Ribbon Blankets

One of the very first sewing projects I completed was a ribbon (ie "taggie") blanket for my son using this tutorial (minus the personalization). I was very new to sewing and used some clearance fine-wale corduroy backed with fleece. The ribbon came from scraps I already had, supplemented by ribbon from a $2 grab bag at Hobby Lobby. It's not the most aesthetically pleasing blanket, but he loved to play with the little ribbons while riding in the car. Last winter, we took it to one of his pediatrician appointments then lunch at Daddy's office. When I was loading the kids in the car, I realized the blanket was gone. I was near tears, thinking we dropped it somewhere in the hospital. I retraced our steps, left my name at the security office, and hoped for the best. I know he didn't miss it, and I could easily make another, cuter version, but I was so attached to that little blankie. I convinced myself that another child found it and took it home to love it, which made me feel a bit better. Well, weeks later, we visited my husband at work again, and as I was loading up the kids to leave, someone chased us down in the parking lot. The blanket had been found! When the receptionist saw me with two kiddos she suspected the long lost belonged to us. Hurray! The blanket is now safe and sound in my son's crib.


A stack of new blankets


Personalized for the newest baby

Ribbon blankets make great baby gifts and I've made several versions. This is definitely my favorite fabric combination and suits both boys and girls. A few of these have been personalized with the first initial of baby's name. I used navy blue knit, pinned it to the flannel, and stitched closely to the edge (no interfacing or anything). To add the ribbons, I tape them to the flannel, facing toward the center of the fabric, then straight stitch in place, being sure to backstitch again over each ribbon, then forward again. I backed it with a really luxurious red fabric, turned it right side out, then top stitched. In the end, each ribbon is stitched five times, making it super-safe for baby to play away.