Welcome back to the May Arts blog!  Have you noticed that flowers and babies seem to be “blooming” everywhere?   (giggle)  Lots of new babies mean lots of baby showers and baby gifts to buy.  High prices and tight budgets mean we need to thinking about “thrifty giving”.  Thank goodness for May Arts Ribbons! 

One of my “thrifty giving” tips is to always be on the lookout for clearance prices.  Even if you might not need an item right away, if it catches your eye and it’s a great price, you’ll always find a use for it. 

While I was in my local national discount store recently, I found a set of 4 receiving blankets on clearance for $5.00.  That works out to $1.25 per blanket.  I knew I couldn’t buy the flannel that inexpensively at my favorite fabric store so they went into my cart.

I had a 50% off coupon for my fabric store so I purchased several yards of satin backed flannel.  You know how babies love satin!  I washed the blankets and the flannel to remove any sizing as well as to pre-shrink the fabric. 

Then came the fun part…playing with all those gorgeous May Arts Ribbon scraps!  There are enough textures and colors to keep baby occupied for hours.  Smooth shiny satins, pleats and ruffles, soft plush chenille, grosgrain, suede and satin dots, elegant crochet, crinkly wrinkled ribbons, fun ric rac.  Anything you choose is sure to delight mom and baby alike!

Let’s get started:

1.        Lay the satin backed flannel on a flat cutting surface.  Lay a receiving over the sb flannel and cut to size.

2.       Sew May Arts ½” Ric Rac about 2 ½” from either end.

3.       Sort ribbon scraps and cut to 4” lengths.  (I chose a pink/brown theme.)

4.       Fold the ribbons in half, right sides up.  Pin and sew close together to the right side of the receiving blanket about ¼” from the edge.

5.       Pin the blanket to the satin backed flannel, right sides together.  Sew, using a 5/8” seam, making sure to leave a space for turning.  Turn right side out.  Hand sew opening or pin and top stitch close to the edge. 

That’s it!  A beautifully handcrafted blanket that’s sure to be treasured by Mom and baby for years to come.  

Since I used such a wide variety of ribbons, I wanted to see how they would respond to machine washing.

The result?  Beautiful!!  May Arts Ribbon is amazing in quality and design.  Every single ribbon style came through the washer and dryer looking brand new!

Make a cute card and you’ve got a gift you’ll be proud to present to a new mom and only you will know you’re “thrifty gifting”.

Supply List:  Receiving blanket, satin backed flannel (30”), assorted May Arts Ribbon scraps, 1 2/3 yards May Arts ½” Ric Rac, sew machine, thread

Blog Post By: Charlene Driggs