No-Sew Fleece Blankets

This is one of those projects which looks intemidating at first, but once you get started, it becomes very easy. I made my first one last year, and have made 2 more since as well as a no-sew fleece pillow. If you get the fleece on sale, then it makes for a very nice gift for Christmas, baby shower, or anything else.

First of all, you need to decide what size of blanket you want. The first blanket I ever made, I got 3 yards. That was a very large blanket and was actually big enough for 2 people, which was good since it was a Christmas present to my brother- and sister-in-law. Generally, for children and infants, 1 to 1 1/2 yards is good. For a throw blanket, 2 yards should be good.

When you've decided what size you want, then go out and get your fabric. I like to do one side with a pattern or a panel and the other side a plain color. This is all up to personal preference, however. Do whatever makes you, or the person receiving the blanket, happy.

Next, fine a table big enough to hold the fabric. If your in the position as I am and don't have access to a table that large, then using the floor is totally fine. Line up the fabrics corner to corner. If there is some overage of one of the other, don't worry. We'll take care of that in just a moment.

Fabric all line up!

Okay, so now we move onto trimming the fabric. If you have any sides that have been hemmed by the manufacturer or have those unprinted sides, go ahead and trim them off. Also, try and get the two fabrics as close to the same size as possible. Doesn't have to absolutely perfect. Close enough will do.

Next, cut off a 4 in x 4 in square off from all four corners. This will prevent your corners from looking funky.

Now, using your handy-dandy tape measure or ruler and cut strips 4 inches deep into the fabric one inch apart. Should look something like this:

After doing that on all four sides, start tying those strips together. Just a simple knot will do, but make sure to do it twice so they don't come undone while your snuggling with it or putting it through the wash.

All tied together

And there you go! A fully-functioning blanket which, depending on which size you went with, can be finished in one evening. Here's a view of the blanket which I was using for my example, which is going to be going to my soon-to-arrive niece:

1 1/2 yards of snuggly goodness

And here's a smaller blanket which I made for my own daughter. I think it started a little bit smaller than 1 yard and it's not nearly as wide as the other one, but I love the colors in this, especially the tie-dye green that I used on the backside.

If you can't tell, it's Snoopy. :)

And that's how you have a comfy blanket. Hope you enjoyed my little crafty "how-to" and if you do make one, please send me pictures. I would love to see them. Also, I hope you enjoyed the pictures in this one a bit better than ones in previous posts. I got a new camera for Christmas and I was totally excited to try it out. It even has an option for taking pictures of food, so let's see if my food looks more yummy. :)