The almost epic fail blanket

I started out on the journey to make a fake chenille blanket last week for a baby due in my family. These blankets are very beautiful to me and some of my favorite bloggers have made them. A great tutorial can be found over at MADE. She gives great instructions.

So I purchased all my fabrics. I planned to use four so it wouldn't be super thick. The baby is due in the spring so it wouldn't get any real use of it until fall and winter except for tummy time- which in the blankets final stage is an excellent tummy time blanket.

I laid the fabrics out on the floor and pinned them all together




A quick run through of the blanket: you take 4-5 COTTON fabrics together by sewing 1 inch parallel lines across the fabrics and then cut between the seams on the bottom 3 fabrics leaving the top intact. Then you wash the blanket a few times and the cut edges of the fabrics fray leaving the faux chenille look.

So I started sewing



And sewing



Then I started cutting and cutting





I was so proud. This was very time consuming but I just knew it would be worth it.


I stuck the blanket in the wash and then the drier and when it came out it looked like this:





What hell is this?!?!?!?!



Mortified. Horrified. Exhausted. Discouraged. Some fabric I chose was NOT COTTON. Some crazy silky crappy poly blend probably that ruined my incredibly awesomely epic faux chenille blanket!!!!!!!!!!!

Deep breaths.


I gave it the weekend. I considered scrapping it and starting over. Nah, I can't do that, I won't be had by this blanket. I'll put a new back on it and bind the edges again and it will be reversible. Can't go wrong with a reversible blanket.

So I chose a corresponding fabric and pinned it on the atrocious blanket.


Baste stitched around the blankets edges to secure it and then bound it in red satin... so gorgeous.




At least I think so.

So I have not been had by this blanket, I have won. And this baby will love this blanket!





I feel a lot better now. That blanket had a bad energy but now it just radiates positivity. I can picture the baby napping on it at the beach, at the park, snuggling for a book... ahhhh.


Don't give up on your craft fails- there's always a way!



Peace.