I’m going to apologize in advance for the multitude of pictures in this post. I can’t help it. I LOVE this project. Love, love, LOVE it. There are so many directions you could go with this idea, so many possibilities to try… Anyway, without further adieu, I introduce to you the Dip-Dyed Ombre Doodle Baby Swaddling Blanket. Catchy right?
So here’s what you need:
1. 1 box of Rit dye (I used petal pink)
2. A bottle of WASHABLE glue.
3. A 45″ square piece of stretchy knit fabric (think t-shirt material- soft and perfect for swaddling a cute little babe)
You also need a serger or a sewing machine to finish the edge. I just got my Mom’s old serger (and am hugely, majorly, head-over-heels in love with it even though I can’ really use it well yet) but you could certainly use a regular sewing machine.
Here’s the how-to:
1. Lay out your fabric on a flat NON STICK surface. My dining room table is varnished with a heavy duty clear coat so nothing sticks to it. Do NOT do this project on your carpet or on any other surface that could be ruined with things sticking to it.
2. Decide what you want to “write” on your blanket. Use your glue bottle as a pencil and write away. I went with a few different sizes/fonts of the word “love”. When my arm got tired, I squiggle/dripped paint all over the remaining fabric in a totally random-no-method kind of way. It’s harder than you think to squeeze a glue bottle for an extended period of time!
3. Let this dry completely. Don’t worry if the fabric gets a little wrinkly. Dried glue makes the fibers shrink up or something. Totally fine. Mine needed to dry for a full 24 hours. Damn Pittsburgh rain.
4. Once the fabric is completely dry, get your dye ready. I didn’t really follow the directions on the box- just filled a big metal pot with hot water, a quick pour of vinegar, and added the powder. I brought it to a boil and then turned the heat down to simmer the whole time the fabric was dying. Just make sure you have enough hot water in the pot so your entire piece of fabric can move around freely.
5. Your total dying time will be about 30 minutes- so give yourself that much time to be in the kitchen near your pot of water. I wasn’t comfortable leaving the fabric hanging out of a boiling pot of water, but that’s just me. Dip the first 6 inches or so of fabric into your water. Swirl it around a bit and let it hang like that for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes is up, submerge the next 6 inches of fabric into your dye bath. Keep submerging 6 inches of fabric in 5 minute intervals until your whole fabric square is submerged. Remove quickly after the last 6 inches gets submerged to keep your top portion very light. Hopefully you are not confused?
6. Rinse out your blanket under cold water until the water runs clear. Then pop it in the washer with a little bit of detergent and wash (wash it alone on your smallest cycle so any leftover color doesn’t ruin other pieces of clothing). Dry as usual. The glue will wash right out and you’ll be left with a beautiful piece of fabric!
7. All you have left to do is finish the raw edge. I used my new-to-me serger (yikes, sergeing a knit is harder than I thought) but you could simply turn the edge under and top stitch around the perimeter.
These little guys snuck in. Common. So cute.
Had to use my baby stunt doubles but you get the idea. The perfect stretchy, soft, cozy, multi-layer swaddle for baby! This makes me beyond happy. Incase you are wondering I am a very accomplished swaddler. I can papoose those babies up better than most. No baby escapes my swaddles! I’m so adding this to the must-make-for-friends-who-are-having-babies list (which is growing by the way… when my friends do start having babies, they will be on the receiving end of SO many Jacquie projects- get ready girls!).
P.S. how cute is GG’s new crib sheet? It was a birthday gift from my cousin. I’m too lazy to iron it It’s fresh outta the box so there are a few wrinkles but I’ll live. The gray chevron is adorable! You can find it at Pottery Barn if you’re curious.
My future doodle-blanket ideas:
-a short love letter to baby
-a simple glue drawing of baby’s house
-baby’s name over and over
-favorite song lyrics
-baby’s birth date, height, weight, name etc.
-animals all over
-ABC’s
Seriously the possibilities are endless here. Anything you can DRAW you can draw in glue. Maybe next time there will be a real new baby I can borrow to photograph inside the blanket 😉 any takers?
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