gun timewise, I make a simple tote bag — something like Alicia Paulson’s Market Tote — as the gift bag for them. I had to go to something like this because the issue of who got a quilt and who didn’t was becoming a political drama at the office.
Like you, I generally get 1.25 yds for each, but the main point for me is for the thing to be square — I was informed by a new mother years ago that that was the best shape for swaddling. I do hem the selvage edges.
You probably gave me this idea. I have never heard any complaints about the squareness of the receiving blankets. I also like to give an odd number. 5 is a lot, but that is what is going out into the universe today. I thought of making a gift bag, but just didn’t do it.