OH BABY! Do I have the cutest, most meaningful blanket tutorial for you! If you’re looking for an easy DIY baby shower gift look no further! Seriously guys, not only is this adorable boho style, pompom blanket super on trend and can be totally customized, it’s SO easy to make. And I mean it- this is a beginner project (AND can be even more beginner if you skip the embroidery). If you can cut, pin and sew in a straight line, this project is fully doable and the results will WOW every guest at the baby shower. You’ll probably want to make one for yourself after…
This blanket combines all of the elements of the perfect baby blanket. Double gauze cotton is the fabric used for most popular swaddle blankets. It’s soft, super breathable and warm without being too heavy. Added personalization with a little embroidery. And the most adorable touch- the pompoms.
A show stopping yet easy DIY Baby Shower Gift
Are you like me and plagued with always wanting to go above and beyond to make gifts personal and meaningful? It is a blessing and a curse, but when it comes to a new baby, nothing is more meaningful than a keepsake item for them to treasure. As disposable and “meh” quality as everything is these days, I remember the handmade items meaning the most to me at my first baby’s shower. But the task can be super daunting… Hand knit or crocheted blankets take FOREVER. Quilts require legit skill. Yes my little swooners- this blanket is the solution, it’s easy to make and cute AF!
Boho Pompom Blanket Materials:
Blanket Materials
- 2 1/2 yards of 100% Cotton Double Gauze (super easy to find- I got mine at Joanne’s)
- Fabric Shears
- Pinking Shears
- Sewing Machine
- Thread that matches fabric color
- Pompom Trim – 5 1/2 yards
Embroidery Materials
- A marking device such as tailors chalk, invisible ink pen or ultra washable marker
- An Embroidery hoop
- Embroidery needle
- Multiple skeins of embroidery floss (for my small heart design I used 3 skeins)
- Small snip scissors
- Square of interfacing or medium weight fabric for embroidery backing.
- Machine thread that matches color of your embroidery floss (in my case white) for topstitching
Need a cheat sheet?! Subscribe below and we’ll send you a quick reference materials checklist and step-by-step guide to the DIY!
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Tips before you start:
Before you begin I want to make sure you have my pro tips for pro looking results.
My #1 rule in creating a professional looking finished product is to take the extra time & effort in the preparatory steps for this blanket.
Those important steps include:
1) Pre-washing & drying the fabric
2) Ironing the edges flat
3) Pinning the pompom trim in meticulously.
4) Unless you are an experienced embroiderer, I would also suggest trying the embroidery out on an extra scrap of fabric.
The extra time taken up front will save you from having to fix mistakes later! Be sure to take extra care in the prep phase.
Ok! Now onto the steps for creating the cutest baby blanket & easy DIY baby shower gift
1. Wash & dry fabric to eliminate shrinking.
I promised you an easy DIY baby gift and in order for that to hold true there are a few prep steps you need to follow. the first is to wash and dry the fabric to eliminate shrinking. This is a super important step especially if you decide to embroider. If you do not prewash the fabric prior to construction it will pucker and shrink in an awkward way… No bueno!
2. Cut fabric at the top folded edge to create two even rectangular pieces.
The dimensions of this blanket are completely up to you, as long as the two cuts of fabric match in size, you’re golden! I used 2 1/2 yards which will create a blanket that is approximately 21/2 ft wide by 41/2 ft long. This is a great length for a crib or stroller throw/ blanket.
3. Iron around the edges
This fabric puckers and curls in on itself, and you will need the raw edges to be flat in order to pin around the pompom trim in a neat and even way. Iron around the perimeter of the blanket so the edges lay flat. This is another super important prep step for creating a professional outcome!
4. Embroidery (optional)
The following steps for embroidering are completely optional- short on time or not feeling the added work? No problem! Just skip down to Step #5!
Adding embroidery to your design will elevate this super easy DIY Baby shower gift to be a real keepsake. If you have the time, you should totally try a little embroidered design- have confidence, its not as hard as it looks!
A) Find the (vertical) center point at the spot you would like your embroidery to be located.
Do this by folding the blanket in half by matching the two long edges. I chose to put mine at the bottom 1/3 of the blanket. Mark this center point with a pin.
B) Trace out desired embroidery to have the center point in the middle of your design
In my case I matched the center point to the bottom point of the heart for more accuracy (see where pin is located in photo above). You can use tailor chalk, an invisible ink marking pen or just your kid’s washable marker (not as accurate for more intricate designs but for this design it was sufficient)
C) Reinforce fabric & place embroidery hoop around the design.
The cotton gauze is super loosely knit, so you will need to reinforce the fabric with an interfacing or other medium weight fabric. I used a large square of cotton muslin I had lying around. Place this behind your gauze in the embroidery hoop so that both layers of fabric are held taught.
D) Get Embroiderin’ baby!
This step is completely up to you and your imagination! I used a backstitch for 5 rows to create the outline of the heart. I then filled the outline in with descending sizes of french knots (starting with 5 wraps at the bottom, working my way down to 2 wraps at the top). Feel free to go wild with your design, the options are limitless- know the baby’s initials? even cuter!
NOTE: For beginners the french knot is a little tricky until you get the hang of it. I would recommend doing a solid trial run on a scrap of medium-to-heavy weight fabric so you get the technique down. You can’t cut the knots out as easily as a regular stitch so mistakes will be noticeable.
E) Remove the embroidery hoop and iron out creases.
F) Reinforce the design with a topstitch on the sewing machine and trim off excess interfacing from the back side.
This will ensure the backing and embroidery floss stay in place for the long term, especially because this blanket will likely be washed frequently. Simply sew a straight stitch over the outside edge of the embroidery to hold everything in place. By using the same color thread as the embroidery floss this topstitch wont be noticeable. Turn over and trim off any excess interfacing fabric around what has just been topstitched. You want to eliminate any bulk or awkward excess fabric before finishing the blanket.
ok! now back to the blanket…
5. Trim raw threads of blanket
- After washing, drying and handling the fabric for a bit you may notice the edges are beginning to fray. Trim any raw threads that have come loose on the edges of the 2 sections of fabric. You do not want these to peek through on the finished product so be sure to have clean edges all the way around.
6. Prepare pompom trim to be pinned into the blanket
- Cut 4 sections of the trim to match the lengths of the 4 sides of the blanket.
- Sandwich the trim between the 2 right sides of the double gauze cotton fabric.
7. Pin blanket together
Pin all the way down each side ensuring you are sandwiching the trim perfectly between the 2 right sides of your double gauze fabric (your embroidery should be facing the inside of the “sandwich”). All 3 edges should align the entire way down each side. The pompoms are large and bulky and for that reason I was pretty aggressive with the pinning, putting a pin in between each pompom. Although it is time consuming- the more you pin the better and cleaner the results will be!
7a. Pinning trim into corners
At corners you will need to ease in the trim lengths to accommodate two pompoms at the edges and create a seamless effect. Try to space out the pompoms to achieve about the same distance as it is on the trim length.
8. Stitch that baby up!
- Before stitching around the blanket edges, adjust your machine’s needle. It is ideal for the needle to be as close to the pompoms as possible. Do so by moving the placement of your machine’s needle as far to the left as it allows. This ensures your seam will hide the thick boarder of the trim on the inside of the blanket while the pompoms are able to poke out.
- Using the 3/8″ seam allowance guide, SLOWLY stitch down each side of the blanket, leaving a minimum 6 inch opening somewhere on one side, between the top and bottom corners (see photo below).
- IMPORTANT TIP #1: Do not leave the 6″ gap at the corner! It will be much easier to finish a straight line somewhere along the side. I placed my opening in the right hand side about 10″ down from the corner. This gap will allow you to turn right side out so don’t forget!
- IMPORTANT TIP #2: DO NOT RUSH! This fabric is a seam-ripping nightmare, so you want to be sure that you are very patient while sewing to avoid having to go back and take any stitches out.
9. Turn right side out to inspect
Before finishing the blanket you want to make sure your first round of stitching was successful. On my first try there were some pieces of trim showing and two of the corners looked a little wonky. I went back over these parts to make the seams as consistent and pretty as possible. Do a little inspection of all the edges and corners and make a mental note of what needs to be fixed.
10. Turn right sides in again to fix errors, then zigzag stitch the unfinished edges.
- Once you’ve turned the blanket in again, find the problem areas from your “inspection” and fix them.
- In order to reinforce the blanket to sustain washes and everyday life, I highly recommend going around the unfinished edges again with a zigzag stitch. This will keep them from fraying down the road.
11. Use pinking shears to clip the corners
In order for the corner seams to lay flat and look natural you will need to cut off each of the four corners, just above the zigzag stitch. Using pinking shears is best rule of thumb as they prevent the fabric from fraying.
12. Turn right side out
Pull the right side of the blanket through the 6 inch gap once and for all! You’re almost there!!
13. Pin gap closed and stitch to finish blanket.
To finish the blanket you can either hand or machine stitch the open section closed. I chose to use my machine which looks a little less professional but will hold up in the wash much better! And- because of the nature of this fabric the machine stitched edge is almost unnoticeable, as you can see below.
14. Wash & dry
Before you gift wrap or swaddle baby up you will want to wash the blanket one more time. This way any markings from at the embroidery site will be removed and the blanket will take shape. Not to mention, the more you wash this fabric the softer it gets!
And thats it!! Get ready to drop major wow bombs & shower this little babe with the cutest and easiest homemade baby blanket ever!
You’re done- this cute easy baby shower gift is good to go!
So there you have it! 14 simple steps to for an easy DIY baby shower gift!
I am due in December so I made this little number for my baby #2. I’m so happy that she’ll have something made by mom from day one.
Tell me what you think! I’d love to see how you made this blanket your own. Share your results in the comments below and let me know if you ran into any issues. Can’t wait to see!
DIY baby blanket Printable Instructions
For easy reference, I’ve added a printable 1 page PDF easy reference guide for the DIY baby shower gift blanket which includes a materials checklist and quick reference instructions for you! Be sure to download below.
MORE POMPOMS PLEASE!
Want another insanely easy baby DIY? Check out this totally adorbs pompom basket DIY. Because, ya know, you can never have too many pompoms…
