It’s so strange how close this babe of mine is to being born. I keep waiting for insane nesting urges to strike, but as of yet… I am just puttering along day by day, overseeing the summer play of his many older siblings, as unfinished business keeps piling up around me. It’s remarkably chill compared to my last pregnancy. At least, I now have this lovely stack of baby blankets to show for all my puttering.
This will be my first summer baby, and I think that my favorite flannel swaddles might be too warm to be useful this time around. I had thought I might make some luxurious double gauze blankets like I did for a friend, but then I found this crinkle gauze in ridiculous Jodi-ish bright colors and plans were changed!
The fabric is “Island Breeze Gauze” from Fabric.com. It is a wonderfully light and crinkly 52 inch wide cotton gauze and it is available in a delightful assortment of colors. I ordered 1.5 yards of each.
I trimmed up the yardage to as close to a rectangle as I could, then I rounded off the corners…
… and hemmed it with a narrow rolled hem foot.
Even a slow-poke sewist like myself managed to make one in less than 20 minutes.
The hemming foot was crucial the success of this project. This method of hemming did cause some “lettucing” which I think can be blamed on the “crinkly” nature of the fabric, but it was speedy and effective. I didn’t want to putter around measuring and pressing the hem for such a basic project.
The resulting blanket is quite large, plenty big enough for a good swaddle, or for burping the baby, or to spread on the grass for baby to nap, or to nurse under when/if I feel like covering up.
I figure with these blankets, a couple of packs of fresh onesies, and some diapers we will be good to go for the first few months. I mean what more do you need for a July baby, really?
A lovely stack of blankets! I just had my first summer baby and I am loving my gauze blankets.
Ooh, those colors are gorgeous! I agree, babies don’t need all that much! Especially not when you already have baby stuff to pass down.
I love the colors! Light muslin swaddles are my favorite baby product.
I have got to get me a rolled hem foot!
These are beautiful! How do they wash up? Do they get softer? I’ve been looking at island breeze gauze for a blanket I want to make but I’m hesitant because I want to make sure it gets softer with washing like other cotton gauze fabrics do.
It does soften up beautifully, but the texture is a bit different than other cotton gauzes because it keeps the crinkles through the washing. I love these blankets though. They are great for nursing… burp rags.. changing blankets… tents over sleeping babies… no end to the use.
They still sell this same Island Breeze gauze at Fabric.com. Since it is not double-gauze, do you know if the white is thick enough to use for making swaddle blankets? Thank you!!
Please share the tutorial… i’m ready to start!