The Plethora Continues - Project 2

I finally finished this chenille blanket that I started, um... well, lets just say it has been a while, and I'm glad to be able to cross it off the WIP's list. And I'm also glad to finally have had the opportunity to take some photos of it since it has been waiting and waiting for it's turn in the spot light. 

I was inspired by this chenille blanket found here. These blankets look simple enough, and in fact they are, but all those straight lines of quilting gets really old, and really fast.  Which is probably why I finished half of the quilting and then set it aside for several months before picking it back up again. The end results are just so adorable though, it almost makes it all worth it.

I used five layers for this blanket, all flannel fabrics. I layered the owl print on the bottom, a layer of pink then three additional layers - red, pink and yellow.  I didn't pre-wash anything and I was really worried the red would bleed.  I used a trick I found at Crazy Mom Quilts, which is to add 1 cup of table salt to the wash to keep it from bleeding.  Works like a charm!  I will definitely be using this trick in the future.

I quilted the lines 1/2 inch a part. After finishing all the quilting and all the cutting, the blanket squared up to measure 40 X 40, a nice crib size blanket. And with all those layers, it is super warm. 

For the binding I used a red and white polka dot cotton print that I've used before (like here and here).  I just love this fabric, it is one of my favorites. Plus it ties in really nicely with the owl print.

Just looking at all of those lines makes my eyes go wonky, but truly the end result is so worth it.  This is probably one of my favorite baby blankets that I have made (which is why this one will be sticking with me).  Maybe after a few months of forgetting about all those straight lines, I might even be tempted to make a second one. 

There is a really simple tutorial on how to make one of these, if you are interested - but don't say I didn't warn you about all those straight lines - you can find it here.