1.05.2012

Scraps

What do you get out of a pile of vintage sheets?

A lovely blanket of course...

This blanket is for Penelope's bed.  I love the fact that the binding I made to put around the edge is a completely different floral pattern than the main sheet, but it has all the same colors. 

This literally took me about 2 hours to make from start to finish.  If you're interested the process is below.

I'm calling this an "Arizona Blanket" because the thickness is just 3 sheets.  No batting or filling.  Just enough to keep the chill off but not hot enough to be uncomfortable.  Even in the winter I still get too hot with too many blankets.

So, I had 3 full-size sheets (the floral and green ones you see and a plain white one which is in the middle and not visible) that I trimmed down with my rotary cutter so that all sides were equal.  I pinned the sheets together and serged all 4 sides.  Since I knew I'd be putting binding around the edges, I was not concerned with how I actually sewed the pieces together.  Then I "quilted" it together by sewing pieces of yarn into knots through all 3 pieces of fabric.  You can't really see them in the picture, but by doing this it just keeps 3 pieces stabilized together.  After you wash it once you've quilted it, it becomes slightly "puckery" around the yarn knots...I love this!  It just oozes coziness!.  Once I completed the yarn quilting, I made the binding out of another vintage sheet, ironed it, and then pinned it all around the blanket.  Once in place, I topstitched it to the blanket and then I was done!  Easy Peasy.  My Penelope was over the moon with her new "quilt" to put on her bed.  

You could easily add warmth to this by omitting the third sheet in the middle and add batting made especially for quilts.  

I typically scour garage sales, thrift stores, and antique stores for vintage sheets.  I don't care what anyone says, they do not make crisp sheets like the old vintage ones.  The way I look at it is, "one man's junk is another man's treasure."  I was able to make my baby a blanket she absolutely loves for about $3.  

This really isn't a tutorial, but more of an inspirational piece...to get you thinking about what you could make with things you already have on hand!  

Enjoy!

 
Olivia

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