Just a few days before Christmas, my daughter and I had a brilliant idea for a gift for my soon to be sister-in-law. We decided to make her a fleece blanket. I had made blankets for both of my parents and my youngest brother (who she is engaged to) back when they moved to New Mexico at the beginning of 2004. Zach told me that Jenn loved to snuggle up in his blanket so we figured it would be something she would use and appreciate and a fun way to welcome her to the family. We went to the fabric store and found this fun hot air balloon fleece fabric. That seemed like a great choice since it was a bit of a nod to New Mexico where my brother has lived until this fall.
I used the directions for this no-sew blanket with the exception that I do like to sew a border stitch around my blankets first (about 4 inches in). I think they stay together better and seem nicer with the stitching, but it certainly is optional. If you look closely, you will see the line of stitching almost next to the tied pieces on the edge. Jenn loved her blanket and we were so happy to be able to give it to her!
We were so excited about this blanket that we knew we wanted to make more. My daughter asked me if I would help her make one for her Dad and brother. We also wanted our own blankets so we picked out fabric for ourselves to work on after Christmas. We started with Alex’s blanket – electric guitars for the rock-n-roll guy! He has slept with this blanket every night.
Next up was Jeff’s (Dad’s) blanket. We picked out the wolf fabric because he loves the story of the good wolf (me too!) He has loved this blanket so much and also has slept with it many nights.
I decided to be sneaky and make Riley her blanket as a surprise. I did the whole thing while she was at a play with her Dad. I love the bright colors! Not only does she sleep with it, she often has it with her when reading, knitting, or watching tv.
Together, we made 3 blankets in 3 days. I added in the extra one while she was gone so I actually worked on 4 blankets in 3 days. I guess that is why mine still hasn’t been put together yet. We plan to do it this weekend though. I love the funky fabric I picked out! I’ve borrowed the other blankets a few times for some naps and I can’t wait to have my very own.
These were so much fun for us to make, and really pretty easy to put together. We’ve decided that we need to make another batch to keep in our basement for everyone to use during movie time since we all like to have these blankets in our rooms right now. There’s nothing as comfy as a warm fleece blanket to cuddle up in!
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