Faux Chenille Baby Blanket – TUTORIAL

Creating a faux chenille blanket tutorials wasn’t really on my to-do list. But then so many of you asked for it…how could I not?? I’ve been sewing these for about 5 years and have shared the directions (cryptically) with a few friends through email over the years. So I’m glad that it’s all written down in a step-by-step process now.
For a while, faux chenille blankets were my go-to gift for a baby shower. They’re just fun to look at, soft to hold, and the person really appreciates the thoughtful, hand-made gift.
Layers of cotton fabrics are sewn into rows and rows of diagonal lines and then cut and washed to create a faux chenille look. It’s a time-consuming project but really cool to see the finished results:
These blankets are great for snuggling and also work as a playmat, while baby rolls around with toys. Of course you can definitely make a bigger one as a throw blanket for the couch or a bed.
I first shared Lucy’s baby blanket with you, that I sewed 4 years ago. It has a soft corduroy backing, four layers of cotton fabrics for the chenille, and a furry binding:And though I didn’t have a baby in mind when making this new blanket, I went for a rainbow of colors and love the happy, cheery vibe.
I must point out that like most quilting, this blanket takes a while to make. It’s not as time-consuming as true quilting. But be prepared for tedious hours of sewing line after line after line and cutting, cutting, cutting. I don’t want to make it sound boring. It really is a fun project (and so cool when you see the final product washed and chenilled up). But just be prepared for the commitment and think of this cuteness laying on top of it.
Totally worth it.
Ready to jump in??
I’ll even show you what to do if you get a hole in your blanket when cutting….

You’ll find the complete Tutorial HERE
(and in the TUTORIALS link at the top of the blog). I also reference a similar tutorial that Aesthetic Nest created with beautiful flannel fabrics and gorgeous photos:
Ready, set, break!
Just a few notes to share…..
* Today is the last day to enter the TAMRON LENS GIVEAWAY. Winner will be announced tomorrow!

* Rachel of the popular site Craft has created a detailed embroidery of the moon and is up for voting in an etsy competition, with the chance for her art to fly in one of the space shuttles to the moon. Pretty cool! You can see her creation HERE and you can vote for your favorite HERE.

* Simply Modern Mom is hosting a barrage of giveaways on her site. You can win a couple of my patterns here.

  1. 1) Leslie

    HI,
    I generally sew all my own stuff, but this looks like a huge tedious project that I dont think I have the patience to finish…. But I so love it, its the cutest blanket I’ve seen in a while. And I would love to have one, My second baby girl is due June 1,2012 and Im already on the shopping spree. So I was wondering if you would be willing to Make one of these blankets for me and if so how much would your charge if I sent you the fabric or all the supplies needed to make it?

  2. 2) Adrienne

    Just curious. Wouldnt it better to stabalize the blanket by sewing lines every 6 inches or so. So the blanket wouldnt be able to shift. I did mine that way and found it so much more easier and rewarding to sew. Maybe try it on your next blanket and see which way you prefer. I drew lines off the middle line every 6 inches then every 3 inches then filling in every 1/2 inch.

  3. 3) Cambria Laine

    I use basting spray and lightly tack the layers down one by one super smoothly. No pins needed. I draw my lines on with either a bar of sop chiseled to a sharp tip (usually entire shorter edge), a washable marker, or a washable quilting pencil (ok sometimes I just use a regular ole pencil!) and a yardstick to mark my lines.
    Sew down the lines and your set! Easy peasy!

  4. 4) Cambria Laine

    *soap*

  5. 5) Khursten

    I attempted this today and after I washed and dried it, the chenille side was a mess of unravelled string!! I’m spending so much time trimming it off and trying to get it smooth, but I have a feeling it’s gonna look like this again as soon as its washed again… I sewed along the stripes of the bottom fabric, which aren’t diagonal, is that why?

    • 6) Kristy

      You have to sew your lines on the bias to get it to fray, but not unravel. The directions are pretty clear on that.

  6. 8) Maggie Martin

    I made one of these for my great grandson, top is American flags on white background the the bottom layers are red, dark blue and light ble. It is AWESOME if I do say so myself! Thanks for the tute!

    • 9) Dana

      That sounds incredible! I’m glad you liked the tutorial, Maggie. šŸ™‚

  7. 10) JOan

    I”ve made over 30 of these blankets for new moms, mostly from my Sunday School community. I ask each mom to select the fabric she wants for the blanket. It takes me about 6 hours to make one once I have the fabric. (I listen to pod casts while I sew which helps pass the time.) Anyway, I’ve had a request to make one using a fabric that contains 70%rayon/30%cotton. Has anyone been successful using fabric with rayon? I don’t know if it will “bloom” the same. Thank you for your advice. And by the way, I use ONE printed fabric for the whole blanket, including the binding.

    • 11) Dana

      Wow, what a nice thing to use your sewing talents for! I haven’t tried making one with that blend of fabric. My recommendation would be to make a small sample square and wash it, etc. to test it before you go into the whole thing. Good luck!

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