Valley Yarns #59 Blooming Leaf Baby Blanket

Valley Yarns Blooming Leaf Baby Blanket

What Is Being Made

The Blooming Leaf Baby Blanket is a woven textile designed by Barbara Elkins, intended as a soft and decorative covering for infants. The finished blanket measures 26½" x 36" plus hems, though weavers can customize the dimensions by threading additional pattern units for width or treadling more pattern units for length. This versatile design allows crafters to create blankets tailored to their specific needs.

Weaving Techniques

This pattern uses Shadow Weave, a classic 4-shaft weaving technique originally developed by Marian Powell. Shadow Weave is a sophisticated method that creates subtle visual depth and texture through the strategic interplay of light and dark yarns. The pattern incorporates striping as a design element, achieved through the alternating threading and treadling of two contrasting yarn colors.

The blanket begins and ends with approximately 1¼" and ¼" of plain weave respectively, which provides structural stability and creates finished edges. Plain weave serves as a foundational technique that frames the more complex Shadow Weave pattern repeats in the center of the blanket.

Weaving Specifics and Stitches

The pattern requires a 4-shaft loom with a 30.18" weaving width. The threading consists of 489 ends plus floating selvages, arranged in alternating dark and light colors. The pattern is threaded using an A-B right border (18 ends), followed by five repeats of the B-C pattern repeat (90 ends each), and concludes with a D-E left border. The sett, or yarn density, is 2 threads per dent in an 8-dent reed, though alternative sleys are possible with different reed configurations.

The treadling follows the threading sequence, with weavers executing 7 pattern repeats of the B-to-C sequence to create the rectangular blanket body. The tie-up and treadling instructions are designed to work in concert with the threading draft to produce the characteristic Shadow Weave effect.

Materials: Yarn and Equipment

The blanket is woven using Valley Yarns 5/2 Valley Cotton, a smooth, durable yarn suitable for baby textiles. The original pattern calls for two colors: #2655 Victoria Blue and #2574 Heather. Note that Victoria Blue has been discontinued; Valley Yarns recommends Sapphire Blue as a suitable substitute that maintains the intended color contrast and visual effect.

One cone of each color is sufficient to weave two blankets on a 4-yard warp, making this an economical project for weavers who wish to create multiple gifts or pieces. The equipment needed includes a 4-shaft loom, an 8-dent reed, and 2 shuttles for managing the two yarn colors during weaving.

Finishing and Care

After weaving, the fabric is carefully cut from the loom and stay-stitched at the ends to prevent fraying. If creating two blankets from a single warp, the weaver cuts the blankets apart and stay-stitches the newly cut ends. The blanket is hand-washed in cool water using a quality washing product such as Eucalan, then rolled in towels to remove excess moisture and dried flat or draped over a rod. Once dry, the plain weave edges are folded under and hemmed by hand, followed by steam pressing for a professional finish. The finished blanket is durable enough for routine machine washing on a gentle cycle in cool water and can be air-dried or machine-dried on a cool setting.