{Tutorial} How to Make a Ruffled Minky Blanket

 
 

I had this post as a Guest Post on The Ribbon Retreat’s blog last week. I thought I would share it with you all today.

I’ve been wanting to make a cute blanket for my daughter’s bed for when we finally move her in with her brother. They are going to be sharing a room, and although she is 10 months old, we still haven’t decorated her part of the bedroom. I finally decided on a style of blanket for her crib, and I think that every other part of the decor will follow after this piece!

This blanket is really easy, but takes some time and patience. Before we even get started, I thought that I would share with you some great tips I have found when you work with Minky fabric. This bugger can be a pain, so make sure to follow all of the tips to make it as easy as possible.
 
First of all, I found the top 5 tips from the cute twin sisters at DIY Dish.
  1. Pre-wash coordinating fabric, as it may shrink but Minky will NOT
  2. Pin Pin Pin Pin and Pin. Pin every 1-1 1/2 inches
  3. Use a walking foot
  4. Test your length of stitch and tension on scrap Minky
  5. Keep Things clean.
  • Use a lint roller or vacuum after cutting it (use a rotary cutter instead of scissors, it’s easiest)
  • Immediately shake the fabric out outside
  • Keep bobbin, throat plate, and feed dogs clean with a small brush. 
These are great ways to keep from swearing off using Minky!
 
Another tip I’ve found helpful from Fabric.com blog
If you are sewing with Minky and another layer of fabric, sew with the Minky fabric down.
 
And if you are planning on cutting a shape, or pattern out of the Minky fabric, here is a comment left by one of the readers of The Ribbon Retreat
“Try this – if you iron an un-cut piece of freezer paper (shiny side down) onto the minky wrong side, then trace on your pattern, you only have to cut once. No pinning required (for cutting at least), and it makes the minky easier to work with. After it is cut out, peel off the freezer paper and continue as usual”
 
I used some Minky fabric on a pair of booties I made for my daughter and could have used this tip. Next time I cut out a shape or pattern I definitely will be doing this.
 
Also, I did a bunch of my cutting outside. That way it was not getting all over my carpet and everything else it came in contact with.
sew a ruffle

Ok, now on to the blanket.

For this blanket you will need:

  • Cotton Fabric
  • Minky Fabric
  • Thread
  • Measuring Tape
  • Rotary Cutter
  • Scissors
  • Cutting Mat
  • Pins (lots!)
  • Sewing Machine
 
Length – You will be doing 3″ strips you will divide your length by 3 to determine the number of ruffles you will need.
Width – When you ruffle the fabric, it will cut the width in half. So if you want a 25″ blanket, you will need a 50″ strip of fabric

My blanket is 27″x36″.

I used beautiful Riley Blake Fabric from the Sunny Happy Skies and Fly a Kite collections. Pink Floral, Yellow Stripe, and Yellow Floral. I also used the Soft Cuddle Minky fabric in Dark Lime

  

 
 
Start cutting out your strips for the ruffles. Since you want your ruffle to be 3″, you will cut them in 3 1/2″ strips. This will give you a 1/4 inch seam on each side.
sewing a ruffle
 

Once all pieces are cut out, you will want to figure out a pattern. Mine was SPY (Stripe, Pink, Yellow). I wanted a repetitive pattern, but it could be cute to just do random as well.

 
sew a ruffle

Next, you need to ruffle each strip. My favorite way to ruffle is to change the tension on my machine to a 9, make your stitch length as high as it can go (mines a 5) and then do a straight stitch down the center of the fabric. DO NOT back stitch at the beginning or the end. This will make it so you can adjust the ruffle afterwards. Make sure when you start it, that the fabric continues out the back instead of curling back under the needle.

 
 
sew a ruffle
 
sew a ruffle
 

Once each strip is ruffled, pin the first 2 together. I find the easiest way to pin with ruffles is to use your ruler to “flatten” the fabric down.

sew a ruffle
 

While sewing the ruffles together, make sure that you fold the fabric onto itself so that it stays lined up, otherwise you will loose the ruffled effect of the strips.

 
sew a ruffle

Open up your ruffles and iron the seam flat.

sew a ruffle
 
Pin the 3rd and 4th strips together and sew like above. Then take both and pin them together. Pin the 2nd in the pattern to the 3rd in the pattern.
 
sew a ruffle
 
Open them up and iron flat.
 
sew a ruffle
 
Continue the same until you have all of your strips together. (ie, strips of 4 to strips of 4, etc)
 
sew a ruffle
 
Cut your minky fabric an inch wider and an inch longer than your ruffles. This will allow for 1/4″ seam on both sides.
 
Place both ride sides together, and here is where the PIN PIN PIN PIN PIN comes into play! You will want to pin every 1-2 inches. I found that the easiest way to keep it all in place was to pin the 4 corners, then the middles in between each. Then go back and place a pin every 1-2 inches.
 
sew a ruffle
 
 
Sew around all 4 edges with a zig-zag stitch. Stop with about 6 inches un-sewn so you have an opening to turn your fabric ride sides out. WARNING- a bunch of the Minky will get all over the place. You many need to stop part of the way in and clean off your sewing machine components.
 
sew a ruffle
 
 
Trim the edges so that you don’t have a bunch of excess bulge inside the blanket. Then turn your fabric right sides out.
 
sew a ruffle
 
 
Now fold the fabric inside on the 6 inch opening and pin shut. Then finish off the blanket with a straight stitch 1/8″-1/4″ in from the edge.
sew a ruffle

Then you are done! Sit back and enjoy your incredibly soft blanket!!!

 
sew a ruffle

Next task at our house, a BIG one for my bed. Although my husband informed me he may fight for it, because it’s that soft!

Make Sure to Follow Along

        

If you use one of my tutorials, I’d love to see. Send me a link or picture to Vanessa {at} OurThriftyIdeas.com

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Comments

  1. I really love this! Such a cute blanket for your SWEET daughter. Love her crazy hair too! I’m really impressed. I can’t believe you’re going to make one even bigger for your own bed!It looks hard, for this new sewer. lol. I bet that’ll be beautiful.

    • Laura, NOT too hard. I litterally just got my sewing machine in the last few months. It’s really easy.
      And I’ve decided I don’t have a choice, I have to make every memeber of the family one, because we all fight over this little one!

  2. Vanessa the blanket is adorable – and so is your daughter! I really want to make one of these!

  3. Adorable and I love the fabric choices! <3

  4. This is adorable! I pinned it… for my next baby : )

  5. Super cute!
    Thanks for sharing!

  6. So cute!

  7. Thanks for linking with me on Wow Us Wednesday!

  8. Love all of those colours together! And I really love the idea of making a big one for an adult bed. Definitely going to keep this in my ‘to make’ file for the future. So glad you linked up at Etcetorize this week!

  9. Thanks so much for linking this project up on Naptime Delights! I love it so much I started making one! I’m going to feature it!! I hope you’ll come back and link up something at this week’s party!

    Sarah
    http://naptimedelights.blogspot.ca/2012/06/tuesdays-tidbits-4.html

  10. This is super sweet! I love the happy colors and it looks like the perfect cuddle blanket 🙂

  11. Hi,
    I made this! Or rather a version of this for my 10 year old daughter who found it via Pinterest and immediately fell in love. You must be one patient woman those ruffles slowly drove me mad but I have to say it is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  12. One thing I didn’t see, was how much fabric you purchased? I want to make one of these for our great-niece that is due in April. 🙂

Trackbacks

  1. […] that is)… just set it to a long straight stitch and bump the tension up to 9 (as I learned here). The ruffles worked out great (SP15)… but the backdrop was a work in progress and looked […]

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