Two-Sided Minky Blanket TUTORIAL!

Last month I posted a picture of my 1yo grabbing all of my newly made Two-Sided Minky Blankets and running off with them. Such a helper! That picture ignited a great conversation about the challenges of sewing Minky, and having personally failed SO miserably sewing Minky myself, too many times to confess, I would like to share my tips for avoiding the seam ripper with the following Tutorial.

Supplies Needed:

- 2 "Fat Half" of Minky
- Straight Pins
- Walking Foot for your Sewing Machine
- Scissors & Coordinating Thread

Step One: Place One Fat Half Out, Right-Side Up.

Step Two: Lay the Second Fat Half on top of the first piece, Right-Side Down.

As you can see from the picture above, the two pieces of Minky are similar in size but not exact. Because of the stretch in Minky, I prefer to leave the excess as is, pin heavily (next step), and sew PRIOR to trimming.

Step Three: Pin, Pin, PIN!!! I pin every inch around all four sides. (I don't leave an opening, will be explained later!)

Step Four: Adjust your stitch length to a longer stitch. I usually sew at 2.0, so I increase my stitch to 4.0. This larger stitch is still very strong, and it is necessary to keep from stretching the Minky while I sew. Install the "Walking Foot" on your machine. Sew 1/2" seams around all four sides, beginning with a long side. With Fat Halfs, the long side has the biggest stretch. Pinning every inch, increasing the size of your stitch, and using your Walking Foot will all help you to sew quality seams with very limited stretch. If you do encounter stretch you will know by the end of this first seam, and can then rip it out and try again instead of ripping out all four seams to start over. Hmm, sounds like a lot of experience, right!?! If my seam ripper could talk, whoa! Sew all four sides and DO NOT LEAVE AN OPENING!

Step Five: Clip corners, and trim any excess Minky.

Step Six: Use your Seam Ripper, and gently make an opening in one of the sides, about the size of your seam ripper (just large enough to reach your hand into.

Step Seven: Turn your blanket Right-Sides Out.

Step Eight: Pin around all four sides, then sew 1/8" from the edge. This will close the opening you made to turn the blanket Right-Side out without the need for hand sewing.

Voila! Each of my finished blankets measure 28" x 35", a perfect size for your littles! Happy Sewing!!!

Do you have any Minky tips to add!?! Minky is one of my favorite fabrics to work with now that I've learned to increase my stitch length and pin, pin, pin! If you have any additional wisdom to share with the class, please comment below! Thank you for sharing!!!