Eight Christmases ago, my stepsister Kim made me this really awesome fleece blanket for my family room. I had never seen a blanket made like this before. Nice thick fleece and absolutely NO SEWING!! Well that just won me over right there! This blanket quickly became a family favorite and is fought over all winter. It's so warm and cozy and is just the right size to cuddle up on the couch with. I don't think there is a warmer blanket in the house. This blanket has been through many....many washings and is still almost as soft as it was when she gave it to us. Thank you again Kim. Just like you, it stands the test of time. ;) hehee!
Well of course if I see something handmade that I really love you know I have to give it a shot myself. I have made a few of these lovely blankets myself since this one was gifted to me. I made one with my niece a few years back and I made a Chicago Bears one for my nephew Bruce last year. This year I wanted to make one for Bruce's little boy Drue. He is crazy into Ninja Turtles so I was excited to find this awesome flannel with Ninja Turtles all over it, at Walmart. So bright and fun! I chose a coordinating, solid, bright red for the back of the blanket. This is seriously all you will need to make one of these blankets and you can make it as big or as small as you want. I used 2 yards of each of these fleece designs and I invested in a new pair of super sharp scissors. That is the best tip I'll give you....sharp scissors!!! And no running!! ;)
Next find a nice big area to lay your material out on. I used my kitchen island. Make sure the best side of each material is facing out. Smooth it all out and make sure the edges lay nice and straight.
Go around the material and pin the edges. Then trim off any excess at this time, keeping the lines nice and straight. A tip to make things easier is to find a nice pattern to follow. This one has a brick pattern which made it super easy. After I've cut the edge I go back and move my pins about 4 inches in to make room for the fringe.
I cut a 4 inch square out of each corner because that's how long I want my fringe to be. If you want a 3 inch fringe then you'll want to cut out a 3 inch square, etc.
Now it's time to really put those super sharp scissors to use. I chose to make my fringe 3/4 inch wide. You can make them wider if you want but I like a lot of fringe so I make them thin. One thing I can't stress enough is don't worry if all of your fringe is not perfect in width or length. It would take forever if I physically measured each fringe. I do a lot of eyeballing and every once in a while I'll grab the ruler to make sure I'm still close to the measurements I chose.
Now the fun part.....tying the knots. All you do is take the top and the bottom material and make a knot.
I worked in sections, cutting and knotting as I went.
I worked my way around the blanket. Look, you can' see the cutout square anymore! It's awesome how nice that comes together.
And this is the finished Ninja Turtle blanket. If I would have gone with 3 yards it would have fit the whole length of the bed. I wanted one that Drue could use either on his bed as a throw or to keep in his family room to watch TV with his dad. It is so warm and snuggly, I hope he likes it!
Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful Christmas!!
~Lisa~
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