No Sew Raggy Fleece Blanket

So this is the beginning of getting my mojo back! I stayed up very late the other night making this easy blanket as a baby gift for a friend of mine. I kinda stole the idea from a blanket that I bought for my own daughter, although it was much smaller. The one I bought was basically big enough to throw over the car seat but not hang over the edges, it might have been 30" including the fringe. So I got looking at it a while ago and realized how simple it would be to make it, so here is how I did it! I started off with two pieces of fleece (I chose the camouflage as the new daddy is in to hunting) and I made the pieces 40" x 40" but you could really make it however big you wanted. (Also apparently even though I was using my rulers as guides to cutting, I wasn't quite straight on my green piece so I trimmed it after this picture!)

Then I measured 3" in all the way around the blanket and pinned it so I would have a reference point of how far in to cut my raggy edges, so it would be semi even.

It should look like this, with a row of pins all the way around the blanket 3" in from the outside edge. You could actually quickly baste this in a contrasting color and remove the stitches afterwards, but in the interest of this being a truly no sew project, I just pinned it. You can see in this shot that I did indeed straighten out that green edge. Such a perfectionist. Ha, if you only knew me :)

Then I took the lid of my son's puzzle bucket and used it to round the corners. You could also use a plate or saucer or anything round to do this. In hindsight, (and if I ever make another blanket like this for anyone else) I think it may be better to cut the corners out altogether instead of rounding them. (So, cut a 3" square corner out of each corner of the blanket). This would eliminate the bulk at the corners, and you wouldn't notice that the corners were cut out once you knotted all your raggy edges. I'm sure there may actually be a tool for rounding the corners, but since I'm all about high tech and having the right tools, I opted for the plastic lid.

This is what it looked like after I rounded the corners. I know, perfect right?! Ha.

Then I took my trusty spring loaded shears (great for doing rag quilts and for cutting smoothly through several layers at once) and cut through both layers of fabric at the same time, about every 1/2" to 3/4" up to my pinned line, like so, all the way around.

Then I started knotting. I'm not sure what this type of knot is called, (I might google it later). I think of it as a shoelace knot, as this is the knot you would use to tie someone's shoes together (if you ever did such an evil thing, and not that I ever did either hehe). First once...

Then go around again...

Something about sending the rabbit through the rabbit hole?...

and complete the second knot...

Now, continue doing this all around. I made sure that I kept the top and bottom pieces lined up when I was tying them, so the blanket didn't shift, and you end up with one lil raggy tie on one piece of material with nothing to tie to at the end, so make sure your layers of material are lined up when knotting. (Does that make sense??) Also, I recommend tying your first knot not too tight, with the second knot the tighter of the two, to reduce puckering the fabric. I of course went all out and tied the knots as tight as I could on both knots, and ended up with a pretty puckered up blanket. I was able to stretch it out a bit after, but to avoid that I think next time I would tie the first knot a little looser. And you end up with this...

Ta Daaaa! I know, easy and fantabulous, right?? Right.

My son almost tried to claim this blanket for his own, so I had to get it wrapped and rush it out of the house, or he would have been dragging it all over the place. He loves blankets, which I guess is good, as I love making them!
So that's it! Lay two pieces of fleece together (any size you want), cut the edges as long or as short as you want, and tie them together in knots all the way around. Purdy. It was easy and quick (about two to three hours) and my friends loved it, and that's the main thing. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy (just like the blanket).

So I'm starting to feel a little creative again, I think the fact that the sun has been shining a little bit more lately might have something to do with it, as I have had more energy than usual. I have even felt like sewing and doing a few other quick crafts that I have seen and wanted to do. I have a little bit more cleaning and organizing around the house to do. I moved all my sewing stuff, and cleaned up the upstairs junk counter. I need to re-arrange the kids room to fit the crib in and move Rayna into Chase's room (yes they have to share and yes it's going to suck!). Then maybe I can get to some of the projects rattling around in my brain.

Also, I'm trying to keep up with my project 365, so here are a couple of the photos I've taken (I don't remember which days they were for at the moment, but they will be in upcoming layouts from this month I think.) I liked these two especially and thought I would share them with you.

This one is a macro shot I took with my sigma lens (love it, love it, love it.) It is a tulip from a bunch of tulips I bought at the grocery store the other day. I love the colors!And this one is Chase, I was goofing off with him and tickling him and he was all snuggled up with his blanket on the floor laughing his head off, and I thought it would look great in a black and white/sepia/chocolate tone. So that's it for today, maybe I'll get to post some of my layouts in a couple days. Stay tuned!! :)