15 Minute Baby Minky Blanket

15 Minute Baby Minky Blanket

Do you have just a few short minutes to make something for a baby shower? I have the perfect solution, a baby blanket! All you need for this is two yards of fabric and 15 minutes! Minky fabric can be hard to work with so this post is perfect for learning to use this difficult fabric. This post was originally published on Kim Six Fix.

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15 Minute Baby Minky Blanket

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What is a minky blanket?

Minky is a type of fabric. It is SUPER soft polyester material. There are many variations of minky. You may have seen the minky with the raised dots which is commonly used in baby blankets. Minky blankets come in different forms. The blanket in this tutorial is made using a rosebud minky and flannel. You can also make them with minky on both sides, or minky on one side and cotton on the other. They are often crib sized blankets as they are frequently used for young children. However it is becoming more and more popular to have a full sized lap blanket made of minky as it is super soft and why shouldn’t adults be allowed to use a super soft minky blanket?

Is Minky fabric safe for babies?

Obviously you should follow the recommendations about babies and blankets, especially in the crib, which is not to have any. However minky is a very soft fabric that is perfectly safe for a tummy time blanket or for use when baby is monitored by an adult. It is a heavy fabric that doesn’t breath much, which makes it warm, but also means that you shouldn’t leave baby unattended with the blanket. Like I said be sure to follow all pediatric guidelines regarding blankets, better safe than sorry.

Blanket Supplies:

1 yard Rosebud Minky
1 yard flannel
Thread

Optional (kinda):
Walking foot

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You may not have ever used a walking foot. But I assure you that in this case you really want to use one. When I first started sewing minky was something I really wanted to work with. I didn’t know about a walking foot and so I bought and wasted a lot of fabric because I had no idea how to use it! So believe when I say you want to use your walking foot.

I know it can be intimidating looking but here is how it looks installed on my machine (all machines are different if you are having trouble just youtube it and you can find lots of videos telling you how to install your walking foot!)

Minky Baby Blanket Instructions:

Alright now to the actual construction of the blanket. Line the two fabrics up right sides together. You will be looking at the wrong side of the fabric both on top and bottom. Now this next step may seem like overkill but again just trust my previous failures on this subject and trust me…mmkay? Pin the living daylights out of those two pieces of fabric.

I know it looks like a ton of pins, and IT IS! I was going to call this a 10 minute baby blanket but pinning and taking pins out took 5 minutes alone so I had to tack that extra 5 on! Just pin a lot to hold the minky in place. It will slide wherever you don’t pin it so pin it everywhere!!! Not all yards of fabric are created equal…I know weird right?!?! After you pin if there is a side that is a touch longer go ahead and trim it up. I just use scissors for this. I am not super worried about it being completely straight (unless it is totally angled or crooked then I would fix it.)

Find a place in the middle of one side that is about 4-6 inches. You are NOT going to sew there. You can mark it with a pen if you want so you don’t forget. This is going to be the hole you use to turn the fabric right side out. Don’t close the whole thing up or you are going to have to pick the seam out and that is super annoying! I used a black thread so you could see below how I left it open.

Next we will trim the corners, this helps a ton when you turn it out to make the corners crisp.

Now take all the pins out…annoying I know 🙁 and we are ready to reach in and pull the right side of the fabric out through the hole we left. You will want to use a pencil is stick or something pointy to push the corners out. Don’t push too hard or use scissors because you don’t want to rip the seam or the fabric. It won’t be perfect, but I have never had a baby complain about the corners!

Finishing:

The last step is to pin the hole closed and then top-stitch around the entire edge of the blanket. Try and keep the seam even because you will be able to see this seam on top of the blanket. Now you ALWAYS want to use the same thread on the top and bottom of your machine. In cases like this I make a tiny exception to this rule. If you are using the same brand and exact same type of thread, I use Guterman Sew-All, then it is ok in just this one scenario to use a different color. I used navy on the bottom and cream on the top. Don’t mix types though, for example a sew all thread and an invisible thread or quilting thread, it will gum up your machine and you could break something.

Can Minky fabric go in the dryer?

You can put your blanket in the dryer. However I recommend you use the lowest heat setting or just tumble dry. If you can instead of using the dryer I recommend laying your blanket flat, on a towel, to air dry. Don’t hang because the minky is heavy and the weight could cause the blanket to stretch.

If you need to iron your blanket here are a few tips. Don’t iron the minky with the raised dots, ask me how I know! If you need to iron any other minky make sure and use a pressing cloth and the lowest possible heat.

I like to use the little piece of excess that I trimmed off as a ribbon, it adds a cute touch and makes it gift ready in no time at all!