Sewing Tutorial: Ribbon Tagged Baby Blanket, Perfect for Baby Showers!

One of my friends is having a little girl in June. She already has a little boy, so her shower invitation emphasized that her shower was actually a sprinkle. I did not know her when she had her little boy, so I wanted to make her and her little girl something special.

One of my go-to homemade gifts to make for babies is my tagged blanket. They are pretty quick and easy to make, and are also fun! Babies like to play with the tags around the edges and also enjoy the different colors and textures. If you make it big enough, it could also be used as a nap or stroller blanket.

I decided to add a handle to this one since I already had a cute pink fabric tie I could just attach to the corner of the blanket. (no folding and hemming, although that’s not difficult, it can be time consuming) This way, you have a coordinating fabric loop to attach to strollers or whatever. Do not make it too big so that a baby’s neck could get stuck in it. 

I was using up some fabric scraps, so I quickly whipped together a little “quilt” for the front. You definitely do not need to do this. You just need two pieces of fabric that are the same size. I have made tagged blankets that are as small as 12” x 12”, and as large as 18” x 24”. It just depends on what you want and what fabric you have on hand! Get as creative or as simple as you wish for the two sides. Feel free to mix and match different types of fabrics too. I have used old Tshirts, baby blankets, felt, fleece, and more. 

Here is the finished product! I have written a tutorial below for this easy, sweet, and stunning shower gift. I chose cotton fabric for my blanket, but you can use fleece or a minky fabric or flannel or just about anything really. Flannel is really soft and fleece feels good on sore teething gums. Just remember that since you’re giving it to a baby, it will likely end up in their mouth, so keep that in mind when choosing your fabric and your ribbon. 

I used a variety of ribbon in different widths and styles and colors. Use whatever looks best for to you. I cut them about three inches long so they can be looped. This way, you don’t have to finish/hem the ribbons. I use 1.5” width ribbon down to ⅜” in several different patterns and colors. I space the ribbons about 1-2” apart and try to alternate patterns, colors, and sizes. It’s fairly random, but there’s a slight method to my madness. You could use just one spool of ribbon, alternate two or three or four different ribbons, or whatever. The possibilities are endless! I have created music themed blankets, hunting theme, flowers, etc. I try to buy one small spool of ribbon that matches an interest of the family and put one ribbon of that pattern on each side of the blanket. Since I’ve made a lot of these, I have lots of ribbon scraps now and I also like to put random colorful ribbons on there too.

So first, you have to cut your fabric to the size you want, plus 1/2" extra all the way around for seam allowance. Also, cut your ribbons. 

Pin the ribbon loops so that they “point” toward the center of the fabric. You will be sandwiching the ribbons between the right sides of the fabric so they pop out when you turn the fabric right side out. To make my life a little easier, I pin the ribbons to the first piece of fabric first and then pin the other piece of fabric on top after all the ribbons are secured. Leave a little extra empty area in one of the corners for your handle. We will add this later. 

After pinning your ribbons, pin your other piece of fabric, making sure right sides are together. (Also, iron your fabric, because I forgot to and had to iron it after I was done...)

Once it is all pinned together, sew it, leaving a couple inches unsewn on both sides of the corner you plan on attaching the handle. You will also turn it through this corner. Sew around the rest of the blanket with about ⅜” - ½” seam allowance. This is a little bigger than most seam allowances since we really want those ribbons to be secure. Sew around it twice if you wish, but it is not necessary since we will sew around the outside of the finished product later.

Trim your corners a little so they end up nice and sharp when you turn it right side out. If you leave the extra fabric in the corners, they can appear bulky and messy. 

Once you have sewn around the blanket, leaving your opening, turn the fabric right side out through the opening. Make sure to completely pop out your corners. Use a chopstick or pen or whatever if you need to. Crunch Berries was especially helpful during this step.

Now it’s time to attach your fabric handle. Put the ends together in this decorative way or simply fold the handle in half. There’s no right way to do this. I just like how the “fancy” folding method looks and it sort of sets it apart from the ribbons.

Fold over the raw edge of both pieces of fabric to the inside so that it won’t unravel, matching up the size of the inside hem. Pin the handle to the corner. Pin the three pieces together securely and sew shut, making sure the handle is sandwiched between the two layers of fabric, “pointing” outward away from the blanket so you don’t accidentally sew the other end of the loop to the blanket… (ask me how I know this…)

Once that is done, pin a few places around the blanket, making sure your seam is tight and straight and sew around the outside of the blanket with about ⅜”- ½”. This will help hold the ribbons in place and give it a more finished look. If you are doing a large blanket, you might want to sew closer to 1” in from the sides. You may also choose to “quilt” the middle. Once again, there’s no one right way to do this. 

Make sure to cut off any loose threads. 

I like to sort of creatively fold it and roll it up, then wrap some more ribbon around it for giftgiving. I made one of these for my cousin’s baby shower and my grandma called me after the party and told me she was impressed with the blanket. 

I’d love to see pictures of your creations! What other sorts of things do you like to make for baby showers?