How to Make a Blanket: Quick and Easy Minky and Cuddle Blanket Tutorial
Updated: Mar 31
Tori McElwain with The Quilt Patch by Tori
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As an Army wife, my husband's and I's friends have a special place in our lives. We try to find friends quickly wherever we go and those relationships are what keep us sane through the ever-changing lives we lead. One of my friends found out she was expecting right before COVID hit and shut down the country. This was around April 2020 and she recently had her beautiful baby boy!
I found out through our social circle when a mutual friend set up a meal train for her. I was so excited! I signed up immediately for the first spot and started planning my weekend around making sure I had everything I needed to send her dinner. While at the grocery store, I started reminiscing and realizing that at this point I had only seen her a few times in the last 7 months and most of those times had been in her home. She always had the most amazing breakfast spread for us! I wanted to give back a little more than just dinner. I grabbed a cookie tray, biscuits for breakfast, and everything I needed for dinner. When I got home, I looked through my stash and found a baby blanket perfect for a little boy and 2 yards of pink Minky and matching cuddle fabric! Perfect! I would whip up a blanket for big sister, too!
As I started, I quickly realized that 2 yards of Minky and cuddle are large enough for an adult-size blanket, so I let her know that although I originally made it for her daughter, I wouldn't tell if she decided to keep it for herself!
Are you interested in doing the same? Let's get down to the tutorial!
For Yardage:
Step 1) Line up selvage edges with the right sides together. You want to make sure you have the stretchy side of the Minky with the stretchy side of the cuddle (or stretchy-er side) and vice versa. Pin every 2 inches. Yup, every 2 inches. You don't want to give this slippery fabric the chance to slide away!
Step 2) Fold the pinned blanket in half and find the center. Sew a 1/2 inch seam from the center to 1/2 inch away from the edge. Then flip the blanket and sew from the middle again to 1/2 inch away from the other edge. This will help with the stretch and limit the potential for tucks. Keep an eye out for curling edges while you stitch as well. Leave 4 - 8 inches (depending on the size of your blanket) open to turn your blanket right side out.
Trim any extra fabric. For the Minky, I find that the most accurate way to cut Minky straight is to use the bumps as a reference. After you trim the extra fabric, pin it every 2 inches right away. this will keep it from slipping and sliding.
Step 3) Trim your corners! This will help make them less bulky.
Step 4) Turn your blanket right sides out. I find the easiest way to turn anything right sides out (or inside out) is to start with the corner furthest from the opening. Pull out your corners. Because this fabric is so slippery, you might not need any tools to help (yay!).
Step 5) Pin the edges once more about 3 inches apart, making sure that the seam is on the edge of the blanket. Fold the edges of your opening in about 1/2 inch. Again, I use the bumps on the Minky to help determine if it is folded straight. I like to use clamps or different colored pins over the opening to distinguish it from the rest of the blanket.
Step 6) Using a zig-zag stitch, stitch a 1/2 inch around the edge of the blanket. I used a small zig-zag, yours can be larger to create a more decorative aspect if preferable. I like to use a zig-zag stitch at this step because it has a little stretch to it and will move better with the fabric when the blanket is tugged on. A straight stitch is more likely to break when tugged on.
Viola! You have yourself a wonderful, beautiful, homemade gift! The extra Minky I trimmed off made a nice bow to help hold it together!
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If you're a visual person, I have made a short picture tutorial you can view below!
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If you want to see more click here for more virtual classes!
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