**I wrote this post last year but thought it would be a great share again this year **
For the past few years I have given Fleece Tied Blankets as gifts. They have been a huge hit and now people have actually asked for them. Gavin had a little monkey one I made him when he was around 6 months old that is too small now. It is however, the perfect size for a stroller blanket!
Things you will need:
Sharp scissors
2 separate fabrics (cut at 2 yards each)
Lay your first layer out. I recommend doing it on a carpet as it helps keep the fleece from shifting or moving while working with it.
Next lay your second layer on top. Do your best at matching it up. You may have to trim it a bit but if it’s only hanging over a little, don’t worry about it.
Next trim a square cut off each corner. Cut through both pieces.
Not a huge square. I used my hand as a reference.I know, my hands aren’t rockin‘ lately. But they aren’t crackin‘ so I’m good!
Next go around the entire blanket cutting small slits. They should be about 1-1.5 inches in width. You don’t need to measure or be perfect. Eyeball it. You won’t notice any problems once its made. I promise.
Here’s a pic after I did it all.
To start tying it together you want to sit on it. I couldn’t think of how to word it so here’s a pic. Sit directly on it and use your foot to keep the other side put.
When I tie it together I try to keep it so the bottom color ties up. Don’t side tie either.Double knot. Make it tight. You may see the blanket turning in as you go along. Don’t sweat it. It should do that.
Here it is 2/3 done. On the long sides you’ll notices it’s more “stretchy” when you tie. That’s normal. Don’t worry!
Once your done go through and trim the edges. The long side usually show some bump edges just trim them off. Account for that too when your trimming your slits.
Done! Once you got it down a 2 yard blanket takes just under an hour to make.
As you can see these are popular here! You can wash them all you want. I wash them once a week (or more if needed) with hot water. The other 2 are over a year old and haven’t been effected by washing. They are the warmest blankets ever!
If you’re looking for deals on fleece I recommend checking out the fabric section at your Walmart. I got both the fleece fabrics from Walmart for under $25. The Hot Wheels one we found at Jo-Ann’s and I probably paid $25 just for the top fabric.If you have questions let me know!
Let me know too if you make one!
Let me know too if you make one!
Oh I love this idea. My MIL made one of these for my son one year. Is there a way to fill it with stuffing to make it thicker and warmer?
They are thick and incredibly warm the way they are. I promise you don’t need the fill.
P.S. could you please add the TweetMeme RT button for twitter 🙂
I like to retweet when it’s easily accessible.
Would love that but don’t know how lol
If you watch you can get deals at Hancock’s and Jo-Ann fabrics, but it’s not worth paying full price. Non-licensed prints are much cheaper.
I have been making these for a few years, now extended family practically begs for them as a gift.
I make these every year too!
I love making these! Such a nice gift that is cheap and easy when you use your Joanna’s Fabric coupon!
I have been given these as gifts and I can absolutely agree that they are so wonderful to have!! =)
Thanks for sharing!
We make these in our Homeschool Community Coop every year and take them to the City Rescue Mission. Our kids actually just made these today and have them all ready to be delivered to the City Mission. They are wonderful blankets and we have been doing this for several years now. Thanks for sharing.
thanks so much for these directions. Last year I bought a bunch of “Breast Cancer” pink ribbon fleece in all different designs from Jo-Anns. they were having a fleece sale. . I wanted to make some of these blankets for the cancer center at my hospital. . I lost the directions I had, with your easy explained directions I can get to work on them now.
We have two of these, I love them. And they are very warm. So simple, I may need to start making these as gifts, thanks for the tutorial!
I have made a few of these. They do make great gifts. Everyone loves them. They are very warm and soft, love them. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the great idea!
I’m definitly doing this with my six year old shes gonna love having a new blanket an it’ll give some mommy an daughter time together.
I am kinda confused on how you got the big section of red when you was finished…
There are two pieces of fabric. You are knotting them together. When you’re down and flip it over you’ll see the other color. In my case it was red. Hope that helps.
I love that you posted this! I’m going to make some tied dog beds this year for gifts. Same concept, just with a pillow inside 🙂 Thanks for sharing 🙂
I linked to this post in the blog I just posted about a similar concept to make a dog bed.
http://dozenroses13.com/wordpress/2010/12/23/dog-beds/
Your tutorial helped a lot just made two as Christmas gifts!
(sorry, I have a rookie-level stupid-question)
When you say 2 yards, do you mean, like, 2 yards in width, and 2 yards in length? Or…one yard for width, one for length, and that makes 2 in total…?
<3 I love this idea
When you get fabric cut there is only one length you can cut it because the width is already set. So you will need two separate pieces of fabric cut at two yards each.
Thank you for making this pin. It’s so much easier the way u described it compared to the others. I’m making one tonight we shall see LOL
You mentioned buying your fleece at Wal-mart due to cheaper pricing. Did you know that you can get your fabric almost anytime at JoAnn’s for 50% off? they take competitors coupons anytime including AC Moore, Hobby Lobby,
Michael’s, and Hancock fabrics. You can use multiple coupons in a single transaction. Using a 50% off coupon usually makes the items considerably cheaper than Wal-Mart. Hope this helps. I always like to help out fellow crafters.
I do but it still works out to be cheaper at Walmart. Also, they don’t take AC Moore (or Michael’s) coupons for fabric because they don’t sell fabric. They will let you use them on other things there though.
Getting ready to make my first blanket to use as a gift. I love your instructions the best! I’ll be cutting and sitting on my blanket here in a few hours. Thanks for the clear directions!
Hi! I’m in the middle of doing mine now and hope I can ask a question. How long do you cut the strips? I saw you told the width, but how long should I make them? Thanks for your help!
I think I cut in about 4-6 inches. Just enough to tie and have a decorative edge. If you cut them too long you can always trim them. I’ve had to do that too. Hope they come out great! 🙂
To get the bottom color to be on the opposite side, you need to tie in the same way all the time. i used a square knot so it would never untie! Be sure to pull knot tightly!
With these measurements would this be a kids size blanket or big enough for an adult? I was wanting to make some to donate also. Thank you for such good directions!
I usually do a 1 yard for little kids. The 2 yard for older kids and adults.