{Tutorial} How to Make a Ruffled Minky Blanket

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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!

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. 

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

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

  

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.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

Open up your ruffles and iron the seam flat.

 

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.

 

 

Open them up and iron flat.

 

 

Continue the same until you have all of your strips together. (ie, strips of 4 to strips of 4, etc)

 

 

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 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.

 

 

 

Trim the edges so that you don’t have a bunch of excess bulge inside the blanket. Then turn your fabric right sides out.

 

 

 

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.

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

 

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!