Fleece Tie Blanket

     These have been around FOREVER, but I just finally got to make one.  My littlest girl has been hanging onto her older sister's Elmo blanket for quite awhile.  Chloe doesn't mind sharing, but it got me thinking.  I made Andrew and Chloe a blanket when they were younger, I should probably make Lily one too.  I would hate for her to grow up and be traumatized because Mommy didn't treat them the same!  Truth be told, I try to treat them the same, but it just seems like I keep forgetting to write in her baby book, take the pictures, and who knows what else.  It's only because with 1 kid and even 2 kids, life is a little more sane.  Throw 3 into the mix and Whoa Look Out!
     This afternoon, I stopped at Hancock Fabrics and found the cutest Sesame Street fleece fabric.  I didn't go in with the intention of making a fleece blanket.  I actually was planning on finding a flannel fabric and sewing it to another fabric.  But after seeing Elmo and the gang, I just had to buy it.  I found a coordinating fabric for the back side of the blanket.

Here are the steps...

1.  Lie the 2 fabrics with the wrong sides facing each other.  Spread them out to get out all of the little bumps and even out the edges.

2.  Cut out a 4x4 square at each corner.  Once you tie the fleece, this helps round out the edges.

     Yeah, the carpet did leave a lot of little fuzzies all over the blanket!  Live and learn.  I brought the fabric upstairs and made it while the kids were sleeping.  So I didn't have the luxury of the kitchen table.  At least I didn't cut any of the carpet while making the blanket.  At least that's the story that I'm telling the husband!

Don't mind the scribbles.  For some reason, my measuring
board is Lily's favorite coloring book!

3.  Go along the edges and cut 4 inch long strips.  Try to space them every inch.  If you make the strips to thin, they they will break while tying.  I don't personally have any experience with them ripping. hehehe I've just heard that that can happen!

4.  Go around the blanket and tie EVERY OTHER strip in a double knot.  This helps make the blanket have more dimension or so I'm told.

5.  Flip the blanket over and finish tying the strips.

     I decided to use 2 yards of fleece to make sure that Lily would still be able to snuggle when she's a toddler.  After making it, I realized that she could snuggle with this well into her teen years.  That is, if she's still into Elmo and the gang!  Let's hope not.

     Here's a break down of dimensions for the blankets:

Your fleece fabric needs to be at least 40 inches or wider
For an infant/toddler blanket – use 1 to 1 1/2 yards (for each side)
For a child blanket – use 1 3/4 yards (for each side)
For an adult – use 2 or more yards (for each side)