Babywearing saved my life! But what's a Florida mama to do when going up north with her baby? Make a No Sew Babywearing Poncho & Car Seat Blanket to keep said baby warm! It's perfect for front and back carries, fits most carriers (I haven't tried it with a ring sling though) and it's safe for car rides! (I learned that you're not supposed to bundle up a baby in a big coat in a carseat, so this blanket will help keep them warm even in frigid temperatures.)
This is a super forgiving project that is great for beginners. And it took only about an hour to make this poncho (and that was with taking photos to create this instructable!). This is also makes for a wonderful baby shower gift! So let's get started!

Step 1: Materials Needed

Here's what you'll need for this easy peasy project:

1.25 yards of fleece
Rotary cutters and/or scissors
Ruler
Cutting mat or something to protect your cutting surface
Optional: Washable fabric pen or regular marker or pen (not shown)

Step 2: Cut Two 30"x40" Rectangles

You'll need two 30"x40" Rectangles and if you can do that without further instruction, then cut away and skip to the next step. If you need help cutting larger pieces, then read on...

Find a large work area and spread your fleece out (I used the floor in the family room).
Photo 1 - Cut selvage off your fleece (this is the edge that might have writing on it, may be a bit rolled up, or discolored).
Photo 2 - Line up the edge you just cut (hopefully it's nice and straight) and fold over enough so that you have 30" doubled.
Measure 40" up and cut out so that you now have a large 40"x30" piece.
Photo 3 - Open up the large piece and fold it hot dog bun style so that it's 60"x20".
Photo 4 - Find the center point or measure 30" and cut the large piece into two 30"x20" pieces, which each open up to be 30"x40".

Step 3: Cut Out 4" Squares From Each Corner

Match up the two rectangles right sides out. (The wrong side will have the same pattern but is slightly fuzzier. It's not a huge difference so if you can't tell then it doesn't really matter).

Use scissors or a rotary cutter to cut a 4" square out of each corner. Set them aside, they are scraps that you can use for another project.

Step 4: Lay Pieces Down and Connect South Edge

Photo 1 - Lay the one piece down horizontally with the right side facing down. Put the other piece on top vertically with the right side facing up. Use the direction of heart pattern for reference. Using North, South, East, and West on the photo as a guide, match up the SE corner.

Photo 2 - Shows the SE corner matched up, the rest will not be matched up. We will be making fringe on the south edge. Though I didn't do this, but if you want to be more precise, you can use an erasable fabric marker to draw a line across the south edge 4" up from the bottom so that you know where to stop cutting the fringe.

Photo 3 & 4 - To make the fringe, you will cut through both the top and bottom pieces at once with rotary cutter or scissors. I placed the fabric on the grid of the cutting mat so it was easy to measure 1" wide strips of fringe. If you drew a line, the make sure to stop cutting you reach the line otherwise you can eyeball it so that the fringe is 4" long and matches up with the square corners that were cut out. Stop cutting once you reach the end of the short piece (see photo 1 for reference).

Photo 5 - Tie the top and bottom pieces of fringe together.

Step 5: Match Up Opposite Corner and Cut Fringe

Photo 1 - Now match up NW corner and we will be cutting fringe on the west edge until you reach the end of the short side. Just as before, you can draw a line with an erasable fabric marker as a guide for how long to make the fringe strips.

Photo 2 - You will have to pull the tied edge a little to make the corners match up. Cut through the top and bottom pieces again to make 1" wide and 4" long fringe.

Photo 3 - Tie fringe together.

Step 6: Cut Fringe Around Other Edges

Cut the same 1" wide fringe around the other edges, but do not tie them because this is just for aesthetic purposes.

Step 7: Lay Flat and Cut Baby's Neck Opening

Photo 1 & 2 - Lay the poncho flat with the two tied seam on the left and right sides. Measure 6.5" down from the collar and mark a 10" line parallel to the opening for the baby's head opening.

Photo 3- Open up the poncho to make sure you only cut through one side of the poncho with a rotary cutter or scissors.

Photo 4 - Shows the opening that the baby's head will go in when wearing the poncho.

Step 8: You're DONE!

Enjoy this poncho when you're babywearing or if you've got a chilly car ride! The pink one is the first one I made back when my daughter was only 1.5 years old. Now she's 5.5 and we have another baby, so this one will be for little brother when we go up north! We keep them in my mom's car in NJ because it gets really cold there! Hope you enjoyed this project and please share your photos and any suggestions or feedback! Thanks!