Slider

WIP Wednesday: DIY Mermaid blanket

Wednesday, April 8, 2015




I had seen some adorable mermaid blankets on pinterest. They were mostly knitted or fleece ones. I'm not a huge fan of sewing with fleece and flannel for blankets. I usually use it as a lining because I really like working with cottons. I had the idea to make Amelia a pink tail blanket for daycare and couldn't decide on a shade so I decided to give in the the ombre craze and use all her favorite shades of pink!

You'll need:
1-2 meters of fabric depending on how long you want your tail to be.
1-2 meters of flannel to line the blanket
Sewing pen
coordinating thread

Sorry for the lack of pictures...


Step 1: I sewed together four strips of various shades going light to dark. For Amelia's blanket I used the following measurements:

Fabric 1:  8 inches (WOF)
Fabric 2:  10 inches (WOF)
Fabric 3:  14 inches (WOF)
Fabric 4:  18 inches (WOF)

Step 2: Fold the fabric in half widthwise and draw the desired shape. I found a tailfin template to use as a guide but ended up freehanding the tail design.

Step 3: Lay the cut out tail on the flannel and cut 2 pieces to line the blanket

Step 4: With right sides together sew the top of outer pierce 1 and lining piece 1 together. Turn right side out and iron the seam.

Step 5: Pin the fabric together and sew/serge around the edge.

Step 6: Repeat for second piece of fabric and lining.

Step 7: Using a sewing ink pen draw gill pattern on the blanket. I chose to only quilt one side. For the tail I replicated the lines that occur in a fishtail at the bottom of the fin. I used a thread that coordinated with the  darkest shade of pink. and quilted along the lines using a straight stitch.

Step 8: Place both pieces right side together. sew/serge down the sides. You may want to sew and zigzag along the bottom of the tail to get the right silhouette.  Use a straight stitch along the top edge to top stitch the opening of the blanket.

Step 9: Give to your little and let her slip into her new mermaid tail blanket! Washing the blanket gives the fabric a bit of a crinkled look and makes it even more "mermaidy" At least according to A2.



Linked up at Freshly Pieced!

9 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your instructions! I saw this on Pinterest recently and thought it would be a super cute item to make for my little one when she's bigger!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love pinterest! This would come together even faster if you only used 1 or 2 fabrics instead of the ombre look. Would love to see it if you make one Jenn!

      Delete
  2. So cute! I am sure my little would enjoy one! We will have to get to work on this!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I also saw that on Pinterest and pinned it. Your mermaid tail looks fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi, this tail looks great and close to the Whimsy tail! Thanks for sharing. I hope you don't mind a few questions as I'm a NOVICE sewer. What kind of fabric did you use on the outside? Also, would it be possible to line the inside with a Comfy fabric instead of fleece?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!! I used Kona solids on the outside fabrics. I would say you could use whatever type of fabric you like for the lining just keep in mind that you may want to size up a bit if you are using a bulkier lining. I'd love to see your creation when you are done!

      Happy sewing!!

      Delete
  5. can you attach a link to to where you found your tail fin?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sorry I don't recall, I ended up freehanding it mostly. Any fin tail pattern would likely work and you can google to find one :)

    ReplyDelete

CopyRight © | Theme Designed By Hello Manhattan