Farmhouse Style Cuddly Blanket Tutorial

This chilly weather calls for a cuddly throw blanket!  It's easy to make one that keeps you warm this season and has a fun farmhouse flair to it.

The secret is using a rustic print cotton fabric panel for the front and a plush sherpa fabric for the back:

This blanket design uses a marshmallow-y soft sherpa fabric that wraps around to the front to add a fluffy border around the panel.  It's the perfect fabric to go with my sheep print fabric panel and really pop against its rustic reds.

In just an hour or so, you'll have a beautiful blanket to cuddle up with or to give as a gorgeous gift for the holidays:

It folds up nice to store too, although it's so comfy, I doubt ours will get put away any time soon!

As soon as I got this fabric panel for my shop I knew it would be just perfect to pair with a plush fabric and having it frame the panel design adds a luxurious feel:

~~ How To Make This Blanket ~~

Materials:
 - 1 yard size cotton fabric panel (I used The Lord Is My Shepherd Winter Sheep) or        1 yard of rustic design cotton print fabric (find more Christmas designs here)
 - 1 1/4 yds sherpa, velboa or cuddle fabric
 - Optional but recommended: walking foot
 - Yard stick, rotary cutter, lots of pins, hand sewing needle

Start by folding the panel in half and trimming the edges to be perfectly even using a yard stick (it should be 34 inches high by 42 inches wide).  Fold the sherpa/cuddle in half widthwise and cut to be 39 inches high inches by 48 inches wide.  This kind of fabric sheds quite a bit so have a vacuum ready after cutting.

Lay the cuddle face up and center the cotton panel face down, so that there's a 3.5 inch border between the raw edges on all sides.  It's also important to make sure the cuddle's nap faces downward so it lays smooth.

Carefully pin together the raw edges of the fabrics all the way around, leaving the corners loose.  The more pins the better, so the cuddle doesn't stretch out while sewing.  

It also helps to sew with the cuddle side on the bottom and using a walking foot to better keep the fabric from shifting or stretching.  Sew the layers together all the way around, using a 1/2 inch seam allowance, skipping the corners and leaving a 3 inch gap at the bottom for turning.

Pull the open corners to a point and stitch a diagonal line to make nice mitered corners. Trim off the excess fabric.  Turn right side out and hand stitch the gap closed.

Put your new cuddly throw blanket out and stay warm!

Kid's Comfort Quilt Tutorial

Sometimes the best projects are the ones we give away.  I've just finished this lovely little Kid's Comfort Quilt to give away and am happy to share how I made it so others can make some to donate too.

The striped design features framed charm squares and is self bound with fabric from the back side.  

I decided to do this quilt as a present for the 4yr old relative of some friends.  She was recently diagnosed with stage 3 cancer after an unexpected tumor was discovered.  Unfortunately she's about to begin a long series of chemotherapy treatments.  I'd just gotten these fabrics as new additions for my shop (talk about providential timing!).  So I thought a special comfort quilt might help lift her spirits a little at this difficult time.  

I don't do a lot of quilts, so I kept the design very simple.  I was inspired by this Little Star Quilt, but made mine more basic so there was less to cut out and it was quick to assemble.  

While this quilt could be made with any fabrics (it makes a great baby quilt too), I choose some that would team with the theme of kicking childhood cancer.   For my main fabric I used this pretty fabric that I thought a little girl would love - full of words of hope, pink and butterflies:

The stripes feature coordinating inspirational script words like  blessings, gratitude, and love too.

There are also some specially themed charm squares:

The kid-themed messages are meant to help little ones fighting cancer to stay positive:

and feel brave:

I used this Let's Fight Together Childhood Cancer Fabric Panel to create them.

The messages are so sweet and they look nice with the inspirational-themed fabrics I used.  I also quilted some butterflies to echo the butterfly main fabric.

Which adds a nice butterfly design on the back too:

Finished size: 39 in wide by 44 in high 

Materials:
- 7/8yd Soulful Shades of Pink Inspirational Butterflies cotton fabric
- 3/8yd Soulful Shades Inspirational Words Pink cotton fabric
- 3/8yd Soulful Shades Inspirational Words Grey cotton fabric
- Let's Fight Together Cotton Panel (or 12 charms squares)
- 1 1/4yds Backing cotton fabric (at least 44 inches wide)
- Crib size lightweight polyester batting (45 in by 60 in)
- Notions: pins, rotary cutter, yardstick, iron, disappearing marker

All seams are 1/4 in.

Start by cutting out the squares from the Let's Fight Together panel (or cutting twelve 5 inch charm squares).

Next cut the following from the Inspirational Butterflies (main print):

(20) 1 1/2 in wide by 5 in high inner frame strips

(4) 2 1/2 in wide by 5 in high outer frame strips

(1) 39 in wide by 13 1/2 in high center stripe

(2) 39 in wide by 1 1/2 in high inner frame stripes

(2) 39 in wide by 2 1/2 in high outer frame stripes

From the Inspirational Words Grey cut:

(4) 39 in wide by 2 1/2 in high stripes 

From the Inspirational Words Pink cut:

(2) 39 in wide by 4 1/2in high stripes

From the backing fabric cut:

(1) 42 in wide by in 47 in high

Begin with the charm squares.  Starting with the square that will be furthest left, pin and stitch a 2 1/2 in wide strip to the left side of the square, with right sides facing.  Do the same on the right side with a 1 1/2 in wide strip.  

Stitch another 1 1/2 in wide strip to the previous strip, then another square.  Repeat with the remaining 3 squares except use another 2 1/2 in wide strip on the right side of the last square.  Repeat to create another row with the remaining 6 charm squares and strips.  Press seams toward the frame fabric.

For the top framed Row 1, stitch one of the 39 in wide by 2 1/2 in high outer stripes along the top edge and one of the 39 in wide by 1 1/2 in high outer stripes along the bottom to finish framing the squares.  

Repeat with the lower Row 9, but doing the remaining 39 in wide by 1 1/2 in high outer stripe on top and the 39 in wide by 2 1/2 in high outer stripe on the bottom.  Press seams toward the frame fabric.  

Take Row 1 and stitch Row 2 (a grey words stripe) to the lower edge.  Press seams open.  Stitch Row 3 (a pink words stripe) to Row 2's lower edge then Row 4 (another grey stripe) to Row 3's lower edge.   

Stitch Row 5 (center butterfly stripe) to Row 4's lower edge.  Repeat with remaining stripe Rows 6-9, Grey, Pink, Grey and lower framed row at bottom, pressing all seams open.  

Measure quilt top and cut batting to same dimensions.  With backing fabric pressed flat and open, right side facing down, lay batting then quilt top over it, making sure there is an even 1 1/2 inches of backing fabric showing on each side.  

Double fold backing fabric inward to create the binding and pin all around.  

To miter the corners, fold one corner upward at a 45 degree angle and then fold the perpendicular side of the corner upward and pin.

Top stitch binding edge all the way around close to the fold.  

Quilt as desired.  I decided to do a simple 3 part butterfly shaped design along the alternating stripes tracing a paper template with disappearing marker:

and a 2 part large butterfly design in the center stripe panel.

And topstitched around those lines.

I really hope the recipient likes it and this quilt helps make the tough days of chemotherapy ahead a little more comfortable.

I'm planning to help my kids do a few simple stripe flannel blankets next as a family service project for the charity Project Linus.  I'll be sharing those kids-can-make projects soon too. 

Easy To Make Loop Trim Fleece Blanket

Let's start the year off with an easy project!  Something anyone can whip up fast.  Since the weather has turned wintery, let's make a cuddly Loop Trim Fleece Blanket!

There are lots of fleece blanket styles out there, so I set out to do something a little different, but still fairly easy.  Just some straight stitch sewing and you've got this fun loopy-trimmed blanket:

I think the trim gives it a more polished finish that cut ties or just seamed edges.

And guess what?  It's SUPER easy thanks to using loop yarn!

Materials:
- 1-1.5 yards of fleece fabric (depending on size desired)*
- Skein of loop yarn (Bernat EZ Blanket, Lion Off the Hook or Red Heart Loop-It)
- Small bowl or plate
- Hand sewing needle, heavy duty needle, rotary cutter/shears, pins
Optional: Walking foot

* The faith-themed fleece was from my shop.  It sold out fast, but I still have some other pretty faith fleece prints still available here.

Decide on the size of blanket desired and cut the fleece front & back accordingly.  I wanted to make a little throw to put over the car seat when outside, so I did a 30 in x 30 in square.

Take a small plate or bowl and use its shape to round off the corners with a rotary cutter:

Starting at the middle of one side of the front piece's right side, begin pinning the loop yarn, loops facing inward, with the flat edge right against the edge of the fabric.  Do this all the way around, overlapping about an inch when back at the beginning.  

Baste the yarn in place with a .25 in seam allowance.  Using a walking foot makes this a little easier since it keeps layers from shifting.  

With right sides facing, place the other piece of blanket fabric on top and pin together.  Stitch all the way around, leaving a 3 inch gap on one side for turning.

Turn right side out and hand stitch closed.