How to Work Blanket Stitch

Blanket stitch is the friendly looped edge stitch that finishes raw edges and holds two layers together at once, each stitch leaving a neat little L lying along the edge. It’s the only stitch that sews our felt finger puppets from start to finish — no machine needed — and the stitch that secures the appliqué blocks on our bush babies cot quilt so they survive the wash.

Step by step

Thread a needle with a single strand of thread, yarn or perle cotton to suit your fabric, and knot the end. On felt and appliqué work, a contrasting thread is a feature, not a fault — blanket stitch is meant to be seen.
Hide the knot between the layers or on the wrong side, and bring the needle up through both layers (or through the appliqué piece and its background) right at the edge you want to finish, a few millimetres in from the cut edge.
Decide your stitch spacing now and keep it for the whole edge: about 5 mm apart and 5 mm deep is a comfortable beginner measure, and on felt pieces like our finger puppets the pattern pieces themselves will guide you.
For the next stitch, put the needle down through both layers one spacing to the right (or left, if you work the other way — just stay consistent) — but before you pull it tight, pass the needle under the loop of thread that runs along the edge. That little pass under the loop is what builds the L shape.
Pull the thread snug so the upright stitch stands straight and the loop lies flat along the edge like a tiny rail. Snug, not strangling: felt and appliqué edges pucker if you haul on them.
Repeat — down through both layers at the next spacing, needle under the edge loop, pull snug. The stitches should march along like fence posts, all the same height, all the same distance apart.
At a corner, take three stitches into the very same hole, fanning them out — one pointing each way and one straight into the corner point. That fan is what lets the stitching turn a square corner without a gap or a bulge.
Running out of thread mid-edge? Finish the stitch you’re on, take the needle to the back, and slide it under a few stitches to anchor before snipping; start the new thread the same quiet way, hidden between layers, and carry on as if nothing happened.
To finish, take one last small stitch over the edge rail beside your final blanket stitch (or slip the needle under the first stitch you made if you’ve worked in a circle), anchor on the back, and snip close. A finished edge should feel as neat as it looks — run a thumb along it and it should be smooth all the way.

Patterns that use it

Felt Finger Puppet Sewing Patterns – 10 Aussie Animals, Full-Size Templates, Easy Hand Sewing PDF for Kids Storytime & Gifts

Bush Babies Cot Quilt Sewing Pattern | Baby Quilt PDF Pattern, Aussie Animal Appliqué Blocks, Digital Download

Only 2 products in the live catalogue name blanket stitch in their copy — both are linked above.

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Common mistakes

Forgetting the pass under the loop of thread along the edge. Miss that little move and you’re working a slanted whipstitch instead — no rail, no tidy L shapes, and the edge looks quite different.
Letting the spacing and depth wander as you settle in. Stitches that start at 5 mm apart and quietly stretch to 8 mm by the far end make the whole edge look tipsy, even if every single stitch is neat.
Taking just one ordinary stitch at a corner. The corner point ends up bare and gaping; it needs the fan of three stitches into the same hole to turn the corner fully dressed.

Tina’s tips

Mark your spacing with a ruler and a light pencil dot before you start on anything precious. Nobody’s eye is as even as they think at stitch forty, and the dots hide under the stitching anyway.
Work blanket stitch with the piece resting on the table, not held up in the air. The edge stays flat, your depth stays honest, and your wrist will thank you by the second puppet.