How to Make the Perfect Blanket for that Perfect Someone

If you are looking for that perfect gift for someone who has everything, a newly married couple, a child going to college or yourself, a blanket may be right up your alley. If you learned the basics of sewing in home economics, as most of us have, this will be an easy project for you to complete.

The supplies you will need to make a throw sized blanket are : three and one-third yards of solid color 60 inch wide fleece, thread, straight pins and 288 four and three-quarter inch squares of any scrap material you may have. If you do not have any scrap material, then you will need approximately two and a half yards of 45 inch wide cotton novelty print, or decide how many different prints you would like to incorporate into your piece and divide the two and a half yards by that number. Be sure that whichever prints that you choose are 45 inches wide.

Pin twelve of the pieces together, right sides down, leaving an half-inch seam allowance. Sew the pieces together, unpin, trim the seams to one-quarter inch and iron. Repeat this process until you have made twenty-four strips. Now, pin together two strips, making sure the right sides are down, leaving an half-inch seam allowance. Sew the strips together, unpin, trim the seam to one-quarter inch and iron. Pin another strip onto the sewn together strips, right side down, leaving the half-inch allowance, sew, unpin, trim and iron. Repeat this process until all of the strips are used. When you are finished, you should have twelve rows across and twenty-four strips vertically.

Find and mark the center of your fleece material and your patchwork, or the solid print, whichever you chose to have. Next, find and mark the center of each of the sides of the fleece and the patchwork. With right sides together, match up the center of the fleece with the center of the patchwork. Bring the edges of the fleece up to the edges of the patchwork making sure the side center marks are matched together. Pin the sides into place. On the center of one side of the pinned seam, leave a ten inch opening for turning the fabric right side out. Make a mark a quarter inch from each corner of the patchwork. Sew the sides together, using a one quarter inch seam and stopping at the quarter inch marks that you made from each corner, as well as the ten inch opening.

With the blanket on a flat surface, smooth the layers until there is an even amount of fleece on each side of the patchwork. Hold up each corner and pin the two sides together at the bottom of the triangle (also known as a miter). Make sure the patchwork corners are incorporated into the fleece miter. Place the sewing machine needle into the fleece at the corner junction of the seam for the patchwork and fleece, stitch the seam, removing pins as you go. After you have sewn all four corners, trim off the excess fabric, leaving a one quarter inch seam allowance.

Turn the blanket right side out and smooth it out on a flat surface until there is an equal amount of fleece on each side of the patchwork. Use safety pins or straight pins to hold the layers together. Slip stitch the opening.

To tack the fleece to the patchwork, as well as giving your blanket a finished, personal look, use french knots or colonial knots, made with embroidery floss, in a haphazard pattern over your patchwork ,or you can put these in the corners, made by each of the squares of your patchwork, as you would do in quilting. Be sure to remove any and all pins.

Fold your finished project and secure with a tied on ribbon for gift giving or sit on the couch and enjoy the fruits of your labor.