12 Cozy Blankets & Throws To Make: {Sewing}

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Here’s a nice assortment of various blankets and throws you can make using a variety of materials (repurpose old sweaters, yards of wool or flannel, cotton fabric, etc.) and finished in a variety of ways.

designspongeonline.com

Wool: Simple blanket made with wool fabric and finished with decorative trim.

Cozy Sweaters: Made by repurposing old sweaters for the top of the blanket then border & backing with decorator fabric.

womansday.com

purlbee.com

Luxurious Wool: Made with just under two yards of wool melton cloth and edges finished with pretty fabric binding.

Patchwork Pom Pom: Make a cuddly plush throw that is framed with patchwork and pom poms.

sew4home.com

icraftblog.blogspot.com

Minky: Pretty cotton fabric lined with minky and then topstitched all around for finishing.

Cozy Flannel: The back is soft with strips of raw edges (that gets cozier with more use & washings), blanket edge finished with bias tape.

lilmoptop.blogspot.com

thepaintedhive.blogspot.com

Linen: Lovely linen lined with cashmere.

Picnic Blanket Tutorial: Features fabric ties so the blanket can roll up for easy storage.

flythroughourwindow.com

houseandhome.ie

Applique: This is a quick way to makeover a throw you have at home with the applique made from scraps of fabric and involves no sewing!
Felted Wool Patchwork Quillow: Made with 9 squares of felt + 1 for a back pocket to fold the quilt into.

purlbee.com

sewmamasew.com

With Rock Pockets: Simple patchwork top and backed with a full-sized sheet. Rocks are sewn in the corners to help weight the blanket down from the wind.

Cosy Cross Couch Throw: This modern with a vintage touch couch throw is made from an assortment of linen/cotton blend fabrics with a soft cosy back.

whipup.net

Pretty Up Vintage Wool Blankets

*First published July 25, 2007 and moved to this page for better organization

I have a thing for vintage blankets, including nice, old wool ones. Here’s a secret of mine:

Don’t let those sorry looking blankets pass you by at garage sales and thrift shops. The edges may be uneven, frayed and sloppy, the color could be faded and uneven in spots–but otherwise the bulk of it is intact and in great shape. By picking them up for a buck or two and giving them a little TLC, you can have a chest full of great vintage blankets for pennies.

Just trim down the edges so that everything’s nice and even again and you can do a few things with them, including:

• Simply serge or hem the edges to prevent fraying (if necessary) and finish with a nice blanket stitch in a contrasting, but complementary color (say blanket is red, a black stitch looks sharp!). This is a basic stitch that even the non-sewers can handle. Once everything’s cleaned up, use them in the car for road trips, for picnics or to cuddle up with when watching tv.
• Cover them in flannelette. This is one of my favorite things since nothing’s as cozy as a thick, soft, flannelette covered blanket.
• Use them for lap quilts. The wool will probably outlast the quilt pieces.
• You can also tear up into pieces and Dye Wool Blankets to use in crafts.
• If you’d like to try something really different, here’s a pattern for an Indian Blanket Coat.

If the damaged ends have to be cleaned up, you’re not going to have standard sized blankets to use as bedding, but as you can see from above–they are nice additions and still quite useful for elsewhere around the house.

If you’re not sure how to do a blanket stitch, here are the instructions:

Bring needle up on the right side, hold thread under left thumb, insert needle about 1/4 inch to the right and bring it out through loop held by left thumb.

Source for Blanket Stitch Instructions & Picture:
Coats & Clark’s Book No. 129
Embroidery Including Transfers (1962)