Creating Christmas Memories!
The gift that keeps on giving is the gift that everyone wants!
If you can sew a straight line you can make a gift that might last
a lifetime. I made my daughter her first blanket when she was just 7 months old. She loved the satin edging on her baby blankets she had and would rub the binding edges with her fingers. I decided to make her a red Christmas blanket out of satin so she could have an entire blanket that was soft and cuddly. She still has that blanket! I had to ask her to send me this picture from her iphone! Thanks Baby Shae! xoxoxo
As Shae grew up we laughed wondering if she would take the blanket her "blanky" to college. Sure enough she asked me to put new binding on 2 sides of the blanket. She did not want to touch 2 sides as it was her history with the blanket and she wanted to see the wear that gave it a life of it's own. Little did I know that her blanky would go through college and still be with her as she started her life with her husband this past October. Hubby was well aware of the "baggage" she brought with her to the marriage and was thrilled it was only a blanket!
So you never know how long a gift you make for someone will last!
I have been making blankets for several years and I can't tell you how much people enjoy them when you create them with something that has meaning to the recipient. I made ocean life blankets for my grand kids as a memory of our visit to Maui. I have made blankets with golf clubs and one with dogs for some older friends who like dogs and golf. I line them with fleece so they are very warm and soft to watch TV with or cuddle on the couch.
Most recently I created a cat blanket for a 79 year old friend in Aurora, Colorado. She loves cats and loved the blanket. They are easy to create and the slide shows you just how simple they are to put together.
Blanket materials
2 yards of 69 inch wide fleece with a motif that will mean something.
2 yards of 89 inch wide quilt batting or non woven lining try and get 69 wide if they don't have it cut excess.
2 yards of 69 inch soft textured or chenille fabric for the back side.
If you cannot find fabric that is the same width you will just have to cut it to match the shortest width or you will have to piece the length that is not wide enough.
If you do not have a large counter top to work on then just use a flat surface floor to lay the blanket material out. Watch the slide show. Use pins with ball heads so they do not get caught in the batting.
- The lining or batting will need to be pinned to the back side of the fleece fabric as it will be inside the blanket.
- Lay the batting lining material and the fleece together on the floor.
- The batting will be on the bottom and the right side of the fleece will be facing up.
- Then place the right side of the textured chenille fabric together with the right side of the fleece.
- Make sure all the edges match and pin all the way around the blanket.
- Sew straight leaving about a 3/4 inch seam on all sides.
- Be sure to leave about 12 inches open at the bottom of the blanket so you can turn the fabric inside out.
- Clip the edge of the corners so the corner comes out neat and then close up the bottom by stitching on top of the 12 inches with the seams turned in or close by hand stitching.
Have fun creating a Christmas Memory!
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