Valentine Baby Lovey Blanket ~ Part 1

A baby lovey blanket with hearts, a butterfly and 2 sheep with a red background.

Create this soft, silky baby lovey blanket to help your sweet little bonbon sleep more soundly!

Inspired by a Valentine quilted table runner on Pinterest, I imagined the heart-shaped ends as an adorable lovey security blanket for my granddaughter. Belle still wakes a few times at night, and I thought that maybe a lovey blanket would help her sleep more soundly. She's passed the one-year mark, so it’s safer now for her to have items like a blanket in her crib.

Research about loveys

Not all children need a lovey security blanket to sleep well. But many benefit from it. For those who seem to sleep best on mommy or daddy's lap, the parent may have become the lovey. This article by Heather Turgeon with sleep.org sheds light on what a lovey is, how to use a lovey, and the practicality of having at least two that are identical or very similar.

Here’s how I made the Valentine baby lovey blanket

Materials: (looks like a lot, but most of it is pretty basic)

Silky fabric – 18 inches square (Prewash and dry)
Fluffy fabric (Short nap faux fur or minky) – 18 inches square (No need to prewash if it's polyester fleece)
Fabric scraps for decorative hearts
Bias binding - one inch wide = edge on front and back – store-bought or handmade (see link below)
Yarn for crochet sheep bodies ~ see below for hook size, etc.
Crochet sheep appliques - See directions below for the crochet bodies
Black felt – enough for the heads and legs
Sheep head template
Iron-on adhesive
Spray adhesive - Spray 'n Bond
Thread - appropriate colors and monofilament
Embroidery floss – if desired for appliques
Sewing needle
Scissors
Iron
Sewing machine
Lint roller (if your fluffy fabric sheds like mine did, you’ll want this for cleanup!)

FRONT of the security blanket

Make a heart pattern from newspaper. I used this heart-shaped basket as a template, then measured 2 in. larger all around.

This is the newspaper pattern pinned to the silky fabric so I can cut it out.

1. The first thing I did was make a pattern for the heart shape. I have a heart-shaped plastic basket, so I used it as the initial pattern on a piece of newspaper. It was only 10 inches across, though, and I needed 14 inches. So, using a ruler, I added two inches all around.

You can use the time-tested childhood method of making a heart by using the fold of your newspaper. Draw a half of a heart freehand, cut it out, and trim it until you’re happy with the overall shape when you unfold it.

2. Lay your pattern on the silky fabric, pin it (or draw around it), then cut it out.

3. Crochet the sheep bodies and weave in the ends with your yarn needle.

For the sheep pattern and the rest of this baby lovey, click here. Page 2

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