Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Crunchy Fuzzy Loopy Tag Blankie Tutorial - Handmade Christmas

Ellie is completely enamored with anything that makes
loud crunchy noises.
She also likes to suck on blankets and put her fingers through anything that loops.
And I'm pretty sure fuzzy things make her really happy.
She hasn't exactly told me,
but I think I'm picking up what she's laying down, if you know what I mean...

I magically fused all of her baby loves together into something I like to call,
"The Crunchy Fuzzy Loopy Tag Blankie".
In case you didn't pull it from the name, the blankie is crunchy, fuzzy, and loopy.
In other words, it's an auditory/tactile playground for babies.

It was also extremely easy to make with minimal materials.
2 pieces of scrap fabric
1 empty cereal or chip bag
ribbon scraps
pins
sewing machine

So easy, in fact, that I decided to write a tutorial for it.
DSC_0038

Now, as Willow would say, let's get this party started.


You need:
*2 pieces of fabric (quilting weight or flannel) that are the same size- go search your scraps.
Cut to any size you want.
DSC_0014
I used quilting weight for one side, flannel for the other to get some different textures in there.

*1 empty bag of chips or cereal- go search your pantry.
You need any kind of bag that makes a crunchy sound and can get wet.
DSC_0010
Clean the bags and let them dry.

Then, cut them up the back seam so they're easier to work with and lay flat like so:
DSC_0011
Cut the bag to be the same size as your 2 fabric pieces.

*Scraps of any non-wired ribbon or ric-rac - pieces should be at least 2" long to work well
DSC_0013

Cut longer pieces into 2"-4" strips to make the loops.
DSC_0015

Take one of your two pieces of fabric and place it right side up.
You will pin all your 'loops' to the right side of this fabric.

Now, take your 2"-4" pieces of ribbon and, one at a time, fold them in half, making a loop.
Line up the cut edges of the ribbon with the outside edge of the fabric,
with the looped end pointing towards the inside of your fabric rectangle and pin in place.
Continue along all 4 edges of fabric.
You should end up with something that looks like this:
DSC_0017
Make as many or as few tag loops as you want.

When you've finished pinning all your loops,
take your other piece of fabric and place it on top of the fabric you just pinned the loops to, right sides together.
(So the wrong side is facing up)
Pin in place.
DSC_0020

Next, take your piece of crunchy bag and place it on top of the fabric you just pinned.
Pin in place.
DSC_0021

You should have a 'sandwich' of those 3 layers:
taggie blankie

Take your 'sandwich' to your sewing machine, making sure the crunchy bag is on top.
Sew together with 1/4" seam allowance around 3 edges.
DSC_0027

On the 4th edge, make sure to leave a gap about 3 inches wide.
DSC_0029

Now, carefully turn your blankie sandwich completely right-side out through that gap.
Use a pen or the wrong end of a paintbrush to push the corners out from the inside so they're nice and pointy.
Smooth everything out.

To close the gap, turn under the open edges of fabrics 1/4" and pin.
DSC_0031

If you had any loops located in the gap, you will need to re-pin those.
DSC_0033

Make sure you place the loops in between the two fabric pieces and 1/2" inside (deep), with the looped end pointing out this time.
Pin in place.
DSC_0036

Now, stitch just inside the edge of the blanket (about 1/8") around all 4 edges.
Backstitch at beginning and end.

Congratulations... you're done!!!

Now you have a super-fun Crunchy Fuzzy Loopy Tag Blankie to give to a tiny human!
DSC_0038


And, if they're anything like Ellie,
they will love it so much that they squeal with delight and whip it around faster than the speed of light to blur the colors and hear it crunch.
Picnik collage

Let me know if you have any questions or if anything is unclear...
I'll leave you be so you can get to work on your new projects.

4 comments:

  1. I just LOVE this idea!!! Great tutorial, too. My favorite part - "push the corners out from the inside so they're nice and pointy." Your directions are fun and easy to follow. I will be making this very soon for a friend who is expecting. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just wanted to say THANKS! My boy loves crunchy toys as well and I've been saving empty bags to do something like this (I just assumed it *might* work out). Thanks for making it so simple!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Zippers and crunchy things...both will make my baby girl dive across the room to get her little hands on 'em. Not only is she fast, but also slippery so diving out of mama's arms keeps it exciting around here. I'm all over this taggie crunchy blanket!

    ReplyDelete
  4. really cute tutorial...especially when you have a cutie pie to model it in action!
    -tyler
    www.babyluxdesign.com/babyblog

    ReplyDelete

I love me some comments! Thanks!