Día de Muertos is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico. Learn how to sew a Dia de Muertos cuddle blanket to honor the holiday and keep warm!
Halloween is just a few weeks away – while we don’t do too much in terms of Halloween, my kids spotted this Dia de los Muertos fabric at the fabric store just a week or so ago.
We were sewing up some fun kids cuddle blankets and they fell in love with this ~ asking if they could surprise their grandma with a blanket.
What is Dia De Muertos?
The Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South regions, and by people of Mexican heritage elsewhere.
For us, it’s a way to honor and remember those family and friends who have died, through gatherings and celebrations.
Sew a Cuddle Blanket
Cuddle blankets are such a simple and fun way to gift to family and friends. You can personalize the fabric (we’ve done newborn cuddle blankets as well as superhero cuddle blankets), or even celebrate a sports team.
My kids were so excited to help with this project – and even better – gift to their very own grandma. 😍
Making a cuddle blanket is so inexpensive, and really isn’t challenging at all. If you can sew a straight line, then you can make these blankets for anyone in the family.
Día de Muertos Cuddle Blanket
This Día de Muertos blanket can be adaptable to any size – from children all the way to grown adults.
We made this blanket for a grown adult (our Grandma) so we went with 2 yards of each Dia de Muertos fabric and coordinating Minky Dot Fabric.
Supplies:
- thread (preferably a color that matches the material)
- quilters pins (a pack of 250 is sufficient)
- sewing machine
- fabric scissors
- 2 yards cotton Dia de Muertos fabric (JoAnn fabrics or Walmart both carry this fabric)
- 2 yards coordinating minky dot fabric
Walmart has the best price for minky dot fabric at $4.94 per yard. While JoAnn has minky fabric, it tends to run around $8 per yard even after coupon has been applied.
Start by laying the minky fabric on the floor (or your craft table), right side up. Then place the cotton fabric on top, right side down to line up the edges. Trim the fabric as needed to make a perfect seam.
Minky fabric tends to be very slippery when you sew. So pin a ton! Pin around the outside of the blanket, every 1 1/2 – 2 inches, leaving a 1/2 inch seam along the edges.
Pin the entire blanket with the exception of a 6″ gap on one side. I usually do this 6″ gap in the middle of one of the sides.
Sew around the edge using a straight stitch and leaving 1/2 inch seam allowance. Remove the pins as you go. Do not sew the 6″ gap: I would recommend doing a backstitch on both sides of that gap to reinforce.
You will be pulling the fabric through that hole and the backstitch will ensure that the seam doesn’t rip.
With the pins removed, sew one more time around the outside of the blanket. Sew over your first stitch, leaving that same 6″ gap open. While sewing a second time is not required, it’s great for extra reinforcement.
Sew the Gap
Pull your hand into the 6″ gap, and gently pull out the blanket, making sure to push out the corners with your finger.
Now, the blanket should be right side out, with a 6″ gap on one side. Trim any little bits of string, and make sure all pins are removed.
Sometimes those little buggers get stuck in there and once you sew that gap shut you won’t be able to get them out.
To finish
Finish by sewing the gap shut using a 1/4 – 1/2″ seam allowance and a straight stitch. You may want to sew over the gap a second time, for reinforcement – if you do, sew directly over the first stitch.
That’s it! You have yourself a Día de Muertos cuddle blanket.
When I sewed up blankets this last Christmas, I was able to hunker down and do 8 blankets in a matter of 3 hours, with all 5 kids lending a hand at some point or another.
If you have older kids that can help you pin, that can definitely help you, too!
