Tuesday, April 2, 2013

No-Sew Fleece Blanket Tutorial


It's springtime in Arizona, which means warm weather, barbecues and of course, baseball - lots and lots of baseball.  Spring Training comes to Arizona and suddenly we're all "batting averages" obsessed.  Whether is is MLB or Little League, we start to spend all of our time outside on the grass or in the stands.  Why not make yourself comfortable out on the field with this easy and quick no-sew fleece blanket?  Costing less than $20 and taking about an hour, this is project perfect for parents and kids alike.  Best of all, it can be personalized to your favorite slugger's team colors.  :)

Materials
Fleece {Used: 2 yards of each, solid color and pattern}
Fabric Scissors
Measuring Tape
Sewing Pins

Instructions
1.  Prep fabric by trimming off any logo edging.  Don't worry - this usually will not affect the size of your fleece.

 2.  If necessary, cut fleece to size.  I had purchased a longer piece of fabric so I can make a No-Sew Fleece Pillow later, so I had to trim my down to size.  My final size was 5 feet by 6 feet.
The fastest way to cut your blanket to size is to cut one piece of fleece first.  Once it's the perfect size, layer it on top of your other piece and trim around.

Layer your fleece as desired.

**Remember, these blankets are very forgiving so do not stress over perfectly straight lines or measurements.

3.    Now, it's time to do your corners.  Working from your first corner, measure in 5 inches from each edge.  Use pins to mark.  I used 2 pins per side of my little square to make sure it stays.  Repeat this for all four corners.  Finally, cut your corners out.  Remember to cut on the edge side of your pins - not the inside!  What you are left with looks like a giant + or what resembles an old fashioned pharmacy symbol.

 4.   Pin across fabric from corner to corner to create new edge.  Your pins should be approximately 5 inches from the edge of the fabric.  You will need a lot of pins for this.  Pin all four sides.  Remove the pins from step 3.  At this point, you should not have pins on the outer flaps of your + shape.

 5.  Cut your fringe.  Lay your measuring tap along the edge of your fabric.  Cut every 1 inch wide.  Complete your cut all the way to your pins.  Therefore, your fringe should be 1 inch wide x 5 inches long.  Please do not stress over making them exactly this measurement.  You will just want to be in the ballpark.  Cut all four sides.

 6.  Tie your fringe together.  Simply take the bottom piece of the fringe and the top and tie using a simple knot.  Double knot each piece of fringe. 

**If your blanket is starting to bunch together, like below...
...gently tug on both sides of the bunched up section and allow the fleece to stretch.
 Work around all four edges, removing pins as you go... and soon...
 you will have a beautiful No-Sew Fleece Blanket.

Enjoy the blanket and enjoy the game!

1 comment:

  1. Hello, Where did you get the baseball fabric?

    ReplyDelete

 
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