Baby Blanket Shell Edging

Have you ever wondered how to make those cute crochet edged baby blankies? Give the idea a try with my simple and easy crochet pattern. You can make this project even easier by purchasing an already sewn receiving blanket - I buy mine at Target because they are very affordable and usually come with four in a pack.

You can also use a 42" square of flannel and round the edges using a rotary cutter, and then narrowly hem it if you have fabric instead but I have included instructions for both.

Difficulty: Easy

Supplies:

1 Yard of Flannel

Size 10 Crochet thread

Size 8 Steel Crochet Hook

 

Instructions:

Start by squaring off the yard of fabric into a 36" x 36" piece.  Fold the fabric so that all four corners are together, one on top of another.

Use a small plate as a template to draw rounded corners. Cut along the traced line through all four layers. (I used my rotary cutter to cut directly through all 4 layers of the fabric but if you do not have one fabric scissors work too.

Stitch a narrow hem, or just serge around the fabric (optional)

Poke the crochet hook through the edge of the fabric and begin crocheting a single-crochet stitch around the blanket. If you serged the edge, narrowly turn it to the back one time as you crochet, encasing the serged edge. If you stitched a narrow hem around the blanket, just encase that hem as you crochet.

Continue crocheting around, using any edging pattern you desire. For most of my blankets, I use a simple 2-round, picot like stitch edging- as follows:

Crochet Pattern:

Round 1: With crochet cotton and a size 6 hook, *sc, ch 2*, repeat from * to * around blanket edge. Join with sl st to first sc. It would be a good idea to count your ch 2 spaces and make sure there is a multiple of two.

Round 2: sc in next ch 2 space, *5 tr in next ch 2 space, sc in next ch 2 space*. Repeat from * to * around. Join with sl st in first sc. Fasten off and weave in loose ends.