Do you need a quick & easy baby gift?  
I love working with brushed plaids to make a swaddling blanket.  Working with brushed plaids you have a reversible blanket when finished. Flannels work nicely too.  Or any cute children's print. The finished size of these is bigger than your store bought receiving blankets.

Step 1 - Select the fabric you want to use.  You will need in length the same amount as the fabric is wide.  (ex - fabric is 44 inches wide, then you want 44 inches plus an inch or two in length).

Step 2 - Straighten your fabric on both ends, leaving the selvedges alone. You can choose to straighten with the grain or not.  Your fabric should now measure approximately 44 inches wide by 44 inches in length.

Step 3 - Find your seam guide if you want to be precise OR you can eyeball the one fourth inch that you turn and press down.  Do this on ALL 4 sides of the fabric. 

Step 4 - Turn the hem over the first hem and press, all 4 sides.  Corners can be tricky with this much thickness, but it can be done.

 Step 5 - Stitch along the edge farthest from the outside edge.  See image below.
Continue stitching until you have done all four sides. Finished size is approximately 43 inches square.

 Step 6 - Press, fold and there you have a quick and easy baby present.

Total time for one swaddling blanket - less than 30 minutes.  These 4 were whipped up in less than two hours.  Now I have baby gifts on hand.