Read more for the full tutorial.
(about 1 1/4 yards per blanket), Clorox Bleach Pen
, white vinegar, water, freezer paper, tape, sewing machine, scissors
Instructions:
1. Cut the fabric to 44 in by 44 in. You want to have a square of fabric for a swaddle blanket. Wash and iron the fabric.
2. Prep fabric for a finished hem. The gauze I purchased had a nice finished selvage edge so I only had to hem the top and bottom. Press and fold over the edge twice to set your hem. I only pinned a quarter way across as it was just as easy to feed it through the sewing machine.
3. Sew the hem on the unfinished edges.
4. Lay out sheets of freezer paper on kitchen floor. Tape down the fabric on top of the freezer paper.
– Practice your design – I drew leaves, arrows and a henna tattoo inspired design.
– Using bleach pen, draw your design directly onto the fabric. You do not need a thick amount of bleach gel – a little goes a long way. Try not to get bubbles in the bleach design.
– You want to do it quickly as the bleach starts working immediately. Since you are working with thin fabric, leave the bleach on the fabric for no more than 10 minutes. I recommend having a good amount of space in your design.
– You are working with bleach – wear old clothes and rubber gloves, have good ventilation and make sure your kids are not helping you with this project.
8. After bleach has washed off, soak the blanket in a mixture of white vinegar and water to neutralize the bleach. I used 1 part vinegar to 5 parts water. I let the blanket sit in this mixture for 15 minutes. I then washed the blankets many times to get rid of the bleach smell!
All photos by Sara Albers for alice & lois, all rights reserved.
Enjoy this project! I would love to see pictures of your designs!
– Sara
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3 Comments
My little guy is past the swaddling stage already, but I could have really used one of these last summer! Man those gauze blankets can be pricey! Love yours. If you have a second, I’d love if you came by and linked up at The Makers link party on my blog. 🙂
Am visiting sf in aug. What is your favorite sf fabric store. Want to do names on the gauze for twins
Thanks,e
A few of my favorite fabric stores in SF…
Great prices – Discount Fabric http://www.discountfabrics-sf.com and Fabric Outlet http://www.fabricoutletsf.com
Beautiful stores Britex in Union Sqaure and Santin Moon on Clement
Enjoy!