Babies are a great reason to sew and there are fewer things in life that can wrap a baby in tender loving care than a hand-made baby blanket. Baby blankets are fun, short projects which allow you to express your creativity while exploring your babies’ developing personality.

Baby blankets are as versatile as a baby's needs. The most obvious use of a baby blanket is to keep the baby warm. However, keeping a baby wrapped tight, in a cocoon-type fashion closely mimics the familiar atmosphere of the womb; thus enabling the baby blanket to become the medium through which the baby can feel safe and comfortable.

Other important uses of a baby blanket are to help others identify whether your baby is a boy or a girl. This may sound trivial, but the next time you’re out in public and someone asks your baby girl how old HE is, then you’ll know from where I speak. In addition to the obvious use of colors (pink for girls and blue for boys), consider using unique patterns which also express either their femininity or masculinity.

One other suggestion that will truly make your baby blanket a keepsake for life is to embroider the child’s name onto the blanket. Simply take the fabric before assembly to an embroider shop and have the baby’s name embroidered onto the blanket. I might also suggest that you make 2 or 3 burp cloths from the same fabrics so that you have a matching ensemble.

And lastly, be sure your baby blanket is made of a machine washable fabric. I would suggest washing your baby blanket in cold water and dry on a low cycle to avoid any cotton shrinkage.