Vintage Tablecloth Baby Blanket

Vintage tablecloths are definitely one of my favorite things to collect! I love them all, the florals, the novelty prints, the hand embroidered! Some of my favorite’s that I have at home are souvenir tablecloths from different states and countries. I had acquired this small Colorado souvenir tablecloth in a group of linens I bought as a lot online. It is too small to put on a table, at least any of the tables I have. So, I had been thinking of something I could repurpose it into. It is too large for a pillow, but for a while I was thinking I might make it into a bench cushion. Then I got pregnant this spring and decided it needed to be a baby blanket for my little one. There are tutorials all over the internet for baby blankies you can find, here is my version:

What You Need:

*Small Vintage Tablecloth

*Fleece or Minky Fabric for Back (1 to 2 yards depending on the size of your tablecloth and the width of your fabric)

*Fabric for Binding (1/2 yard)

*Sewing Machine and Thread

*Scissors, Rotary Cutter and Cutting Mat

*Quilting Ruler

*Basting Spray

*Straight Pins and Clips

Instructions:

The first thing you need to do is cut the backing fabric or your fleecy fabric. Spread out your fabric with the wrong side up. Spray the back of the tablecloth with basting spray. Carefully lay the tablecloth onto the backside of the fabric spray side down. Smooth out any wrinkles. Smooth out all over to make sure the two layers are adhered together. Then trim the backing fabric excess all around the tablecloth so both of your layers are the same size.

Put a few pins in your “blanket” to help keep the layers together for stitching. Top stitch the layers together a few inches away from the edge all the way around. I also top stitched another rectangle closer to the middle a few inches inside of the first border for extra hold for the layers.

Now you are ready to bind the blankie. There is a good tutorial on how to make your blanket binding from craftsy Here. Lay out your binding around your blanket leaving several inches for joining and trim any excess.

You are now ready to sew. Start sewing your binding a few inches down from the edge of the binding as you will need this space for joining your two ends later. Line up the raw edge of the binding with the raw edge of the blanket. Stitch with a 1/2″ seam allowance.

When you get to a corner, stop short a half an inch away from the end of the side you are sewing. Then fold over the corner of the binding towards the side you just stitched. Then start sewing down the next side with a half inch seam allowance as before.

When you get about five inches or so away from where you started sewing you will need to join your ends. Pinch the ends together and mark where they meet. Then mark a half inch from there and cut off any excess.

Now take your raw edges of your binding and stitch them together with a half inch seam allowance. Fold in half, and then lay flat onto your blanket and stitch down from the two spots where you began sewing and ended sewing your binding to the blanket.

Now you are ready to finish your binding. Fold the binding over in half to the back side of the blanket encasing the raw edges. Clip the binding closed all the way around to hold it. Now you can either hand whip stitch the open end of the binding to the back side of the blanket, or you can stitch in the ditch of in the binding from the stitched end all the way around and then hand sew any areas that didn’t catch the back. Or you can be lazy like me, and stitch the binding down from the open end as close to the edge as possible. It is not the most perfect method, but for me it works just fine.

I love this little blanket! I think my little guy will love it too! The fabric I used on the back is oh so soft. I used a vintage souvenir tablecloth, but you can use any small tablecloth, or even any fabric you like to make your own baby blanket. It is a good size for a stroller blanket or a throw blanket for a toddler. So, the next time you come across a small tablecloth snatch it up and make a blanket for your little one or one for a friend. I hope you will give it a try sometime! I will be back soon with more crafty fun. Until then…

Happy Crafting!