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No-Sew Throw Blanket

How to Make a No-Sew Throw Blanket

What you will need: Two pieces of fleece fabric (3 yards each), rotary cutter, scissors, measuring tape (Optional: Extra fleece to create appliqué, sewing machine, exacto knife, painter’s tape)

At any fabric store, you will find rows upon rows of fleece fabric bolts in all colors and designs. Choose two that fit the style of your home, or represent your favorite team, and create an easy no-sew throw blanket to accent any living area or bedroom. Of course, there is always the chance (or likelihood, in my case) that these countless options won’t quite fit what you are looking for, but you can customize this throw even further by creating and attaching your own appliqués. For the blanket shown throughout this post, I used two different fleece designs with similar stretch, and sewed a homemade University of Wisconsin logo to one side for my favorite Badger. Follow the steps below to make your own no-sew, no tie fleece blanket and a custom fleece logo should you wish to add that as well!

To begin, I cut a piece of fleece from each bolt, trimming the sides with a rotary cutter to create clean edges while also maximizing the width of the blanket. For reference, the blanket used in these instructions measures approximately 60″ x 80″, the size of a queen mattress.

Once I cut both pieces of fleece, I created a Wisconsin Badger logo that I sewed to the solid red side of the blanket. Refer to the bottom of this post for instructions on how to make your own fleece appliqué! After attaching this logo, I made sure the fleece pieces were perfectly matched (right sides facing out) and began to create fringe for the blanket. I first cut 4″x4″ squares out of each corner, and proceeded to create fringe pieces that were 4″ long and 1.5″ wide, along each side of the blanket. To speed up this process, I placed a piece of blue painter’s tape in a parallel straight line 4″ from each edge of the blanket, and cut through both layers of fleece at once with a rotary cutter.

As I cut sections of fringe, I created slits through both pieces of fabric in the middle of each 1.5″ piece, at the very top, with an exacto knife. I would recommend creating very small horizontal slits, just wide enough to pull the fabric through, as this will keep your blanket from coming undone and create a uniform border around one side of your blanket, as shown in the picture below. Note that the border is created with whichever fleece pattern is on the bottom, in this case the solid red fleece.

As I created these slits, I looped both layers of fleece through the the top, as shown below, and pulled the fleece gently through each slit to create a border around the edge. It actually helped to complete the blanket in sections as it kept the fabric pieces lined up (and I was also far too antsy to wait until everything was cut to see how it would look).

Before I knew it, I had created a custom throw blanket, perfect for fall weather. Create blankets in different patterns and designs for different rooms of the house or for gifts, and if you are feeling really ambitious, follow these instructions to make matching pillows as well!

BADGER LOGO

To create the logo shown above, I used extra red fleece (NOT the piece I had cut for the blanket) and a yard of both black and white fleece. To start, I printed and traced the logo I wanted to recreate on a fresh sheet of paper, and measured the length and width at multiple points of the logo to create accurate proportions. I multiplied these dimensions by four to create a logo that was approximately 2′ x 2′, and carefully cut out the design from the red fleece with a rotary cutter.

Once I had cut the red ‘W’, I placed it on top of the black fleece to cut the same shape, and then pinned them so that the black fleece created a shadow effect. I pinned these to the white background to make the logo pop, and started to sew! Because fleece is stretchy, I used a lot of pins to make sure the logo kept its shape. As shown below, I sewed very close to the edge around the red ‘W’ to create a clean outline, and then sewed the visible black sections to the white background. I also made sure to change the thread color in my sewing machine with each section to match the logo color.

Once the logo was finished, I attached it to my pre-cut piece of red fleece fabric by sewing along the edge of the white background. Create an appliqué of any shape or size to customize and add texture to your next throw blanket!

It’s Game Time!

BADGER BLANKET

A spirited throw blanket can be the perfect addition to your living area accent decor either during game day or year-round (and a great extra layer as the weather starts to turn!). You will need two separate pieces of fabric to make this no-sew throw, so you can even make it a dual-team blanket if you just can’t decide on one team to root for, or have both NFL and college team allegiances. It can also make a great host gift for any of your football fanatic friends or Christmas present if you are looking to get an early start on holiday gifts. If you really want to get into the game day spirit, use this technique to make accent pillows as well!

HANDSOME DAN PUMPKIN

Pumpkin carving has been one of my favorite fall activities since I can remember. Right before Halloween, I would sit in the garage for hours on end with my Crammily, striving to master the most complicated design in my pumpkin carving kit. Last year, I carved pumpkins just before heading back to New Haven for a volleyball game, and it inspired me to make a Yale Bulldog pumpkin. I carefully drew the logo on a piece of paper, taped it to the flattest side of the pumpkin, poked holes to create an outline, and used the tools found in any pumpkin carving kit to carve out my design.

Before you get too excited and start carving, I highly recommend drawing out your respective school or NFL team logo. You will need to strategize and make sure there are enough connecting points to keep the pumpkin in tact. This pumpkin wouldn’t have looked quite the same if I had carved out the entire bulldog! Don’t fret if you get a little too ambitious and cut out a full piece of your design; a toothpick can be a pumpkin carver’s most helpful tool in holding any rogue pieces in place. Add some fall flair to your next game day party by carving a festive pumpkin for your entry way!

Here Comes Wedding Season!

BRIDE-TO-BE SASH

There are plenty of ways to put all eyes on the bride-to-be at a bachelorette party – tiaras, shirts, sashes – the possibilities are endless! A bride-to-be sash is one of the most popular bachelorette accessories, but it can be difficult to find the perfect one. The solution? Make one! Sashes are fairly easy to make, and starting from scratch allows you to choose everything from the fabric to the decorative accents. Use burlap and lace to create a rustic chic sash for a weekend of wine tasting, or glitz it up with rhinestones and satin for a weekend in Vegas!

PAINTED WINE GLASS

At most bachelorette parties, there are bound to be games or activities that involve a beverage of choice for the bride-to-be. Painted wine glasses make great bachelorette gifts, and they are functional, too! Incorporate the bride’s wedding colors, wedding date, or even the silhouette of her dress (if you’ve seen it) to add a personal touch.

COWBOY HAT

Whether you are tearing it up in Nashville or line dancing at your local country bar, a veiled white cowboy hat can be the perfect addition to the bride-to-be’s décor. Use tulle to attach a veil to the hat, and decorate away! For this hat, I used burlap and lace ribbon as a hat band, and added stick-on letters and pearls to a painted wooden cutout for some extra pizzazz.

CHALKBOARDS

With both the bride and groom present, the newlywed game can be quite entertaining. Add a personal touch to the game by decorating chalkboards to match the theme of the celebration. For this Nashville bash, I used burlap ribbon, twine, and pearls to give the chalkboards a rustic chic look. If you’re feeling really crafty, you can even decorate erasers to match. Don’t forget the chalk!

MASON JAR JUGS

To ensure the bride and groom are adequately “hydrated” during the festivities, serve their beverage of choice in personalized mason jars (large, plastic jugs in this case). As a base for the décor, I wrapped pieces of wide burlap ribbon around the jugs, attaching them with Velcro strips so they could be removed for washing. Fabric letters, twine, lace, and pearls were the perfect decorative accents to jazz up the jars. Let the games begin!

WEDDING DAY EMERGENCY KIT

After months of bridal festivities, you’ve made it to the main event. Your friend and bride-to-be is getting married! A wedding day emergency kit can be a cute gift for the bride and her bridesmaids on her wedding day, and it can also come in handy should a zipper emergency or makeup mishap arise!

Painted Wine Glass

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How to paint a personalized wine glass:

What you will need: Wine glass, enamel paint, glass paint pen, paint brushes, paint sponges, oven

A painted wine glass can be a great personalized gift for a bride-to-be! Don’t have a bachelorette party on the horizon? Paint a set of wine glasses with different patterns or with the logos of your favorite sports teams to give your next party some flare. Who needs wine charms? For this project, I used a glass from Bed, Bath, & Beyond that supposedly holds an entire bottle of wine, but any glass will work! Before embarking on my wine glass painting adventure, I made sure to thoroughly wash and dry the glass so that there were no smudges or marks.

Once I decided on my design, I used a thin paintbrush to start. It was clear after the first couple of strokes (shown below) that I would need multiple coats of paint to get an opaque finish. I continued with the paintbrush to create an outline of the style that I wanted (a chevron pattern, in this case) and let this first layer dry.

I then used a paint sponge to apply a heavier layer of paint and to give the glass texture. After two rounds of sponge paint, the mint color was fully opaque. Be mindful of the type of paint you purchase, as some are meant to be opaque while others have a more translucent finish.

Next, I created a silver stripe in the middle, again using the paint brush. For this section, I was able to create an opaque finish with the paintbrush, and I then painted the third layer in the same way as the first, using the sponge for heavier coverage and texture.

Once this initial round of paint was dry (20 minutes or so), I went over all sections with a final layer of paint, using the sponge for the mint green sections and the paintbrush for the silver section. This final coat created the opaque finish I was looking for, so I set the glass aside to dry.

A couple of hours later, I continued to decorate, using a paint pen to write ‘Bride’ in the middle of the pattern. Warning – Paint pens tend to have a mind of their own and can end up releasing more paint than you would expect (or like). To have more control over the amount of paint used, I created a light outline with the pen, and then traced over the letters using white enamel paint and a thin paint brush. I used the same tactic when writing the bride-to-be’s wedding date on the bottom of the glass.

I let the finished wine glass dry for 24 hours, and then baked it to set the paint. If you are planning to set the paint in this way, make sure to use paint that can be baked, such as the enamel paint used in this how-to. To bake the glass, I placed it in a COOL oven, and turned it on to 350 degrees. This allowed the glass to heat slowly so it didn’t shatter (I was terrified). I then set a timer for 30 minutes from the time I placed the glass in the oven, and turned the oven off when the timer went off. I kept the oven closed for at least 30-45 minutes after turning the oven off to allow the oven and glass to cool slowly (I may have peeked once before that because I was antsy), and then let the wine glass cool completely with the oven open to expedite the process. Although you can theoretically put glasses that have been treated in this way in the dishwasher, I would still recommend hand washing them.

To add more bridal flare, I cut pieces of tulle that extended the length of the glass stem, and used a separate piece to secure them. To make washing the glass easier, I decided against using glue to permanently attach this decor. Keep this in mind when you are adding extra decorations to the glass!

Once your glass is baked and any finishing touches are added, get some wine (or the bride’s drink of choice), and head to the party!

Wedding Day Emergency Kit

How to pack the perfect wedding day emergency kit:

What you will need: Mason jar, batting, fabric, burlap, twine, chalkboard paper, chalk, emergency supplies

After the months of meticulous planning that precede a wedding, preparing for any mishaps on the big day is a must. You never know when a stray hair will rebel against your up-do or when waterworks will erupt during a speech! Wedding day emergency kits make cute gifts for the bride and her bridesmaids, and they are functional, too! After the wedding, turn the jar into a mini sewing kit (the top portion makes a great pin cushion) or keep it in your car for any on-the-go emergencies.

To start, I decided to create cushions for the tops of the mason jars to attach safety pins, because putting a handful in each jar just seemed too easy. To do this, I removed the metal disc from each mason jar cap, folded a small piece of batting on top of it, and covered it with fabric. To hold the padded disc in place, I put small dots of glue around the bottom of the cushion, near the metal disc, and pushed it back through the metal screw band, creating a protruding, padded surface.

I then glued any excess fabric to the back of each metal disc to create a flat surface, allowing the lids to properly screw back onto the jars.

To decorate, I wrote each bridesmaid’s name on a piece of chalkboard paper, and mounted it to burlap for a more rustic look. I used twine to tie a bow around each jar, and accented the bride’s kit with white lace as well!

Once the jars were decorated, it was time to decide what we would need in the event of a “wedding day emergency”. Luckily we didn’t need most of the items shown below, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry!

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