I loved swaddling both of my babies in stretchy swaddling blankets when they were small. They slept so well all snuggled up in their blankies! I like to use blankets with some stretch to them for swaddling – I find it’s easier to wrap them snugly around baby when they have a bit of stretch.
You don’t have to possess a sewing machine or any sewing skills to make a stretchy swaddling blanket! If you find the right type of fabric, you’ll be able to cut it and it won’t fray. Experiment with a few different types of fabrics to see which one works the best for your little one.
DIY Easy Stretchy Swaddle Blanket
Supplies:
- 1 meter of four-way-stretch knit jersey fabric (the fabric should stretch when it’s pulled up and down and side to side – in order to do this it will contain “spandex” or “lycra”) OR 1 meter polar fleece (this is a fuzzier, heavier polyester fabric that would be more suitable for winter; it has less of a stretch to it but it also doesn’t fray when cut)
- a large ruler and/or straight edge
- pencil
- sharp fabric scissors OR rotary cutter
Directions:
- A standard swaddling blanket is about 30 inches square, but you can choose to make it larger if you wish (depending on the size of the baby you’re making it for or how much blanket you like to work with when swaddling).
- Using your ruler and straight edge, measure out your desired square size on your fabric, drawing the lines with a pencil. I like to work on the floor or a large table when cutting out a big piece of fabric like this. Make sure your lines are straight and measure twice! Knit fabrics can be a little slippery to work with, so take your time.
- Cut out the square evenly with sharp fabric scissors. Preferably, you can also use a rotary cutter (you can buy these at any fabric store and some big box stores) and a straight edge for nice, clean lines. (A four-way stretch knit jersey or polar fleece won’t fray, but you can serge or zig-zag stitch around the perimeter of the blanket if you do own a sewing machine.) That’s it, you’re done!
Christina Dennis is a mommy to two adorable girls, a wife to one adorable husband, and they live on an acreage in a teeny cottage west of Edmonton. She is the owner and designer behind indie baby fashion label, Golly Gee Baby, and (instead of cleaning her house) she blogs about her craft-geek adventures at www.thediymommy.com.
