How to make a receiving blanket:

Find your favorite fabric for your receiving blanket

There are so many beautiful prints of fabric. The best fabric to use for a receiving blanket is flannel. (Spit up will run off of cotton). Flannel is machine washable. The following will instruct you on how to make a receiving blanket. These blankets make the most wonderful gifts for a new mom and baby. These receiving blankets are so versatile. They can be used for a burp cloth, a cover-up while nursing, a changing mat, or a car seat cover up for shade. You can whip out 3-5 in an afternoon for a shower the next day. So get out your rotary cutter and thread your sewing machine and let’s get started!

A receiving blanket is 36″ by 36″. For each blanket, you need to purchase a yard and a fourth of fabric. I would suggest a yard and a fourth so you can square it up nicely. Pre-wash the fabric because flannel will shrink!

Square it up

Hold the material up with selvages together and shift the material until it hangs straight. (Without any ripples down to the fold) You want an exact square, so the first item of business is to cut the selvages off the edges. Next, line the fabric up on your rotary mat and square up one side of the fabric. I find it easiest to use a clear ruler and a rotary cutter. Square up the other side. You want to measure the width of the fabric after cutting the selvage off. Make it the same length to have a square. You can take one edge and fold it into a triangle to make sure it is square.

Finishing up your receiving blanket

Now it’s time to finish the edges. The preferred method would be to set up your serger for a rolled hem with matching thread and trim off approximately 1/8″ all the way around, rounding the corners. You can also just serge the edges with a regular serged seam. Another way is to use your regular machine. Fold under 1/4″ and press. Fold another 1/4″ and press again. Then sew a straight seam on the edge. Voila! You are finished. Now, wasn’t that easy? Let’s make some more cuz you are going to need more than one blanket, right?