Creating Custom Blankets

Tuesday, December 11, 2012
With winter fast approaching, it will soon be time to snuggle up with a nice, warm blanket. Custom blankets are an excellent way to get that warmth and to do so in a way that is consistent with your style and personality. While stores offer a wide variety of blankets, these are not catered to you. You can get customized blankets online, but doing it yourself is much cheaper.
For this project you will need the following supplies:
Flannel fabric
Pins
Sewing machine
Embroidery floss
Embroidery needle
Scissors
Iron
Washing Machine
Drier
Fabric paint or other decorations
First, pick out the flannel fabric; make sure to choose a design or color that matches your creative nature or your personality. Exactly how much fabric you need will depend on the size of the blanket you are making, but remember that you will need two pieces of fabric the same size. Trim off the selvage edge, making sure to take the same amount of fabric from each piece.

Next you will want to wash, dry and iron out the fabric. This step is important in case the fabric shrinks when it is washed as it's better to have it shrink before starting the project than when the project is finished.
Next, place the fabric pieces on top of one another with the outside patterns facing each other so that you are looking at the sides of the flannel which will be the inside of the blanket. Pin down each corner to hold the edges together.
With your sewing machine, sew three of the edges together using a 1/2 inch seam. Sew up most of the fourth edge, but leave about 5 inches where you do not sew. Push the blanket through this hole to turn it right side out. You should now be looking at the outer pattern. Pin the opening and sew it closed by stitching along the edge where the two fabrics meet.
With the embroidery floss threaded through the embroidery needle, start from the back of the blanket and sew the edge around the outside of the blanket. Leave a thread loop at the top of the blanket. When you have finished sewing the edge, push the needle through the loop and pull it tight.
You have completed the basics of your custom blanket and now it's time to spice it up a bit. You can use fabric paint to draw pictures or write names on the blanket. Or, if you prefer, you can sew on little decorations or fabric swatches, pieces of cut up T-shirts or whatever will make the blanket as unique as you are. Go wild! Go crazy! Open up and let your decorative genius flow!
In addition to making these blankets for yourself, you can also consider making them as gifts. Friends and relatives will love the creativity you put into the blankets, especially if you are able to make the blanket more personal to the person for whom it is being made. For instance, make it with their favorite color or use some of their old discarded T-shirts to create lasting memories. It's really up to you, the possibilities are endless.

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