Baby Blanket - Create a Personalized Baby Blanket Or Quilt For Your New Family Member

Baby blankets are timeless baby gifts. Whether store-bought or handmade, a baby blanket often becomes a comforting feature of a baby's daily routine, and some babies enjoy their blankets right through their toddler years. Handmade blankets, especially personalized blankets, are particularly treasured by parents as a keepsake of their baby's early years. Even toddlers and older kids get a kick out of knowing that their blanket was made especially for them.

You might be lucky enough to receive a handmade baby blanket as a present - perhaps at your baby shower - but there's no reason to wait around and hope that one comes your way. You can commission someone to make a personalized baby blanket for you, or better still, have a go at creating one yourself! (This is great way to pass the last few weeks of pregnancy if you're resting at home.)

Patterns For Knitted and Crochet Blankets

Baby blanket patterns for knitting or crochet are a dime a dozen. You can find patterns online for free (try an online knitting forum - they'll be able to recommend quality patterns there) or in knitting and crochet magazines. You can buy these in shops or order them by monthly subscription.

The success of any baby blanket knitting pattern will depend on the quality of the pattern itself and your level of skill and experience. If you're a total beginner, why not try crochet? Simple double and treble stitch patterns for crochet baby blankets are very popular among less experienced but no less enthusiastic Moms-to-be, and make beautiful blankets.

Personalizing Your Blanket

If it's a personalized blanket you want, you could try an embroidered quilt. Making a quilt requires decent sewing skills (and will be a lot quicker if you have a sewing machine). The fewer different pieces of material you use, the simpler the making of the quilt will be. Embroidery generally requires a bit of experience, so if you don't have it, you might be better off paying a professional or skilled quilt maker to do it for you.

So how can you embroider a blanket to make it personal? Well, you can embroider your baby's name or initials onto the quilt. Or you can include a message, for example: "To baby Jack, from Mommy and Daddy, who love you very much."

Cartoon characters are also very popular blanket features. How about having Mickey Mouse on your blanket, and a picture of your baby? Your message could be: "Baby Jack and Mickey." There's no real limit to the design possibilities.

Organic Baby Blankets

Organic baby blankets are made from natural fibers which have not been treated with chemicals. Organically processed wool and cotton are used to make these non-allergenic blankets. The theory is that your baby's sensitive skin is less likely to have an adverse reaction to the material in the blanket, making him more comfortable.

If you plan to knit a baby blanket, you can buy special baby-soft wool. Not all baby-soft wool is organic, so if you don't want any chemicals, check the product label carefully before you buy. Knitting and crochet wool is usually sold in dedicated wool and craft stores, but you can order it online too.

If you're aiming for a quilt, you can order some pieces of organic cotton on the internet and have them delivered - or check out craft stores to see if they stock these organic baby products. If you're having a professional company or craftsperson make your blanket, you can request that only organic materials are used (this may put the price up though!).

Having A Blanket Made For you

So, you've decided that you'd prefer to have someone make a personalized or handmade baby blanket for you. You now have a several options when it comes to choosing who that will be.

You may know someone in your family, circle of friends or local area who has the skills for the job. There are many women who make blankets but don't usually receive payment for them, so they don't advertise in the way that regular businesses do. Sometimes word of mouth is the only way to track down such people. (If someone is recommended to you, it's probably best to ask if you can see some of her previous work.)

Alternatively, certain baby boutiques and online baby clothing stores are able to produce customized baby blankets made to order.

However you decide to create your baby blanket, you should have a lot of fun doing it!