Sewing or Tieing Quick and Easy Blankets with Minkie and Fleece
Minkie Print backed with Minkie Solid Blanket
Making a Cozy Soft & Warm Gift for Anyone
Well, my favorite buddy needed a soft blanket type cover in his living room. I decided to make some for a gift that I would like to cuddle in also. Minkie is a favorite of mine and the leopard print and black are both favorites in minkie for me. So I made a blanket, not a standard size, just the width of the fabric and the length was 2.5 yards. The pieces bought were 3 yards. I did not put batting in the fabrics as I was putting minkie back to back and not doing traditional quilting. I was just making a simple cover. The half yard gave me enough to make reversible pillow case with a traditional pillow in it and a pull bag with a casing in the top to roll the blanket and put it in the bag to set beside the sofa or chair, and be out of the way.... It could even be used as a roll neck pillow when in the bag.
I folded the two pieces (with wrong sides together) that were the same size in 1/2 inch all the way around and just top stitched. Voila finished blanket. To be assured your blanket will stay together when put in the wash just do round satin stitch every 10 inches or so so it will not open up in the washer. This helps the blanket keep its shape, like a traditional tie quilt.
Using one side of the pillow case as black and one as the print, you can have a reversible pillow, so use whichever side your mood is in.
I sew very fast so because all of the sewing is just turn under topstitch and done... it is a fast gift project.
The first part of the pillow case is just right sides together stitch 3 sides of the rectangle and turn out.
The pillow case is just 1/4 inch under on the end and then fold down however much you want as in this you see I used a traditional pillowcase 3 inch turn under on the end. Done... Put your pillow in and soft and gushy.
The cylinder case was done the same way but making the cylinder long enough that you could fold under the end an inch. The tie was made out of the black and just knotted on the ends to keep it from slipping back in the casing. The cording was made by just folding it in twice and topstitching... voila cord... then knot on ends. Lay it on the top of the cylinder end and fold it over and under 1/4 inch and topstitch with the cord in there... You don't have to pull it through, it is done and just be sure not to catch the cording when you are topstitching.
The cyclinder casing is great for a neck pillow and a bringalong. So if you know friends that go to a lot of outside functions that are a drive away, they can use this for their neck and then pull it out when they get outside and wrap themselves in their gift and think of you.
In most cases wherever possible I skip the right sides together and turn out wherever I can and just turn in the ends put together and topstitch and I lose a whole step of time.
Fleece is warm and pretty prints tooo
Fleece comes in prints and solids also. It makes nice compliments to combine the two.
There was no batting put in between the solid and print, because as in the minkie they gave it plenty of body without the batting. These are very warm and light blankets to cozy while watching TV or a Movie, or just reading a book.
Both the minkie and the acrylic fleece are washable, and very sweet to the touch. This fleece was high quality fleece from G Street fabrics. If you buy fleece from a discount store look for a labeling of non pillable. Some very inexpensive fleeces will pill.
The wolf blanket was done the same way as the minkie, with two pillow cases. One made solid color and one made in the print. One to serve as a traditional pillow and one to serve as a bag for the blanket. When folded and put in the pillow case it looks like two different contrasting but matching pillows.
These are great if going to an outdoor game on bleachers because you can sit on the pillow and pull the one out of the other pillow case and wrap yourself in it until it is time to go. Sometimes you can find team themes on fleece, so you can quickly sew up a gift for your special friends with their favorite team theme.
Fleece does not fray on the edge, so you can also make fringe ties on the edge and do a one layer blanket or cut many squares with fringe and tie the squares together like a quilt for a quilted look without using a sewing machine.
