Knitted Blanket with Satin Edge

General Knitting
1

I am looking for advice about making a blanket with a satin binding.

All of my children have a version of this blanket; they were bought at JCPenney and were made by Bright Future (which I think is/was the JCPenney house brand). They are thermal/waffle weave with a satin binding.

It’s their favorite blanket – even now at 10, 7 and 5 years old. They each have three so that there could be two in the laundry and they would still have one. JCPenney was discontinuing them when I was pregnant with my youngest and he very nearly didn’t get his.

My oldest’s blankets are in the worst shape – two of them have gaps where the binding has torn/been cut off and the satin is not as shiny has it used to be. (My middle child’s blankets are starting to show similar wear.) He has shown an interest in the knitted garter stitch blanket that I made a few years ago, and I was thinking of knitting him a new blanket and adding the satin binding. If that turned out, I’m sure I could easily do two more.

I’ve done a small google search and it looks like I can sew the binding on with a sewing machine. Has anyone made a baby blanket with a satin edge before? Is there a particular pattern (for the edge that it is sewn to) that works best with it? And is machine sewing really the best way to attach it?

I do have a sewing machine and I guess I shouldn’t be afraid to use it. I was thinking it might be too thick to fit and that it would be more secure if I hand sewed it, but I also think I’d prefer the simplicity of machine sewing them on.

2

I don’t think the kind of edge you use really matters.

That said, I would try to keep it neat and even for easier sewing.

  1. Slip st edging
  2. block before sewing
  3. maybe a narrow border to give you a clear demarcation to pin the satin onto before sewing.
3

Blocking and adding a garter-stitch border sound like good ideas – then I can use whatever pattern on the blanket and still have an even and consistent edge to sew on. Thanks!

4

If you are using satin blanket binding, make sure to use pins to hold it on the knitted item so it doesn’t slip off. It is very slippery. I made a blanket using it on a plush Winnie the Pooh pattern for my grandson in Va before my son married his mother. The binding would not stay where I wanted it it to with out pinning it down and making sure to catch the back side of it when sewing it down.

5

I might even hand baste it before sewing. I hate hand basting but sometimes it’s worth it.

6

I was at the store yesterday and picked out the satin binding to use; they weren’t on sale and I didn’t have a coupon, so I didn’t get any, but I was curious about colors.

Mostly, I was picking yarn and then realized I needed to know what the binding was going to be before I settled on the yarn. :slight_smile:

Thanks for all the advice! Maybe I should make a blanket for my daughter’s doll for practice before I start on ones for the kids. Or maybe a satin edged dishcloth? LOL

7

I love the idea of a satin-edged dishcloth!
Actually, for young children, a small version of the favorite blanket is a great idea as a substitute lovey while big lovey is in the wash. You’ve solved that problem neatly by having more than one blanket.