Easy-to-Make Flannel Blanket

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Originally published September 11, 2017 and updated October 25, 2022.

I enjoy giving handmade gifts to friends and family. It’s my way of showing how much I care. I love making personalized gifts that reflect my friends’ and family’s interests. This easy-to-make flannel blanket is the perfect personalized handmade gift. And it really is easy to make (but shhhh, we won’t tell anyone how easy it is). 

Last Christmas I was overwhelmed by life. I didn’t have the energy to make complicated gifts for loved ones. I wanted to make special handmade gifts, but I needed the gifts to be easy to make. I was wandering through the fabric section of my craft store and saw all the amazing options of flannel available. I realized that there is a flannel pattern and color for every interest and preference. It was easy to find a pattern for everyone on my gift list.

Be sure to look in the baby flannel fabric area in addition to the regular flannel fabrics. Some of those baby fabrics are not very babyish, they were actually pretty sophisticated. I was surprised. 

Easy-to-Make Flannel Blanket Tutorial

This is a great project if you have beginning sewing skills. This sewing project creates a warm blanket that makes the perfect gift for:

Supplies

Flannel Fabric – You need two coordinating flannel fabrics. You can use flannel shirting fabric. I used 1 1/2 yards for most of the blankets. I did use 2 yards of flannel for a blanket I made for a 6 foot plus tall friend. Choose the length of fabric based on how tall your gift recipient is. 

• Use one yard of each fabric to make a flannel baby blanket.
• You can substitute other fabrics for one side or even for both sides:
  • Cotton fabric
  • Minky blanket fabric
  • Faux fur
  • Did you know that you can request free fabric samples from more than 100 stores?

Scissors or Rotary Cutter

Sewing Machine – If you don’t feel comfortable sewing the blanket edges, you can instead:

• You can use fabric glue to secure the raw edges rather than sewing.
• You could cut the edge of the sides of the blanket into strips or longer fringe and tie the pieces of fabric into knots to hold the two layers of fabric together.

There are so many beautiful and interesting flannel fabrics. Take your time and find the perfect fabrics for your recipients. I had so much fun looking through the fabrics and ended up chatting with several other ladies looking at fabric. We had a grand old time choosing fabrics together. 

You may recognize this black and white fashion fabric from my free pillow sham pattern.  I am so charmed with how it coordinates with the sweet cherry blossom fabric.

How fun is this wine fabric? Paired with the subtle grey pattern it makes sophisticated flannel throw blankets to use in the family room. 

How about this adorable sushi fabric? It makes me smile every time I see it. And look how the personality of the blanket changes simply by changing the second fabric.

How to Make a Flannel Blanket Tutorial

Be sure to wash the fabric pieces in the washing machine before cutting or sewing fabric.

Lay the fabrics down with right sides (the fuzzy side if your fabric is a solid color) together. Make sure you have the directions of the prints running in the same direction. I lined up the finished selvage edge of the of fabric on both pieces of flannel. Then I lined up the top of the blanket. Double check to make sure your patterns are right side up based on the top of the blanket. 

Use straight pins to hold the two layers of fabric together and in place.

Line up the fabrics on the top of the blanket and on each side. Trim the longer piece of flannel on the bottom of the blanket so that the two pieces are the same length.

Sew a straight line around the blanket edge. I started on the selvage edge side with the text printing so that I made sure that I placed the seam so that the text didn’t show. I used a 1/4 inch seam allowance for the other three sides of the blanket (you may need a larger seam allowance on the selvage edge with text). Be sure to leave a 4 to 5 inch opening at the bottom of the blanket so that you can turn it right side out. 

Snip the corners of the blanket. Turn the blanket right-side out. Handsew the opening shut using a short stitch length to keep the opening neatly shut. Sew a top stitch seam about 4 inches from the edge to create a border around the perimeter of the blanket. This gives the completed flannel blanket a more finished look.

I simply lined the finished edge of the blanket up with the body of my sewing machine and used that as a guide. You can choose to use a decorative stitch, if you’d like and you can make the border different sizes based on your fabric’s pattern and preference.

I handstitched a heart in the upper corner of each cozy blanket. It’s a small, but personal touch that makes these handmade gifts just a bit more special. 

I made eight of these flannel throw blankets for family and friends. They were a big hit with everyone. I’m so pleased with how each of these flannel blankets turned out that I’m not even embarrassed at how easy they were to make. 

You can create your own easy-to-make flannel blanket in about 15 – 20 minutes. It’s a great beginning sewing project. But be warned that you may find all the beautiful flannel fabrics addictive. I know I have. I may start handing flannel throw blankets out to strangers just so I can make more. 

More Easy Sewing Projects

For more craft ideas, see the table below. You can scroll though the table and look for ideas or search for specific ideas with the magnifying glass in the upper right-hand corner (on desktop). Click on the topic and then click through the specific article.