DIY Indigo Dyed Adult-Sized Muslin Swaddle Blanket

Admit it. If you have ever felt an Aden and Anais swaddle blanket, you have probably wished you had one for yourself for cozying up on breezy summer nights. The muslin is some kind ofmagic fabric that gets softer with each wash. They do make an adult-sized variant of the swaddles, but it is a few more layers and a pretty big price. I wanted something reminiscent of my sons’ favorite blankets, so I set off to make my own.

Pair my quest for an adult swaddle blanket with an occurrence of couple summers ago. I had fallen in love with an Indigo-dyed pillow at Target. However, I didn’t buy it on impulse, and when I went back, it was gone. Don’t you hate when that happens?

I’ve thought about the pillow since then, and when I stumbled across Jacquard Indigo dye (with a 40% off coupon at AC Moore), I knew I had to try to make my own version of my beloved pillow.

As I prepped my dye solution, I grabbed the 3 yards of white gauze fabric I had picked up last year for my swaddle blanket (I was deciding HOW to dye/print it – and I knew the Indigo dye would be perfect. I also had 5 yards of gorgeous white Egyptian cotton that my husband had bought me in Cairo (YES, that Cairo) last year. I thought that this fine fabric would absorb the color well, and I was right.

I made a variety of patterns, including a crumple (front), a “fold it hot dog – fold it hamburger – repeat” pattern (back), a tie dye circular pattern (not shown), and an accordion fold from a corner (similar to back design, but slanted).

The dye sat for 20 minutes before I did the dipping at 1-2 minutes per dip. Each pillow/blanket received 2-3 dips between drying. When you first take out your fabric from the solution it is bright green…as it oxidizes, it turns deep blue. More dips = deeper color. The color of these photos is a little misleading at the color of the dye is definitely a much darker blue.

The swaddle material absorbed color nicely. I used the blocks that came with the kit to secure my fabric (after accordion folded), which left really neat rectangles throughout the design. Wouldn’t this soft, summery fabric be perfect for enjoying an evening on the patio?

That is, if I can steal my blanket back from my pug.

 

Crafter problems: when you try out @jacquardproducts Indigo dye (LOVE!!!) for the first time and the glove breaks. Then a lady at Target is staring at you as you wash your hands assuming you were taking a five finger discount and had a dye bomb go off on you. #oops #DIY #craft #fabric

A photo posted by Heather (@dazeknights) on May 30, 2016 at 11:35am PDT