Toolbox
- microfleece fabric
- assorted ribbons
- straight pins
- thread
- sewing machine
- scissors
Photos
Fig 1: The cut materials
Fig 2: Pin ribbons along one side
Fig 3: Pin other sides, overlapping corner ribbons
Fig 4: Lay the other fabric face down and pin in place
Fig 5: Sew along the edges and trim the corner
Fig 6: Flip inside out and see one loose ribbon
Fig 7: Fold the edges in and tuck the ribbon inside
Fig 8: Pin the loose ribbon in place
Fig 9: Sew around the edges, securing the ribbons
Fig 10: The finished product
Ever notice how you can give a baby a stuffed toy and the first thing he does is go straight to the tag? Tags are fascinating to babies and they love to play with them and put them in their mouths. Somebody brilliant decided to make a line of toys and blankets that are dedicated to the tags, and they are lovingly called Taggies.
A friend of mine received a Taggie blanket for her son as a gift and he fell so in love with it that she asked me if I could make him some more, and I happily agreed. Since then, I make them as gifts for most baby showers I attend, and they are always well received. They’re really easy to make. Let me show you how.
Gather your supplies
The material for your blanket should be something soft and baby-friendly. My favorite materials to use for this are microfleece, and flannel,
because they are super soft and thin enough to sew easily. You could use regular fleece too, but be ready for a battle with your sewing machine when you get to the part where you’re sewing several thick layers of fleece and your thread wants to break!
For the ribbons, you can use any ribbon you like, as long as it’s made of fabric and baby-friendly. I prefer satin and grosgrain ribbons. You can use just one color or mix and match the patterns of ribbon for the effect you want. My favorite ribbon width to use is 3/4″, but you can use variations. This is a great way to use up extra bits of ribbon leftover from scrapbooking!
You’ll also need some straight pins, thread, a sewing machine,
Cut the materials
Figure out how big you want your taggie blanket to be and cut two layers of fabric 1″ bigger than that. In other words, for a 12″ blanket, cut two pieces of fabric 13″x13″ (Fig 1). That will give you a seam allowance of 1/2″ on each side.
Cut the ribbons into 6″ lengths (Fig 1). You’ll need to put one ribbon about every 2 inches along each side of the blanket. For a 12″ blanket, I use 4 ribbons on each side (16 total).
Pin the ribbons in place
Lay one piece of material face up on the table. Take a ribbon and fold it in half and pin it on top of the fabric so that the folded edge is towards the middle and the two cut ends are touching the end of the fabric. (This may seem wrong, but we’re building this blanket inside out, and it’ll all work out when we flip it later.) Be sure to put the pin at least an inch away from the edge of the fabric so that it won’t get in the way of your sewing.
Keep pinning ribbons along one side, spacing them about 2 inches apart (Fig 2). Now do the same thing for the other three sides (Fig 3). When you get to the corners and find that two ribbons overlap, don’t worry; just pin them down together.
Sew it together
Now lay the other piece of fabric face down on top of your pinned piece, aligning the edges (Fig 4). Secure with a few more pins. Take this to the sewing machine and sew around all four sides, about 1/2″ in from the edge, making sure you catch both ends of each ribbon as you go. However, be sure not to sew ALL the way around — leave a gap of about 2 inches open — so that you can flip the blanket inside out. When you’re done, take your scissors and snip the point of fabric off of each corner (Fig 5), but be careful that you don’t cut the stitches. This will keep your corners from being too bulky when you flip it.
Flip it inside out
Carefully turn the blanket inside out by pushing it through the little gap you left in the stitching. Be very careful, because there are lots of sharp pins inside! You can remove all of the pins as you see them. You’ll notice that the one ribbon that was next to the stitching gap is still loose, because you didn’t sew it down (Fig 6). Remove the pin from this ribbon, too. Fold the edges of fabric along the gap inwards and tuck the ends of the loose ribbon inside (Fig 7). Pin it in place, being sure to go through all layers of the fabric (Fig 8).
Sew the edges
Now one more trip to the sewing machine. This time, you’ll want to sew as close to the edge of the fabric as possible, and all the way around (Fig 9). This row of stitches will serve several purposes: it will close the gap you left for flipping, it will secure that last loose ribbon in place, it will add extra strength to the stitches holding the ribbons in place, it will help keep the blanket flat, and it will look pretty!
And now you’re done! (Fig 10).
If you liked this, check out these similar projects:
47 comments so far:
THANK YOU very much for the details, and especially the picture!
I have made a taggie blanket and now want to attach a nice written description to the gift. Any ideas?
Good question, Wendy. Hmm. Maybe something like this? “Kids tend to play with the boxes and tags more than the toys themselves, so here’s a toy that’s covered in tags, for your little baby to enjoy!”
Anybody else have any ideas?
do you know where we can buy the ribbons for the taggie blanket? Do you have to make them individually? Thanks
Monica, you can use any fabric (not plastic) ribbon you like, but I think satin ribbon works best. There are plenty of patterns to choose from at the craft store, fabric store, or even Walmart. You can buy it by the spool or by the yard. I suggest getting 3/4″ wide ribbon and cut it into 6″ lengths.
Wonderful instructions. I have made 3 now for my grandchildren. The babies love them.
Thanks
Thanks, Beth! I’m glad your grandchildren are enjoying the blankets you made for them
I’m super glad that I came across this site- my 7 month old eats the tags/cords on everything- hopefully this will deter him from those- now that he’ll have his own tags to chew!
I made one of these. I actually pinned the tags in place on the flannel, I did a basting stitch to keep them in place, then I layered and sewed the 2 layers together, this kept me from having to use all of the pins on loose ribbons when sewing.
That’s a great tip, Diana. Thanks for sharing!
I just made one for my daughter. its the second time i have used the sewing machine and it came out great! thanks alot!!
Congrats on a successful project, toni!
Diana and toni, we’d love to see pictures of your blankets if you want share them with us. Just upload them to our flickr group!
I just made my daughter one, she won’t let go of the other one we got for her, so i can wash it. So I decide to make one. It’s the 1st time I have sewn anything since High School 15 years ago. Thank you for the simple instructions. Now I will making them more for baby gifts. Also I work at a Daycare Center, and you have tons of cool ideas on your website. Keep up the good work. God Bless!
Mindy, I’m so happy that we got you sewing again! The blankets are so fun and easy to make and do make great gifts
Thanks for the kind words about our site. We’d love to see pictures of any of our projects that you’ve completed at your daycare center!
I made a few of these.. roughly 10″ x 10″ (not counting the ribbons) I used two totally different textured fabrics. One side with a print and the other with either fleece or fluffy/soft or even satin. I also cut a piece of plastic bag (poke holes in it to avoid suffocation!!) and i sew it on the same side as the ribbons are on. when you turn it inside out the plastic is on the inside and it makes a crinkly sound, which babies love! IMPORTANT: Never leave your child unattended with these toys! Never let them play with these while on their tummy unless supervised, and make sure the ribbon loops are small enough so their hands cannot get in and get stuck.
Wow, Linda, those sound great! The crinkly plastic is a very neat idea. We’d love for you to add photos to our Flickr group if you’re willing to share.
(Thanks also for the safety warnings. You can never be too careful!)
I have made (3) of these now. I made two for baby shower gifts and then someone saw them and ordered one from me. I posted two of the pictures of them to the flicker group. It is under Lawson381 user name.
Thanks for sharing your photos, Julie! Your blankets look great. Fellow readers, you can see Julie’s photos here and here.
I had everyone that came to my daughter’s baby shower bring a piece of ribbon in a plastic bag with their name on it. I had enough ribbons for 2 blankets and typed the list of names and ribbons on a piece of cute paper for her to look at later.
What a nice and personal idea, Sue! It reminds me of the custom baby quilts Jo and I have made for our friends in the past. Any time you can bring loved ones together for a gift, it really shows you care. Thanks for sharing your idea with us.
I decided to do this for my son, and I swear someone was listening… The next day I got an email from my favorite craft store, and all of the stuff I needed (fleece, ribbons, everything!) was 52% off!!! hehe So, I’m working on his. One idea that I came up with (as I was wandering the store…)–I got a “micro-fur” fabric, has a very short, extremely cuddly pile to it, but it’s not “fake fur” tacky–I didn’t think I’d be able to get it back to sew, he loved it! I put regular fleece on one side, and the micro-fur on the other, with the tags on the edges. I may never get to wash it, he won’t let it go! Thanks for the instructions!
What great luck, Tiffany. I’m glad your little one gave the fabric up long enough for you to turn it into a blankie that he still loves. Great job! If you’d like to share a picture with us, we’d love to see it!
Thanks so much for these instructions. I just learned how to sew and this was so simple with your directions. THank you so much. I have a wonderful tag blanket that I made for my niece. I’m looking forward to making the burp cloths next! Thank you!!
That’s wonderful to hear, Heidi! If you have a picture of your blanket, we’d love to see it. You can e-mail it to us or post it in our Flickr group.
HI — great directions. However, I found that 6″ lengths of ribbon were too long. Then reduced to 5″…. still too long and “scraggly” looking — plus I was concerned that a baby could choke on ribbons that length. Finally pared down to 4″ cut length folded in half, leaving 1-1/2″ sticking out of the blankie. PERFECT! Looks better, safer for baby, and uses less ribbon!
Thanks for the tip, Vicki. I’m glad you were able to tweak the directions to make them work for you!
If I want to make a 12×12 taggie I cut the fabric 13×13, but what size would I cut my fabric if I wanted to do one side with a nine patch?
Hi Katherine. You can make the finished blanket be any size you like, so don’t let that 12″x12″ guideline hold you back. However, if you that’s the size you want to aim for, and you want to make a nine-patch quilted side with 1/2″ seam allowances, I’d recommend cutting the nine squares at 5″ x 5″ each. Once the nine pieces are sewn together, you’ll have a block that’s 13″ square. Cut the backing the same size, and once you sew the front and back together, your finished taggie should come in right around 12″. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Can you use minky fabric too or is that too? Any tips for minky?
Hi Nicole. I have held minky fabric in my hands briefly a time or two, and its softness surpasses any other, so I can totally understand why you would want to use it. Unfortunately, I haven’t worked with it so I can’t say how well it would work or if it would be too thick. If you give it a try, please let us know how it comes out!
Nicole, I tried sewing with minky a little while back, I was using it to back a quilt for my baby. It got all tangled up in the machine because it was too slick for it to catch right. When I flipped it over and fed the patterned cotton front on the bottom instead, it worked just fine. That is my only tip for the minky fabric and using it in a machine.
I’m expecting two grandbabies in the next few months. Learned about taggie blankets while standing in line in a fabric store during a fleece sale. So cool. I’ve made several and plan to make burp cloths with matching taggie blankets. I know this “grandma thing” will be so much fun.
Congratulations on your coming grandbabies, Mary! Sounds like you’re off to a great “grandma” start with the taggie blankets and burp cloths. You saw our burp cloth tutorial, right? We’d love to see what you come up with, so send us a photo if you can
I have made a blanket like yours as a gift without finding yours website, cutting the ribbon to 5.5 inches but have felt worried as only stitched once, so have now made another one first zig zagging the ends of ribbon to one piece of fleece and then has been stitched twice like yours. A friend has said that she is still worried about babies choking on these tags there is 2.25 inches protuding. Any comments welcome
Thanks Marion
Hi marion. I think the ribbon length is a judgement call that every parent will have to make. They need to be short enough to be safe but long enough to be ‘fun’ for the child. Maybe some of our other readers will have thoughts on the subject?
I made one taggie blanket with both sides made from flannel. That one turned out great. My second blanket I used flannel on one side and soft & comfy fabric on the other side. I had a heck of a time with this fabric! No matter how perfect I cut my 13 inch square the fabric kept stretching bigger. I started over and still this happened. This fabric is $12.99 a yard! What am I doing wrong? Is there any other ideas for a soft textured fabric that I could use instead?
Ugh, Katherine. How frustrating! I wonder if the problem is due to the fact that you are using two different fabrics? Maybe they are not moving well together, and one is stretching while the other isn’t. If that’s the case, maybe you could try using LOTS of pins to secure the pieces together, or possibly even baste them together with needle and thread to keep them secure before sewing with the machine. Or maybe make both sides be the soft fabric?
Chica, that sounds like it might be the problem. I never thought about the fact that my flannel wasn’t moving but the soft & comfy fabric was. I just pulled it all apart and will try adding lots of pins this time. I’ll let you know how it turns out. By the way… aren’t most of the taggie blankets that everyone is making made with two different kinds of fabrics? I thought if I was going to make these to sell or give as gifts they would look more expense with two different kinds of fabric.
Maybe the two-fabric styles you’re seeing are actually the same type of fabric, but just two different colors? Or maybe they really are two different kinds, but they are more similar than yours? I’m not sure :/
My bottom fabric is flannel. The top fabric is called soft & comfy. It’s a soft fabric that has raised dots on it. This fabric is like what you see some of the regular baby blankets made out of in the department stores. Do you know what kind of fabric I’m talking about? They only come in solid colors and usually have a raised design on them.
I did some searching and found Soft & Comfy online. It looks quite similar to the Minky fabric that I’ve seen before. Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience sewing with either one, but hopefully you’ll be able to work around the issue by pinning or basting. Good luck!
for the taggies could you use ribbon instead of taggies?
Hi Renee. Soft, silky ribbon is great for making the tags.
ok thanks
THANK YOU sooo much for this… found your website, looked at the instuctions, went out shopping with my son so he could pick some fabric, laid him down for a nap and got to work. I’m finished after only about half hour, and i love it! this will be for his second birthday, and i plan on making a few more for upcoming baby showers!! once again thank you. i plan on visiting your site frequently for more crafting ideas!!
Sasha, we’re so glad our instructions worked so well for you. We’d love to see what you came up with if you want to send us a photo or add one to our Flickr group!
After being a bit bored at home with my baby, I purchased a sewing machine today having never used one in my life before. Thanks to your great instructions in half an hour I now have a wonderful tag comforter that I made myself! I mixed it up a little by using soft patterned cotton fabric on one side and minki on the other and it is just fabulous. I can’t wait to try some other projects now! Thank you!!!