Baby Swaddling Blankets - we are making them again

Okay, this first one, middle had everything wrapped before I remembered I had not taken pictures.

Luckily I had fabric scraps to show -

This box went to the east coast. Oldest sister of one of youngest's best friends had first baby. A girl.

We put an instruction sheet in with each set of blankets. Not sure if swaddling is common knowledge or a lost art.

This second set was for a baby shower middle and I attended last month.

Yes, these are the same style headbands I posted a while ago.

Swaddling Blankets - rectangular, receiving blankets do not work (in my opinion), we make great big square ones as baby shower gifts.

"Swaddling is an age-old practice of wrapping infants in blankets or similar cloth so that movement of the limbs is tightly restricted."

Here is a video on how to swaddle, if it is a new topic to you. I suspect most of you, like me, could swaddle with your eyes closed, in the dark, in the middle of the night, still to this day. . .

I swaddle like the midwife demonstrates (personally), not like male doctor.  Middle is a very good swaddler. She practiced on a life size baby doll with a video (when a friend was having a baby). 

We use 100% cotton flannel. 

Do not EVER pay full price for anything at a fabric store or craft store, they run coupons (40-50% off) all the time. They often accept competitor's coupons. They run sales all the time.

We have the store cut the fabric so it will be a perfect square when we have cut off the selvage edge. Different bolts of fabric are different widths, even from the same manufacturer (often). We have our clerk check each bolt by measuring the fabric, selvage to selvage and looking at the width of each selvage strip. 

We cut off the selvage, turn the edges under twice (so the raw edge is captured) and sew with a small, straight stitch, all the way around four sides of the blanket. A small zigzag stitch could be used too. But the 100% cotton flannel will not be stretchy, so zigzag is not required.

After all the cutting, sewing is done, we wash twice, using hypo allergenic liquid Tide. We dry twice too, using the scent free Bounce. 

Here are the blankets we made for middle's friend:

(They are doing very well, baby arrived in May.)

Middle did NOT paint these, we found them, already painted at a craft store and they were very inexpensive.