Clipped Fleece Blankey Gift Set

{humor me, if you will, while I ramble on about "Blankey"...}

When I was about 12 months pregnant with that little guy up there {or so it seemed like}, I decided that he needed some of his very own blankeys instead of the crap hand-me-downs he was getting from his older brother.  I got this wild, crazy "nesting" syndrome and made about 6 blankets in one day!!!  I was a crazed, over-pregnant blanket making machine!!!  Some were beautiful chenille-backed vintage cotton prints, some were warm, cozy flannel - and this one was just a random piece of fleece that I clipped.   You can guess which one quickly became his favorite.  What the?!  Go figure.  The simple clipped fleece blankey was his favorite from the moment he was born and it's still his special "friend".    The same thing happened with another girlfriend of mine - I gave her baby a clipped fleece blanket the baby also got attached to the soft fleece and little fringies.  Interesting, wouldn't you say?!

SO...it's anyone's guess as to what a baby is going to attach themselves to, but I'm telling you that these clipped blankeys have a very high success rate regardless of how simple they are.  They're SO easy, very inexpensive, and perfect for snuggling a baby with because they're warm without being too heavy.

On with it now...

Fleece Baby Gift Set

This little gift set is going to my very own, very first, flesh-and-blood niece who is my only sibling's first baby.  (did you get all that?)  My brother and his wife had their first baby and I'm ecstatic beyond belief! I'm also getting another little niece this summer who will live around the corner from me, so I'm going girl crazy with baby stuff!!!  Girl stuff is SO adorable!    

Here's how to make that little gift set:

You'll need a fairly large piece of fleece cut - about 1.5 yards.  If you are going to cut out a motif from the blanket, make sure the designs on your fleece are large enough to cut out.  

Then:  with pinking shears or plain scissors, cut your blanket size however large you want it.  With the remaining fleece left over, cut out a motif or even strips to stitch onto your onesie.  You could also save some for burpies, booties, or whatever else you want to make.

You can clip your corners however you'd like, but below is a photo of the way I did mine.  Corners can be tricky and this is my favorite way to do them.  (Rounded corners would be cute, too)

That's it!  Very simple.  You cut a rectangle and clip the edges.  Does it get any easier?!

On to the Onesie:

Before you do anything, make sure you wash, dry, and press your onesie.  I also prefer to use a lightweight iron-on fabric stabilizer on the underneath part of the shirt - just a rectangular piece that covers the upper half of the shirt.  It helps keep your stitching from puckering, it helps prevent large holes forming in the shirt where you stitch, and it's soft so it won't irritate a baby.

For the motif, use a teeny, tiny amount of fabric glue in the middle and outer areas that you DON'T plan on stitching on.  It's SO hard to stitch through dried fabric glue, so try to be careful, but tack it down nicely.  This will prevent you from having to fuss with pins.  If I don't have to use pins, I try not to. 

Then, using my handy-dandy stitch guide here, create something cute on your cut-out!  

I used pinking shears to clip out my flowers, so that added a little more detail to the flowers and I just stitched in-between the triangles.

It IS possible to over-decorate something like this.  Keep it simple without distracting from the fleece motif too much.  You want to add detail without overdoing it.

That's it!  What a GREAT gift!!  Wal-Mart had some cute solid colored infant pants for $2.00, so I grabbed some in every color in order to pair them with hand made tops.  If you ever see solid colored pants or skirs for cheap, get them and keep them in your gift-giving stash!

... I also did a quick little lollipop onesie {gasp!!!}  Simple, scrumptious, and hand-made.  

I love it.  Who wouldn't like something like this?!  (a wierdo, that's who)

Now go make something cute!!!