Melissa shares her process of making a weighted blanket and why they have become so popular lately. Thank you for being a guest on the blog!
Have you heard of weighted blankets? That have gotten popular lately because of their supposed benefits for:
**Quick disclaimer: I am not an expert so you should definitely consult a doctor if you have questions about whether or not a weighted blanket is right for you!**
There are so many options for weighted blankets on the market but as I always like to say, why buy one when you can make a quilted one? Am I right?
Step 1: Begin by creating your quilt sandwich and basting the layers together. To do this you’ll want to secure your backing to the floor right side facing down. Then center your quilt top face up on top of the backing. (If using batting, layer that in-between the backing and quilt top) Then secure the layers together with safety pins. Sorry spray basters… gotta use pins this time!
Step 2: Take your quilt sandwich to the sewing machine. Quilt horizontal lines AND sew along the top, bottom and one vertical edge of the quilt. Leave the second vertical edge open and do not quilt the vertical lines yet!
FOR EXAMPLE: If I want the my finished blanket to be 7 lbs and my quilt will have 7 columns, I need one pound of filling in the first column.
Measure out the necessary amount pellets (1 pound in our example, but this maybe a different amount for you). Distribute those pellets evenly between the rows in your quilt by pouring pellets into the open edge of your quilt. For me adding 1/4 cup of pellets to each row worked perfectly.
Holding that open edge up, give the quilt a few gentle shakes so that all of the pellets fall to the bottom of their rows.
Step 4: Now you’ll sew that first column shut. Take a look at the image below. This part is a little trickier than it sounds because you obviously need those pellets to stay put while you run it through the sewing machine. For me it helped to put a line of straight pins or safety pins next to the pellets to help hold them in place while you are sewing.
Repeat steps 3 & 4 for the remaining columns in your quilt.
Step 5: Trim the excess backing fabric and bind your quilt as desired.
You are done!
Bonus points: your arms have had an amazing workout while guiding the weight of the blanket through the sewing machine!
Thank you, Melissa, for sharing how to make out very own Weighted Blanket.
If you like this tutorial, be sure to check out these other free quilting tutorials:
September 22, 2023
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