I don’t know what it is about the holidays, but they make me feel all “crafty”. I break out my knitting needles (more on that to come), I start making Christmas decorations, cookies, and this year I made these super soft no sew fleece blankets! You really can’t beat these in the cold snowy winter months!
I’ve made them before and the kids absolutely love them. Since ours are well worn, I decided to replace a few of them with new ones. The good news about these is that they’re so easy and quick! Minus your trip to the store for fleece, you can literally have one of these blankets done within about 2 hours…give or take.
Since this is the 12 Days of Christmas and all, I really wanted to make a more festive red and white blanket, but the crew out voted me and we went for the bright pink.
Supplies:
1 . You will need 2 pieces of fleece Fabric at least 40 inches or wider (most are 54 inches)
- Toddler/Crib Size: 1 1/2 yards of each piece of fleece, the print and the solid
- Child size 1 3/4 yards of each piece
- Teen/Adult size 2 yards of each piece
2. Sharp Scissors or I use a Fiskars Rotary Cutter, so much faster!
3. Ruler or tape measure (I’m using a Fiskars 3×18 Clear Acrylic Quilting Ruler)
4. Optional: Cutting Mat if you are using the rotary cutter. (I use a 24×36 Self Healing Mat, but you just need one large enough to do a 7 inch strip, so a regular sized 12×12 mat would be fine too.)
Instructions:
STEP 1: Lay both pieces of fabric on the floor with the WRONG sides touching. (The right sides will be facing out so you can see them) Carefully trim away any of the seam edges. This is also to make the edges of both fabrics match up.
TIP: It is easiest to cut BOTH pieces of fabric at the same time.
STEP 2: Once your edges are straight, cut a 7 in x 7 in square from each corner, do this on all 4 corners, again cutting both pieces of fabric at the same time.
STEP 3: Using your rotary cutter or scissors, cut 7 in deep strips at 1 inch widths apart all the way down each side, again cutting both pieces of fabric at the same time. Tip: The strips of fringe don’t have to be exactly 1 inch, you can eyeball it, but just try to make them basically the same width.
Like so: (Sorry for the dark picture, I do these kinds of things at night :o)
STEP 4: Once all of your fringe is cut, you can start tying hand knots. I tie using a square knot. Make sure not to skip any strips or you will have a mess on your hands. (Alternate method: If you’d like your fringe to alternate colors along the edge, you can tie every other one, flip the blanket, then go back through and tie the remaining fringe.)
Here’s a close-up of the knots:
STEP 6: Let the kids in.
STEP 7: Then go and make another one…
STEP 8: Then enjoy your new cozy fleece blankets and a Christmas movie! (I realize that my poor son is in the middle of a lot of pink here. Don’t pity him, he has his very own blue and red “Cars” blanket upstairs on his bed.)
Note: These particular blankets (and most of my supplies) were purchased as a buy one get one free deal from my local JoAnn’s store so they ended up being about $15 per blanket. Depending on the fleece you choose cost shouldn’t be much higher than that.
Happy Tying!
What kind of knots did you use? Square knot using both pieces separate, or just a single knot with both pieces used at once? I noticed another Mom said hers kept coming undone. I would love to do this for my granddaughters, but I don’t want it being brought back for Mimi to fix! 😉
I love easy blankets! So cute too!!
I do square knots, I’ve only had a couple come undone, no biggy! And it was from my husband’s blanket, not any of the kids’! LOL!
LOL @ “Step 6: Let the kids in!” 🙂
I received my fleece blanket for Christmas 2 years ago. Employee’s wife made it and has my name of it. It is the warmest throw and very soft. Mine stays on the back porch for those chilly nights and mornings having coffee with my Honey.
Thanks for sharing
These are SO cute! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I have made 2 of my three children these type of blankets but I wish I had had a tutorial like this when I was doing mine. My corners are not the most beautiful thing, but the kids love them. Just waiting for my youngest to get a year older then I will make her one.
Absolutely beautiful!!!
Thank you! I have been searching the web for clear directions and then your post popped up. This looks so easy to follow. About how long does it take to make a blanket? Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Hi Jen,
If I just sit and do one straight with no breaks, its only about an hour to an hour and a half. Pretty fast!
Wow, what a great idea! I’ve just started homeschooling my girls and they LOVE to do arts and crafts. I see an art project!
This is a great tutorial. I love tie fleece blankets and they are so easy to make. Thanks for the pictures as well. This will make it easier to make a tie blanket. Thanks again. Also, I like the “Who’s For Peace” pattern on the blanket. I will have to look for that.
I literally just finished my first one! I have 3 more to make for xmas..took me a couple hours with a couple breaks…super easy! the rotary cutter is a must, in my opinion, couldn’t have imagined doing it with scissors!
Really silly question from a non-sewer…but is fleece expensive?
I purchased mine from Hobby Lobby. I went (today) due to the fleece sale of 30% on one of them, while the other was purchased with their 40% store coupon (get it from website or iPhone app). Check Walmart and other related fabric stores. Various stores have pre-made kits, I found them to be about the same price but many were young child themed. Fleece @ HL was $11.99/yard not including all the discounts.