OK, how do edge a blanket?

[NellyBluth]

Complete and utter craft virgin here (bar a half-finished cross stitch that eyes me balefully from the shelf and hasn't been touched in months) but I can at least sew a bit.

DD likes a comforter to sleep with, and I was unbearably smug a few months back because my lovely DM cut up a fleece blanket into half a dozen comforters and edging them properly, so we always had an identical comforter to hand wherever we were. Now the CM has one, our parents have one... and we've lost two of our three

I really can't ask DM to make any more as it looks is awful that we've 'misplaced' some of them, so I'll give it a go myself. So, what do I need to edge a few blanket (cream, so DM doesn't notice ) and is it a matter of just folding it over the edge and sewing it carefully? Can anyone help with where I could buy ribbons? I think I already have a cream fleece in the cupboard, but if anyone can recommend good cream fleeces too that would be great.

Thanks ladies!

Fleece won't fray, so it doesn't need to have an edging, though it does look pretty. You could simply blanket stitch the edge in a contrasting colour for an easy option?

Ah, see, now you've used a technical term What's a blanket stitch?

I hate to suggest a cherrymenlove link, but, this is blanket stitch :)

Yep, blanket stitch is the way to go. In my day we learned in Juniors, but I am old.
It's easy, but can't explain without pictures. Look it up.

Aaargh, Anna, no, not Cherry Menlove!

I need to take a good look at the blankets DM made (its currently being clutched too firmly in DD's mitts to be prised free) but I don't think she used a blanket stitch and, wimp that I am, I'm keen to make my new ones look as much like hers as I can. Far to scared to tell her the truth. Though in all honesty the other two have to be in the house somewhere!

Could you post a pic and we could maybe identify the stitch from it?

That would be sensible

Thanks all, I'll take a photo and post it tonight!

I've had another look and DM has definitely edged it with some sort of ribbon.

I think I might have to admit defeat and make some that look different, I'm sure I can make up a story to tell her (I know that probably makes me look bad, but I feel too awful that these have gone walking after she made them).

So blanket stitch is quite easy?

I don't think it's soooooo bad to lose a few blankies!

Just say how great they are and that you need some more. Please.

I think if I had made something like that for someone, and they came back to tell me how useful they had been but were "lost in action", I would actually be flattered to hear they had been useful, and delighted to hear that they wanted more!
Everyone knows that it's a nightmare keeping track of even very precious things (even favourite teddies can get mislaid!), so maybe she's not going to be surprised in the least to hear that you can't place all of them?

Can't you say that they were so well loved you want to make nice new ones? Leave out the part where they were lost?!
Or not mention anything but if your mum asks say it?

You're right, I'm being a wimp about this! I'll find a blanket and ask her to make some more.

Edging a blanket with ribbon isn't difficult. Buy some ribbon about 2 inches wide, so that you have an inch of ribbon on either side of the blanket. Though if it's a small baby blanket, you might want to make it narrower.

Pin the ribbon in place round the edge of the blanket, half each side, and sew to blanket with stitches as small as you can manage, partly for aesthetics, and partly so that DCs can't get little fingers caught and pull the whole ribbon off.

you could either do each of the four sides with separate lenghts of ribbon, or can fairly easily bodge the corners and make them look neat.

YDdraig, thank you If I decide to give this a go myself that's really helpful!