DIY Paci Lovee Blankets with Contrado

Hi guys! I am slowly getting back into the swing of things since I had baby bear and have been making some projects to share. A few weeks ago I was introduced to Contrado, a print on demand fabric supplier based in the UK. One look at their site and I was hooked! They have over 99 fabrics to choose from! I ordered a swatch pack and was very impressed with the different fabrics and the quality of them all. I had such a hard time choosing, but decided to try a couple different projects for me to share.Today I am going to share my first Contrado project with you, a paci lovee blankie. I have had baby on the brain lately with all the lists of things I want to make for Sam. He is a big lover of his pacifier! I have a few lovee toys that hold pacifiers but not the soothie kind that he likes. Instead of having a ring on them they have two small little holes so only small cord can slide through. I am constantly fumbling around for his paci, so I thought a lovee that could hold his soothie would be a fantastic first project. This is really simple to whip up, and with fabric you can design yourself, totally customizable!

Designing the fabric:

I wanted to use vintage kid’s hankies for my design. I had some very cute small hankies in my stash, so I scanned them in and cleaned them up a bit in photoshop. For the red one I added text with Sam’s name in the middle to personalize it for him. Then I cropped the image to the size I wanted 7″ square. I used some clip art papers from freeprettythingsforyou.com for the backs. I also made a couple using photos from Roux’s book. Make sure your main design fits with a good 1/4″ on each side for seam allowance. I made a blank file big enough to fit my designs with room for cutting. One of the great things about Contrado is you can print custom sizes! I uploaded my design and had it printed on the soft velvet fabric.

How to make the lovee:

First you need to cut out your fabric.

Now you need to cut your cord or ribbon. The cord is sewn into the blanket as a loop so cut it accordingly. I made mine about 6″ long. For the ribbon, you will want to fold under the raw edge as well as fold over a loop for the snaps. I made my ribbon pieces about 9″. For the ribbon, fold under the raw edge twice and stitch closed. Place your ribbon or loop where you want it on your front fabric square. Lay it down with the face of the ribbon facing the right side of the fabric. Lay the back fabric square on top and pin all around.

Now you are ready to sew. Stitch all the way around your blanket with a quarter inch seam allowance, leaving about an inch or so open for turning.

Clip your corners. Reach inside the opening and pull through the fabric until it is all right side out. Push out the corners with a pen or the end of your scissors.

Now top stitch all the way around the blankie as close to the edge as possible.

For the looped cord you are finished. For the ribbon you will want to add your snaps. Fold your ribbon end under then bring it down a couple of inches to form a loop. Mark the center of your ribbon. Use an awl to make a hole in all layers of the ribbon. Then attach a snap to the top and to the end using your setting tools and snaps according to the manufacturer directions. Now add your paci and you are finished!

I absolutely love how my paci lovee blankets turned out! The fabric is so incredibly soft and I like that it doesn’t have a ton of stretch to it or is thin like minky, so the blanket is a nice weight. The printing is gorgeous too, looks nice and crisp and the colors are spot on. I am so in love with Contrado, and know I will be using them again and again for special projects.

To learn more about Contrado and how they work visit their website here. Also be sure to follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pintrest. Be back soon with more fun projects. Until then…..

Happy crafting!