What Is Minky Dot Fabric? Specs, Uses and How Much to Buy

Minky dot fabric is a solid-color minky with small raised dots across its surface. EZ Fabric's Solid Minky Dot is 100% polyester, with a 2.5mm pile on a soft knit back, and it comes 58/60 inches wide.

The dots are embossed into the pile rather than printed on it. That one detail explains how it feels, how it sews and what it does best. This guide covers what minky dot is, how it compares to smooth minky and printed dots, and how much to buy for four projects.

What is minky dot fabric?

Minky dot is a low-pile minky with a raised dot texture. Like all minky, it is knitted from polyester microfiber, with a dense cut pile on one side and a smooth knit backing on the other. It won't fray, and it has the gentle stretch typical of knit fabrics, called mechanical stretch.

The dots are the difference. They are pressed into the pile, which makes them part of the fabric's surface. Run your hand across it and you feel a grid of soft bumps. The color is the same all over, which is why it is sold as a solid.

You will also see it called dimple dot minky. Both names describe the same construction: a short-pile minky with an embossed dot surface. At EZ Fabric it sits in the Silky Minky family, alongside the smooth solid, and every color is on the minky dot fabric page. If you are new to minky in general, start with our guide to what minky fabric is.

What is the difference between minky dot and smooth minky?

Minky dot has embossed dots and a 2.5mm pile. Smooth minky is flat, with a 3mm pile. A printed dot is a flat minky with dots printed on it in a second color. All three get called dot minky in shops.

Pile heights and widths are EZ Fabric's published figures. Prices checked on the live store on 24 Sep 2026.

Each one suits a different job. Minky dot gives you texture without a print. The smooth solid gives you a sleek surface, and its 89/90 inch version is the only fabric in the range that wide, which matters for a large blanket. A printed dot gives you the dots as a color pattern on a flat surface.

Why a 2.5mm pile is useful

Pile height is the length of the fibers standing up from the knit backing. At 2.5mm, minky dot sits at the short end of the scale. Our guide to minky pile heights covers the full range, and the Help Center lists the standard fabric specs.

A short pile brings two practical advantages. The first is a thinner seam. You sew minky with right sides together, and a short pile keeps that seam from getting bulky. The second is less loose fiber. A cut pile sheds where it is cut, and a shorter pile has less fiber to lose.

Bar lengths are drawn against 10mm. These are the figures EZ Fabric publishes for each fabric.

That is why minky dot makes a good back for a plush blanket. Put a taller pile on the face, such as Baby Whispy Snuggle® at 8mm or Bella Snuggle® at 10mm, and minky dot behind it. The face is deep and soft, and the back is low enough to sew easily. The smooth silky minky at 3mm does the same job with a flat surface instead of dots.

What to make with minky dot, and how much to buy

Minky dot is sold in whole yards and cut as one continuous piece. One yard is 36 inches long by the full 58/60 inch width. The figures below use a 5/8 inch seam allowance. Where the width matters, they work from the 58 inch end of the range, which means nobody buys short.

All figures assume one fabric in one color per layer. A bolt or roll is also one fabric in one color.

Backed baby blanket

Cut the face and the minky dot back each 36 by 36 inches. Sew them right sides together, leave a gap of about 8 inches on one side, turn the blanket through the gap and topstitch around the edge. The seam takes 5/8 inch off each edge, which leaves a finished blanket about 34¾ inches square. For choosing the face fabric, see our guide to the best fabric for a baby blanket.

Lovey from the offcut

Each yard leaves a strip about 22 by 36 inches once the 36 inch square is cut, because 58 minus 36 is 22. Cut a 14 inch square from each fabric and sew them the same way as the blanket. The finished lovey is about 12¾ inches square.

Throw or adult blanket

Use the full width. A seam allowance takes only 5/8 inch off each edge, which makes the fabric width the blanket width. Two yards gives the 72 inch length. Buy 2 yards of face fabric and 2 yards of minky dot, four yards in total. The selvage does not need trimming: it can sit inside the seam, where it is never seen.

Envelope pillow cover

Cut one front 19¼ inches square and two back panels 19¼ by 14 inches. Fold one long edge of each back panel under by 1 inch and topstitch it. Lay the two panels on the front, right sides together, with the folded edges overlapping in the middle, then sew all the way around and turn it through the overlap. Laid side by side across the width, the three pieces measure 47¼ inches, well inside 58, and 19¼ inches long, well inside one yard. The same method works for any project, and our yardage guide walks through it.

How to sew minky dot

Minky dot sews like any minky, and its short pile keeps the seams thin. Four habits make it easier.

• Feed both layers at the same speed. The knit stretches slightly, and two layers can shift as you sew. A walking foot fixes this. A built-in top feed, sometimes called dual feed, does the same job with less bulk. Pair either with a stretch or ballpoint needle, and pin more than you think you need.
• Cut every piece with the nap running the same way. The nap is the direction the pile lies. Fleece has no nap and can be cut in any direction, but minky cannot. Stroke the fabric to find the smooth direction, and mark it on the back before you cut.
• Cut from the back. Turn the fabric over with the knitted back facing up. Find the point on your scissor blade that glides through the fabric in one smooth motion, without opening and closing the handles, the way scissors slide through wrapping paper. Cut like this and the blade parts the pile the way a comb parts hair. It cuts the knit back and leaves the fibers intact. Shake the pieces out and vacuum the cut edges before you sew.
• Iron on low heat, and keep it moving. Minky dot can be ironed on a low setting as long as the iron never rests in one place. That works because its pile is short. Finger-pressing seams flat is the alternative.

For a blanket, sew the face to the backing every time: right sides together, leave a gap, turn and topstitch.

Caring for minky dot

Minky dot takes the same care as any minky. Machine wash it on a gentle cold cycle, then line or air dry it. Keep high heat away from it: a hot dryer or a hot iron can melt and flatten the pile, and that damage is permanent. Skip fabric softener, which coats the fibers. The Help Center has the short care instructions, and our guide to washing a minky blanket covers the full routine.

Frequently asked questions