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Two swaddle blankets on a pine dresser.

DIY Muslin (Double Gauze) Newborn Blankets

Sew your own soft, light, and amazingly crinkly DIY muslin swaddle blankets for baby with my quick and easy tutorial. I'll show you how to correctly straighten the edges of the fabric and hem the edges for a beautiful and professional handmade baby blanket.
5 from 1 vote
Print Instructions Pin Project
Prep Time 5 minutes
Project Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Tools

  • 1.5 yards double gauze fabric (sometimes referred to as "muslin" fabric, double gauze is the correct name for the fabric you are looking for)
  • Sewing Machine
  • pins
  • Thread
  • measuring tape

Instructions
 

Straighten the Fabric

  • When you purchase your fabric, the edges will not be even. For a professional blanket with straight edges, straighten the cut edges before sewing your blanket.
  • Look for the "grid" pattern within the weave of the fabric. If your fabric has this, simply trim the edges of the piece of fabric using the grid as a guide. You can also just eyeball it and trim up the edges as best you can.
    OR, you can use the following method:
    Lay the fabric out on a flat surface and pick a cut side to start from.
    Snip the selvage edge a tiny bit and begin to pull down one or two threads from the snipped edge. Alternate gently pushing the fabric and pulling the threads to avoid breaking the threads before you’ve made it to the end.
    You're essentially pulling a thread out from the entire length of fabric. Now you can cut along the guide where the thread was pulled out. Repeat on the other cut side of the fabric.

Cut Fabric Into a Square

  • Cut the fabric into a square by folding the fabric in a triangle up to the top edge of the fabric. Trim off the excess fabric.

Hem the Blanket

  • I use a ½” fold over hem for these blankets. Find the ½” point, fold up the hem, measure another ½” and then fold it up again and pin. For those with some sewing experience, you can probably just eyeball this.

Stitch the Hems

  • Stitch the hem (close to the inside edge for sturdiness), removing pins as you sew.
    Next side: Repeat the process and fold in the sewn edge along with the rest of the fabric as you pin it up. Stitch hem. Repeat for the final two sides. Trim excess threads.

Wash the Blankets

  • When you wash the blankets, the fabric will magically become so soft and fluffy! I wash on cold and dry on low heat.

Notes

How Much Fabric to Buy?
I always buy a little more fabric than I need to make a square blanket because I want enough extra to straighten the edges of the fabric. My go-to is to buy 1.5 yards per blanket (save scraps for other projects).