Fleece Flannel Blankets

I thought I would take a break from blogging about my recent trip and instead show you all how I make one of my standard gifts. My favorite thing about these blankets is that they tend to be used a lot. They are perfect for cold Alaskan winters.

I call them Fleece Flannel Blankets, but they can also be made with Minky or other soft fabrics.

I make them in all different sizes from little baby quilts of about 30” by 40” to a throw size of about 60” x 70”. Whatever width I decide to make it, I just add ten inches to the length and that always seems to be about right.

To make one of these uber-comfy blankets in a throw size, you need the following materials.

Three yards of a respectable flannel. I might buy fleece or Minky at Jo-Anns, but I always buy my flannel at a quality fabric store.

Two yards of soft fabric–minky, fleece, or other super soft fabric is perfect.

One half a yard of cotton fabric for your binding. Again, always buy the best fabric you can afford.

A sewing machine, thread for piecing, thread for stitching the binding on, regular rotary cutter and ruler with cutting mat. Basically, the standard supplies you need for any quilting or sewing project.

Wash and iron all of your fabric before you begin to sew. These instructions and measurements are approximate. When you wash and dry flannel it often shrinks.

Step Number One
Cut one yard of fabric off of your three yard cut of flannel. Take that yard and cut it again  lengthwise. You now have two pieces of fabric that measure approximately 20 inches by 36 inches. Sew these two pieces of fabric together so that your fabric now measured 72 inches by 20 inches. Sew using a 1/2 or larger seam allowance. Iron this seam allowance open.

Step Number Two
Sew the 20 inch wide fabric to the other two yards of flannel. You now have a piece of flannel that measures approximately 60 inches by 72 inches. Iron that seam open and then iron the entire piece of fabric so that it is smooth and without wrinkles.

Step Number Three
Find a big enough space to put the soft fabric on the ground and smooth it out so that there are no wrinkles. You should place the fabric on the ground with the right side of the fabric facing the floor. Now, lay the flannel on top of the soft fabric right side up. Again, smooth everything out. These two pieces of fabric will not be exactly the same size. This is okay and we will deal with it in a moment.

Step Number Four
Using two prong sewing pins, pin all the way around the blanket. I did not know this, but the official name for these pins is Fork Pin. Who knew that?

Step Number Five
Using your walking foot, stitch around the blanket using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Step Number Six
Using your rotary cutter and ruler, trim the seam allowances to 1/4 of an inch.

Step Number Seven
Make your binding and attach it to the blanket using your favorite method. I like to cut a 2 1/4 inch binding, and I attach it to the blanket by machine for both sides. Here is my tutorial for an All Machine Stitched Binding. If you are planning to hand stitch one side of your binding, attach it by machine to the soft fabric side first. Hand stitching on Minky is a pain.

I promise to eventually write a post about my favorite method for twirly striped bindings when it is cold and dark in Alaska–most likely sometime in November. Maybe sooner if it starts raining.

And now it is time to enjoy your blanket!

PS- I finally wrote about Twirly Striped Bindings and All Machine Stitched Bindings!

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