At Home In The Ozarks

Christmas Craft: You Can Make a Blanket Without Knowing How to Sew

[10:24 AM | 0 comments ]

Quilts and blankets make great gifts for Christmas, especially when they're made by hand. Quilters often start on their holiday gifts months in advance, making unique and useful gifts for those on their lists. But for those of us who do not know how to sew, giving such a gift is not an option.

Or is it?

While it would be difficult to make a quilt without sewing, you can make a nice, warm blanket without picking up a needle and thread. Fleece is one of the warmest materials that one can buy, and you don't have to worry about it fraying. It's easy to make an attractive fleece blanket without having to sew.

Here are the instructions.

Supplies

* 1 1/2 yards of patterned fleece
* 1 1/2 yards of fleece in a coordinating solid color
* Sturdy scissors
* Measuring tape
* Disappearing ink pen
* Lots of large, straight pins

Instructions

Lay both pieces of fleece flat on a large surface, with the patterned piece on top of the solid one. Smooth the fleece out until there are no wrinkles and no bunching, making sure the edges are even with each other.

Pin the pieces of fleece together using the straight pins, placing them a few inches from the edges. It's okay if one piece is a little larger than the other. You can trim it down after you're done pinning.

Trim the selvage edges off, and even the pieces up to the same size if necessary. Smooth the fabric out once again.

Measure and mark a 4- to 5-inch square at each corner of the blanket. Cut these squares out.

Cut slits in the fabric at the same length as the squares, spacing them about 3/4 to 1 inch apart. Do this all the way around the blanket.

Starting at a corner, tie each strip from the patterned fabric to the strip of plain fabric behind it. Tie them in a double knot, but not too tight. Tie some fringes in each corner before doing the rest of them to help keep the fabric straight.

Tie the rest of the fringes together in the same manner.

Remove all straight pins. Your blanket is finished!

You can make this blanket in any size you like. You could do a smaller one to give as a baby gift, or adjust the size to fit a bed. And with all of the fleece patterns available, you can find something for anyone.

Don't let your inability to sew stop you from giving a warm, cuddly handmade blanket as a Christmas gift. With this technique, anyone can whip up a blanket in no time.