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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Effortless Baby Gift

March 14, 2016

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Good morning! Our weekend was jam-packed with fun, and although I don’t have a whole lot to show for it (unless you count the dark circles under my eyes from trying to shift my schedule for Daylight Savings), I did make these sweet double-gauze blankets for a friend’s baby shower, just in time for the event on Sunday.

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Fabric design has come a long way since K was a tiny tot. I was amazed by the choices available here (love these birdies), but I got these gender neutral fabrics that are perfect for swaddle blankets from here, and a yard and a half made for a very generous-sized baby wrapper for each design. I probably could have gotten away with just a yard.

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I’m a pro at mitered corners now (this is a good reference video), and I love how soothing it is to sew these. Not much thought is required as it’s a lot of pressing and sewing straight lines — I get to zone out in a blissed out sort of way.

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I’ve decided that from here on out, swaddle blankets are my go-to baby gift. Eternally useful, simple to make, totally satisfying and always well-received (especially when they find out they’re handmade!). What’s not to love?

Filed in: sewing • by sanae • 8 Comments

Comments

  1. Asmita

    March 14, 2016 at 9:54 am

    Gorgeous colours Sanae!

    Reply
    • sanae

      March 14, 2016 at 8:29 pm

      Aren’t they spring appropriate? The baby is coming on March 31st (C-section), so I wanted something cheerful. Thank you, Asmita!

      Reply
  2. SewingTidbits

    March 14, 2016 at 11:22 am

    Thanks for the link to the double gauze!! I was looking for EXACTLY that ;-))

    Reply
    • sanae

      March 14, 2016 at 8:30 pm

      The selection is mind-boggling! Glad the link was helpful for you Delphine! 🙂

      Reply
  3. gretaclark

    March 14, 2016 at 12:19 pm

    These are so pretty.

    Reply
    • sanae

      March 14, 2016 at 8:30 pm

      Thanks, Greta! So meditative to make too!

      Reply
  4. Lucinda

    March 14, 2016 at 4:37 pm

    We have both those fabrics in the store at which I work, and have made the exact same project to inspire customers. They only get better with washing and drying! You’re right – the quintessential baby gift!:)

    Reply
    • sanae

      March 14, 2016 at 8:31 pm

      I have to find out which store you work at Lucinda! It must be such a nice one with a great fabric selection! And yes, these are perfect for swaddle blankets :-).

      Reply

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I just realized that this week marks 10 years sinc I just realized that this week marks 10 years since my first craft book Sewing Happiness was published. I’ve sewn literally thousands of garments and other textile projects in the last decade! I included a Sashiko primer in the book, and I’m delighted that this humble Japanese embroidery practice has stood the test of time - if anything, I’ve noticed that there’s an ever growing enthusiasm for hand stitching. Fun news: I’ll be teaching a virtual Sashiko workshop for @tatterbluelibrary on Thursday, April 30th at noon ET. Link in profile! Would love to see you there! 💙💙💙💙💙
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