Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Great Homemade gift idea

So, I'm having the kids make tied fleece blankets for
my mom and mother in law for Christmas. It's a neat craft,
and it will be special gift to receive from the kids.
Then I thought, why not post it on my blog in case someone else
needs a simple, yet thoughtful gift?
So, here are directions on how to make tied fleece blankets.
Supplies:
~2 yards Printed (in a personalized choice) outerwear fleece
~2 yards (coordinating color) Outerwear fleece in solid
(*Remember that the end result blanket will be 8" shorter than the material that you
started with.*)
~straight pins or safety pins
~scissors
~Tape measure
Directions:
Start with two pieces of fleece material that are exactly the same size.
Be sure to leave the "good" side of the fabric on the outside.
You can make your blanket pretty much any size you
like up to the width of the material.
Lay your two pieces of fleece out on a table with the patterned side on top of the solid. Using straight pins or safety pins, neatly pin the material together about eight inches in from the edges. This is to keep your blanket in place as you work. Be sure to smooth out the fabric, so that there are no bumps.
Now, at each corner, cut a four inch square indent into the corner.
(Be sure to save your fleece pieces for future crafting!)
Now, using the tape measure, cut a four inch long,
one inch wide fringe all the way around the material.
When you are finished cutting the fringe, start at one corner
and begin to tie the fringe of the
two layers together.
(For some reason, it seems easier to
start at on the left and work to the right.)
Tie each piece together using a "Balloon knot", which is basically
tying a knot the way that you would tie a balloon.
Work your way all the way around the blanket, until the entire thing is tied. Pull gently on each knot to to smooth the blanket.
Remove the pins, and your blanket is done!
Now you can cuddle under the blanket with a cup of hot cocoa or Tie it with
some pretty ribbon to give as a personalized hand made gift.