DIY Satin Bound Gauze Blanket

Real talk- I never thought I'd actually use Satin binding on a blanket because, quite frankly, that sounds worse than going to the dentist.   Then my littlest, Emerson, attached to a tiny lovey one he had.   So of course with all of Ambers amazing prints on double gauze, I knew it had to be done.  To my very happy surprise, it's actually way easier than I thought!! I figured I'd share a little tutorial.  I'm not an expert by any means but my kid loves them and everyone who has gotten one as a gift does too! 

Supplies-   Double Gauze,  Pre-made Satin Binding (I suppose you can make your own but doesn't sound fun) (I found mine at Joanns), sewing machine, iron, tons of clips/pins, rotary blade or scissors, and a straight edge measuring tool.

 

Step 1-  Get and prep your double gauze.  I usually use two different prints for a fun double-sided blanket.  First, you'll want to serge the edges and then pre-wash and dry.  I honestly don't serge my edges but I'd hate for it catch in the wash and mess up your gauze so go ahead and serger ;).   Once you have washed and dried you'll iron your pieces nice and flat.  Don't skip this step- it makes them so much easier to work with.  

 

Step 2-   Decided your blanket size and cut!    So I'm reallllly lazy and usually just cut my yards in half so I end up with a Fat Half for the blanket size.   You can really make it any size you want just cut your two prints (you can also do a single layer if you'd like) the same size.    Make sure you purchased enough binding for your blanket size.    

 

Step 3- Pre Sew.  Lay your two pieces wrong sides together, clip, and sew and serge all the way around to keep them together making it easier to work with.   I'd recommend finishing the edges to prevent fraying underneath your satin.  

Step 4-  Starting your binding.  Grab your satin binding and take a look at it,  there is one edge that is slightly longer than the other.  You'll be sewing with the short side up.   To start you are going to fold your edges in like this almost like a paper airplane.

 

You'll then pick a side of the blanket and slip it over and clip.  The edge of your blanket will meet the inner edge of the satin.  I usually clip about 3 inches down or sew just to start.  Using feel, you'll make sure your edges are lined up the same front and back.  Then using a zig zag stitch ( I use a lenght of 1.4 and width of 3.5) you'll stitch the edging down.   This will be covered up so if it's not perfect it's okay but you'll want to make sure you catch both the sides. 

Step 5- Continuing down the sides.  Once you have your beginning edge stitched down, you'll pivot on your machine and start stitching down the edge of the statin.  The goal is to just catch just the very edge where the satin meets the gauze and to get both the front and back evenly.  It can be a little tricky but just takes some practice through feel.   I would stitch down a few inches and stop and check your work.   The first few inches will be covered up anyways when finishing so it's an okay time to stop.  Now continue clipping like crazy and sew down to your first edge.  Once you reach the edge of the blanket stop and pull the blanket it off your machine.   You can see I missed a little of the back edge perfectly but I decided to leave it.  If you really want you can always seam rip but give yourself some grace ;) 

Step 6-   Now here's the tricky part-  the corners! Take the satin and fold it like the picture below lining up the fold with the edge of the blanket.   From there, fold it over, press, and pin.  You'll want to make sure your corner edges match up as best as possible. It can take a little maneuvering to get it all matched up well.  Now stitch it down just like you did at the beginning catching both edges.   

Step 7-  Finishing your blanket.  Continuing clipping/pinning and stitching all the way through the rest of the blanket until you get back to your beginning spot.   Notice my blanket is still in my machine to keep from having extra starting and stopping stitches. Here there are two different ways to finish.   Either way, you are going to overlap your beginning about 4 inches and then cut off whatever extra satin you have. 

 

Now, you can either do the airplane fold like we did in the beginning and finish that way. 

Or you can cut it at an angle, slightly burn the edges with a lighter (just enough to melt it to prevent fraying) and stitch it down along that edge. This second way helps reduce some extra bulk.  

Step 8-   Tie off your threads, clip, and step back and admire your awesome blanket!! 

Now hopefully that all made sense and gave you a little courage to try!  Don't forget the pre-order is opening up soon here and you can get all the double gauze for blankets and more! 

Happy Sewing and Rocking!