My Aunt Judy made me one of these blankets last year when I wasn’t feeling well. I just love it, since it is so warm, but best of all, my aunt made it, so it makes me think of her. She gave me the secret of how easy these are to make… so they are perfect to give as gifts.
Supplies Needed:
A pair of good scissors (If your scissors are dull, it will take a lot longer to cut through the fleece and will be harder on your hands!)
Ruler or tape measure
1 piece of stiff card board
Two coordinating pieces of any fleece . . .
• for a baby or toddler, purchase 1 to 1 1/2 yards (in each of
two fabrics)
• for a child, purchase 1-3/4 yards (in each of two fabrics)
• for a teen or adult, purchase 2 yards (in each of two fabrics)
• Note: If you have a taller or bigger person that will be the recipient, buy more fleece! The bigger the blanket – the better to cuddle with! (I always opt for more fabric)
Remember:
• Fabric usually comes in 54 inches wide or greater.
• You need two separate pieces of fabric for the blanket; one will be the front, one will be the back. You can hoose two coordinating fabrics or the same fabric. The choice is yours! I like to make one side a plain solid color- and the other side a fun decorative fabric.
• Double-check the widths of the two fleeces to make sure they are the same.
• Watch for sales at your fabric store, as you can save a lot of money that way, often more than 50%. Stock up on holiday prints as well as plain solids, or neutrals.
Directions:
Cut off rough edge on both sides. (This is the side that is machine finished, not cut.) Trim only as much as necessary, usually not more than 2 inches on each side. At this point, make sure that your cut sides are
relatively straight. (They don’t have to be perfect, no one will notice!) Do this on each piece of fabric.
Lay your fleece wrong sides together, with edges matching up. (Often times with fleece, it’s hard to tell which side is the wrong side and it often doesn’t’t matter which side you use as the front or back. I like this because it makes this project “fool-proof”)
**Some people choose at this point to pin the layers together; this is a personal preference. I’ve found it quicker not to pin, and I’ve never had a problem with slippage or keeping the sides aligned. I also tend to fumble with pins with my arthritic hands..so I don’t want to pinch myself. Find what works for you.
Cut a 4×4 square (or 5×5? square for a longer fringe) out of each corner of all 4 sides (through both layers of fleece) and discard. If you want your fringe longer (not recommended for a baby or toddler), make your square
bigger. It really does help to cut out your square from each corner before proceeding.
Cut all 4 (or 5?) into fleece at 1 in. intervals around all four sides. Tie overhand knot close to blanket edge by using one strip from the front and one strip from the back to create finished fringe edge. Repeat around all four sides.
Some helpful tips:
To help make your strips approximately wide (again, it doesn’t have to be perfect), you can use a tape measure to mark the inch intervals on a piece of cardboard- use the piece of cardboard as a guide as you make your cuts on the fabric. Then you only measure once on the piece of cardboard- instead of measuring all along the fabric.
To make the tying look more even, I tie every other one, all the way around the blanket, then flip the blanket over to the back and tie the rest. That way neither side is really the front or the back!
Experiment with the way you tie the knots for different looks. You can make the knot show in either fabric as well as the fringe in either fabric.
The nature of fleece makes two of the sides stretchy. Don’t fear! Just be gentle when tying those sides (the selvage sides) so that your fringe isn’t stretched out of shape! The knots do not have to be tight to remain tied and
keep the blanket together.
Have fun, experiment with different fabrics, different size blankets etc! The great thing about this project is there is no “right way to do it, and it always comes out looking great!
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