Stefanie from The Style Safari is back for another DIY nursery project! Whether you’re a mom or dad-to-be or are simply looking for just the right gift for an upcoming baby shower, Stefanie’s custom blanket tutorial will show you just how easy it is to personalize what’s sure to be a baby’s favorite blankie.  

Stefanie: Making your own custom baby name fabric is such an easy way to personalize your nursery or make a sweet custom gift for an expecting loved one. I make custom reversible baby blankets for all my friends’ babies using Spoonflower’s Minky fabric, and everyone always loves them! Get creative with your custom name fabric and use different fonts and fabrics to make crib sheets, wallpaper, pillows and more to really personalize a space.

Materials

How to Make a Personalized Baby Blanket

Step 1. Setup Your Design Canvas

Download a fun cursive font of your choice and get it loaded up into Photoshop. I find lots of free fonts on DaFont such as Mamae Que Nos Faz by Rafael Pereira.

Open up a new document in Photoshop®. I always like to start bigger so that I can still scale down in Spoonflower, so I’m creating a canvas that is 16″ x 16″ at 150 dpi.

Font tip:

Many sites offering free fonts are for personal use only! 
 

Step 2. Create the Blanket Design

Start by using the Line tool to create your first colored stripe. As you create your second and third lines, use the Selection tool to drag the stripes to your desired distance apart. Photoshop® will automatically measure the distance between objects and show you the measurement so it’s easy to ensure that they are equidistant apart.

Select the Line tool (circled in red) to create lines on your document.

Step 3. Repeat the Stripes Down the Document

Select all three colored lines in your layers menu and copy/paste them all the way down to cover the remainder of your background. Feel free to crop or edit your background using the ‘Canvas Size’ dropdown in the ‘Image’ Menu if you need to add or remove length.

Repeat the Lines down the page by copying and pasting them.

Photoshop Hack:

By adding the first three lines to a Group, you can easily copy/paste all three lines at one time.

Step 4. Add the Baby’s Name

Create a Text Box and type in the name in your desired font. Drag it to your desired location on the page. It doesn’t matter where you start or decide to place it, but I’m starting in the middle, just a little off-center so that I can strategically place the name above and below in a cascading manner.

Create a Text Box (the highlighted tool) and enter the baby’s name.

Step 5. Remove the Lines Under the Name

Zoom in close to the name where it meets your line. Go back to your line and copy/paste a version of that same line. Using the Selection tool, shorten the length of both lines so that they just reach the end of the text. For Marina’s name, there is one line that just meets up to the M, and the other that just starts at the Y. I’m creating one more copy and also cropping it to join the A and R.

Shorten the length of your lines using the Selection tool (circled in red).

Step 6. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 on Other Lines

Repeat this process for each color line you have, which for me, was 3 more times. However, due to the staggered look that I’m trying to achieve, I’m splitting up the first and last names for the final color (grey) so that it would look more seamless when it repeats. You may have to go back and move your original 2 text boxes to make it look more evenly spaced.

Repeat Steps 4 and 5, staggering the name for a seamless repeat.

Step 7. Upload Your Blanket Design

Save your document as a JPG and then upload to Spoonflower! Play around with the DPI to get the size you like, and use the ‘Basic’ repeat functionality to make it look best. Once you’ve arranged your fabric details to your liking, order 1 yard of Minky in your design and another yard in your favorite Spoonflower design.

And just like that, you’ve added a personalized touch to your DIY nursery. If you’re feeling inspired to design the fabric for the back of the blanket, you don’t want to miss this helpful seamless repeat tutorial using Photoshop®. 

How to Turn Your Personalized Fabric Into A Blanket

Now that you’ve designed your personalized fabric it’s time to turn it into a baby blanket! Using your personalized fabric and Spoonflower-designed fabric, follow these steps to make a self-binding blanket. This blanket uses Satin and Minky, but you can use your 2 Minky yards and Satin trim.

Minky-satin self binding blankets hang from a hook on a white wall.
What your self binding blanket could look like using Satin and Minky.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to make a personalized baby blanket design?
It’s pretty easy to make a simple baby blanket design. This tutorial shows you how to make a line design with the baby’s first and last name. Save the intricate design details for the other side using your favorite Spoonflower design.
Can I use this design for other baby gifts?
Absolutely! Once you’ve uploaded this design to Spoonflower, you can order fabric and create other baby projects like clothing or a playmat.
How can I turn this fabric into a baby blanket?
This tutorial shows you how to create the fabric design. You can turn those designs into a blanket with our Satin-Minky self binding blanket tutorial. Instead of using a yard of Satin, you can use your yard of Minky and incorporate the Satin trim around the edges.

Want to Make More Personalized Soft Blankets?

If you love this design (and maybe want to make one for yourself) here’s another blanket idea that requires no sewing! Just grab a yard of Polartec® Fleece or Minky with your personalized design, and another in your favorite Spoonflower design. What’s knot to love?
Let’s Get Started