Deal of the Day

I have been absolutely swamped and drained lately, but I couldn’t let the new baby come home without a “special” blanket.  So Angel and I went on down to Hobby Lobby, where fleece is on sale for 30% off!  That never happens. And bought 1.5 yards of two solid colors to make Baby Reikofski a fleece tied baby blanket.  Because we are not telling the sex of the baby, I have purposely made the photos black and white as to not give any clues what the gender is.

While making the blanket, I thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and share the how to’s on this simple no sew blanket.  I know my kids love them, and they also make for great youth activities.  I know several church groups and non profits that make these for shelters, children’s hospitals and NICU’s.  They really are simple, and if you are making a smaller infant version, they take less than an hour to complete.  The larger throws take a little longer and really are easier to do with more people involved.

So onward to the directions.

What you will need:

• Fleece – I recommend two different ones, most people use a pattern and a solid, but mix and match the patterns and colors at the store and decide what fits your taste.
• 1.5 yards of each makes a throw large enough to cover a toddler bed or a good couch throw
• 1 yard of each makes a nice size infant blanket
• 2.5 to 3 yards of each makes a blanket that will fit a twin size bed
• Scissors or a rotary cutter (which is A LOT easier to use)
• A location that you can completely stretch out your blanket to cut on – I use the floor quite frequently for this, but being eight and half months pregnant does make it hard to crawl around it
• A Ruler
• Either a marker, a pencil or preferably a washable fabric pen

I am putting all the images to this tutorial at the bottom of this email

1. Lay the two pieces of fleece together with the back sides touching.  Line them up as best as you can. – this can be tricky as most fabric shops do not make straight cuts
2. Trim all four sides so your fabric is exactly the same shape and size – note – these blankets are VERY forgiving
3. Cut a 3 to 7 inch rectangle out of each corner – base this on how long you are going to cut your fringe, if your fringe is going to be 5 inches, then cut a 5 inch rectangle out of the corner…

From this point on it changes based upon the person making the blanket, I am going to tell you how I do it and you can adopt your own style.

1. I use a yard stick and a pencil and crease a straight line connecting rectangle to rectangle, this way I know exactly how deep to make each cut so my ties are equal
2. I also make a “fringe template” from the rectangle I have cut out, I make my fringes the width of a ruler.  Simply put I cut a strip of fleece from the rectangle cut from the corner as wide as my yard stick
3. Lay the “fringe template” down on the blanket and cut, repeat until all cuts are made on that one side, and then start on the next side
4. Once all fringes are cut, start tying – make your ties tight and be sure to double knot them, this ensures they stay tied when washing
5. Go around all edges and tie, any imperfections with your cuts or ties will disappear as the blanket gets finished, like I said this is a very forgiving blanket
6. Once all fringes are tied, you are done

Some Variations or “ideas” for personalizing your Fleece Tie Blanket;

• Use two solid colors, then apply an applique, iron patch or cross stitch on it
• Use your school colors and apply your schools name, initials, mascot or an applique of some sort
• A black and white print on one side a bright color on the reverse

If you end up making a fleece tie blanket, please share your photos!  Also if you don’t want to go to the trouble of making this blanket completely from scratch, you can find Fleece Tie Blanket kits which takes a lot of the tedious cutting work out of making these.