I have been eyeballing the Aiden and Anise *muslin* receiving blankets that you can purchase at Target for a while now: ever since I found out I was pregnant. BUT it's $45 for 4! I just could not see spending that much for receiving blankets: especially on a fourth baby where we pretty much have everything we need already. So, I researched and looked hard at the actual product while still in it's packaging anytime I was at Target...one thing I noticed: they aren't made out of muslin. At least not what I consider muslin to be. They're made out of gauze. There is a big difference between gauze and muslin. Muslin is cheap, rough texture (I think so), and has no stretch. Gauze is airy, breezy, stretchy, and soft. Perfect for summer babies: especially breast fed ones! (It gets quite hot under those heavy blankets while nursing a baby!) Here is what I came up with:
Our local Joanns carries white gauze only...I was hoping for a bit more to choose from so I checked out online and found more at fabric.com They in fact have many color options and some print options as well. The pricing is way better than Joanns at $3.98 yd! Joanns runs about $8 yd. Yeah. I wanted 4 blankets at least so I purchased some white, purple and pink gauze. Here's a simple tute for those of us who don't have a serger.
Cut the yardage down to your preferred size. I like about 40"x50"...or even bigger can't hurt!
Don't bother pressing the fabric, just fold over (once) as you go and zigzag stitch over the edge of the fabric. Use a zigzag stitch to catch and keep the fabric from fraying AND because it's a stretchy fabric. A straight stitch will simply bunch the fabric. When you reach a corner, simply fold it upwards and zigzag to the edge. Do this all the way around the blanket with a coordinating thread and then you're done.
If you want to add a little decoration, cut a shape such as a heart out of knit fabric (stretchy fabric onto stretchy fabric). Zigzag stitch around the edge to attach the shape you choose.
WE are loving our gauze receiving blankets! Our little one is 12 days old and we have used these blankets daily since she got home.
and just because everyone likes to see a cute baby, here she is
