So, if you are feeling a lil bit creative and you want a quick and easy project to complete here it is. A warm & cozy blanket. This thing is so great that if you have a dog, they will never get off of it. You might want to invest in a little extra material just for them.
Go to your favorite fabric store and pick out 2 fleece materials that you like. Usually people tend to do one pattern and one solid color. For this blanket I am making for my dad, I chose a golf pattern and a solid green to represent grass. Creative I know!
I like my blankets extra long so I buy 3 yards of each fabric.
In addition, you will need a straight edge, a fabric cutter, and a cutting mat. Scissors will work too, but your fingers may fall off in the process.
You will need a lot of floor space to make this blanket, so pull back all of your furniture, turn on some holiday tunes (I recommend Barbara Streisand's Jingle Bells) and grab some eggnog to set the festive mood. Get your favorite doggy (Coal) to help you lay out the solid color fleece with the side you want left exposed "good side" touching the carpet. The "bad" side will be hidden when the blanket is finished.
Next, you will need to lay down the pattern fabric right on top of the solid, only this time you want the "good" side facing up. This allows both "bad" sides to be touching each other. Coal approves of these cozy blankets because he just won't get off of them. I told you they are dog friendly.
Once you have the two fleece pieces flat you will need to cut the edges off. This is for two reasons: 1) it helps create a straight edge and 2) the two pieces of material will be aligned all the way around. So, place your cutting mat below the materials and using your straight edge cut a border all the way around. It helps to try and use the pattern's repeats to line up the cuts.
With the excess material cut off, and your 2 fleece materials aligned, you can now cut off the corners. The fleece material has a stretchy side and a non-stretchy side. On the stretchy side, cut 3". On the non-stretchy side, cut 4". The mat shown in this picture is helpful because each square is 1".
Almost done! Next, cut 1" strips towards the center of the blanket. Again on the stretchy side 3" long and on the non-stretchy side 4". Go ALL the way around!
I recommend cutting all of these strips before you begin to tie the blanket. That way you don't have any puckering. When the 1" strips are all cut, start tying the two pieces together - double knot. Try and tie it so that the solid color goes to the top and the pattern goes to the bottom.
You are DONE! Good job fellow elves. Wrap it up with a pretty ribbon and wish your loved ones a Merry Christmas! Now, go enjoy the rest of that eggnog and toast yourself for a job well done.
