The students in Knots for NICU hand-make numerous items from receiving blankets (which double as incubator crib sheets), to crocheting & knitting beanie hats & headbands, to designing and sewing burial gown sets from donated wedding dresses, as well as scent hearts from leftover blanket fabric. Below are instructions & tutorials we follow, & invite others to join in making these rewarding items!
Preemie sized blankets (bought or sewn) are used as both swaddling blankets and NICU incubator crib sheets.
- SIZE - Buy 1 yard of fabric (36"x36") to make 1 blanket. A good measurement for the finished product is about 35”x35” square.
- FABRIC – soft, thin fabrics like nursery flannel, brushed flannel, or muslin material (any color or pattern) yield the best results; 1 yard of fabric yields 1 blanket.
- If you would like to donate supplies for sewing blankets, we have sewers that can do it! Any donations of nursery flannel fabric or muslin material is all they need (1 yard makes 1 blanket; any colors/patterns you think baby would like).
- This blanket/swaddling cloth is a single side of fabric, it is not lined or doubled.
- Cut a yard of fabric to 36" by 36" square.
- Fold over a side/edge of the fabric approximately 1/4" and iron the fold so it stays down. Repeat for all four sides of the fabric.
- Repeat prior step a second time on all four sides - so that a second fold is ironed down.
- Unfold the ironed corners and miter cut the corners, so the corners are not too thick for your sewing machine.
- Use sewing machine to sew a top stitch on all four sides, close to the inside edge of folded, ironed fabric to make a simple 1/4" hem. (See blanket folding/miter cut example images below.)
