Flannel and Minkee Fleece

Happy Hallowe'en!
No, I am not dishing out candy to cute little costumed trick-or-treaters. We actually don't get any coming here at Buffalo Lake. I guess that's more of a town thing.

Right now I have all my flannel fabric stretched out on my ironing board in my computer/ craft room trying to decide what to do with it.  I want to make some simple receiving blankets and a couple of diaper change pads. The receiving blankets are easy, just turn over all the edges a scant 1/4 inch, press it, then turn it another 1/4 inch and pin. Then simply sew around all 4 sides.

The tricky part was not knowing how big to make a receiving blanket. I went on line and there are various opinions out there. I decided to go with 34" by 36" finished, which means cutting the flannel an inch longer and wider than that for the seam allowance. I have one ready to be sewn in the morning from a cute blue flannel with yellow ducks, bears and rattles...

Also destined to become a receiving blanket

Now, about the Minkee fleece:  Wow, this is luxurious fabric, to say the least! It is like fleece on steroids, LOL! Talk about soft.  Minkee is fleece with little raised bumps on it.

I was in Fabricland yesterday, they had a big sale on and most of their fleece was 40% off.  I always just walked right passed the big bolts of fleece before and went right to the cotton fabric to use for quilting.  A quilter friend of mine suggested using Minkee Fleece on the back of a cotton fabric to make a cosy play mat for babies. (Thanks for the idea, Connie. :)

I'm eager to start one!  I bought a yard each of a medium pink and a bright yellow Minkee.  I also bought a yard of blue cabbage rose fleece. It has small raised swirls on it that look like tiny roses. :)
Then I saw the 'piece de resistance'!  It is a cute, thick, soft fleece with little colored hand prints and foot prints all over it. It was regularly $24 a yard so even at 40 % off it's expensive, but I decided right away I was getting enough to make 2 little blankets out of the fleece alone. Even the back of it is soft. I just have to decide if I'm going to turn the edges and sew them like that or buy some satin and sew a strip of satin on each end to finish it...