Mini Fleece Lovey Blankies ~ Great for 2 to 4 Year Old Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Gifts

I made a fleece pillowcase dress for a friend to give to a local little lady thru her church's Christmas outreach program and with the left over fabric I was able to make three mini blankies for Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts.  I think a little cuddly can comfort a child.  After I finished the first one I read a story in Franklin Graham's new book, Operation Christmas Child: A Story of Simple Gifts, about a child in a war torn country who was left orphaned and was clinging to a blanket and singing to herself. That story certainly encouraged me to finish the
other two.

I must admit they are much cuter in person and they are so soft
and cuddly.  The tactile differences in the edgings and fleece make
for nice sensory experiences for the little ones.

I looked around to see what supplies I had on hand to make each one different.  Below are my final results with simple "how I did it" notes.

Each Mini Blankie is a 12 x 13 inch piece of fleece with rounded corners (any size will do, this is just what my scrap piece easily cut into that would make a nice lovey that was shoe box size).

Crocheted Edges

Simple step by step how to:

• Work a blanket stitch around complete edge of single piece of fleece.
• Single crochet in blanket stitches around (my yarn and size of needle worked out to be two single crochets in each stitch with three in each of the three middle stitches in each corner).  
• Double crochet in each single crochet stitch with three in the corner stitches (whatever it takes to make it lay flat).

Check out this tutorial on how to do a blanket stitch.


My tips for blanket stitches on this project:

• I folded one piece of crochet thread in half with the "fold" at the bottom and the two ends nearest the needle.  Instead of a knot for my first stitch I pulled the needle between the "folded" threads and pulled up--this caught the thread without a knot.
• I left tails on my ends that I tucked under a few of the tops of the blanket stitches near by and then when I crocheted on the blanket stitches they were caught under the stitches.  

Close up images of crocheted edging.

Ribbon could be woven thru the
double crochet.

Rick Rack Edge

I had some wide rick rack left from a Pillowcase Dress I had made and it was enough to go around the outside of one of the pieces.  I simply used a zig zag stitch and attached it to the edge of one side.

Ribbon Loops Edge

I used two pieces of fleece for this one and I choose a variety of matching ribbons in various textures. The ribbon loops are sewn at least twice and most of them are sewn on three times so they are secure for little ones.

You can find more mini blankets at this page:  Simply Shoe Boxes Mini Blanket Tutorial of the Month Club.

Tip:  Purchase fleece blankets on clearance and use for making smaller blankies for shoe boxes.

We have several other fleece crafts as well as dozens of sewing, crocheting and upcycling craft ideas.  Check them all out here:  Simply Shoeboxes Craft Tutorials for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

Design and instructions copyright Simply Shoe Boxes.  Please enjoy using this design for your personal use and for gift giving.