Christmas Presents!!!

Christmas is getting closer and closer. What that usually entails for me is waiting untill the last possible second to get gifts for 10 people. This includes stressing out about what to get, hopping from store to store and having an anxiety attack because there are always 3,000 other people in every store doing the exact same thing I am. After a few years of that, needless to say I. am. over. it. I'm just going to make stuff this year. I can make it while I'm working or while I'm watching TV.

Because its so simple and relativley cheap to make (the one I've made so far cost me $15) I decided I would help you out with another stupid easy home made project that takes very little time and anyone who lives in a cold climate will love as a gift. I got this idea from my friend Amy who started with making blankets but has adapted this idea for a number of other things. She now makes dog beds, pillows, scarves, etc.

Tie Blankets!!! I'm sure you've heard of them or seen one somewhere. I decided to put this up because everyone seems to think that making a blanket just sounds super difficult. Its really not. The hardest part is getting the fabric to line up correctly. Well, its not hard....its just more annoying and frustrating which is why I make them do it for me wherever I buy my fabric.

What you will need:

• Fleece fabric in any print/color and size you  would like
• Sharp scissors

You can also get kits like this one . It comes with the fabric already cut to the same size and directions on how to make it.

As far as the fabric goes, you can get this fleece pretty much anywhere. They have solid colors at Walmart, but not a great selection. I get mine at Marden's and sometimes Jo Anne's Fabrics. For adults you can just buy the regular fleece, for kids I reccomend getting the no-pill stuff. It costs a little more but with children's blankets getting washed more often, its a beter idea so it will stay soft and last much longer.

As for sizes you can use your own judgement. I made one of these bad boys for my queen sized bed and got 4 yards of two different kinds of fabric and its the perfect size. For kids, obviously go smaller. If you're making a throw for the couch or something 1.5 yards is perfect. Keep in mind also, that you will be losing 4-5 inches on every side, you'll see why in a minute. 

As I said before, the hardest part of the project is lining up both pieces of fleece and cutting them so they are the same size. When you buy fabric they have that huge table they can slide the fabric around on. This fleece sticks to itself SO BAD which is why it is incredibly frustrating to line them up. If you ask them to put them together and cut them so they are the same size, they usually don't have a problem with it. If you have a line 6 deep behind you, be polite and do it yourself at home. Otherwise, you're paying for the fabric, just ask them to take one extra minute and utilize their table.

 As for colors, I usually put a print on one side and a solid color on the other that matches the print. Its totally up to you. At fabric stores like Jo Anne's they have about 100 different prints and colors to choose from.  If I make a big one for somone's bedroom I try to make it so it will match the walls or their other bedding.

Okay. Step one: Once you get your fabric all cut to the same size, you want to cut a square out of the corner. This is going to allow you to evenly do everything and not end up with weirdly shaped corners. The square you cut out is going to be about 4.5" x 4.5".  Then go down one of the sides the square you just cut out and start cutting flaps through both layers of fabric. You'll have to double knot them or they'll all just come untied, so cut the flaps about 5-6 inchest long.  This is what it will look like once you get started:

(I had to fold it in on itself to get the picture so it doesn't look right. You would cut the square out of BOTH pieces of fabric, then cut the flaps through both as well.)

Just continue making those cuts untill you have the flaps all the way down one side. Then get to tyin'! Try not to pull too tight when you're tying them up. This can cause it to make the fabric uneven, then when you're all done there will be a big wrinnkle in the middle from the pulling. When you get to the end of that side, cut another square out of the corner like you did before, cut the flaps down the side, tie, rinse, repeat. Pretty simple.

Don't worry if you cut the flaps too short or too long. If you cut them too short and you can't tie the flaps up all the way, just make an extra snip on both sides and make it longer (you won't even notice that kind of thing when its all done, I promise). If you cut the flaps too long and they're flapping in the breeze when you're done just go through with scissors and cut them shorter.

This is the one I made a few days ago (1.5 yards of each):

Really great Christmas presents, everyone loves them. Don't tell them it took about an hour to make, let them think it was a labor of love that took you days.