Gonna Make A Shaggy Flannel Blanket! (Update With Pics)

[chelsea]

I am totally NOT a sewer, BUT...I saw the cutest blanket in the fabric store and it "looks" easy enough and I just HAVE to make one for my son (even though he's out of the baby blanket stage)! You use a bunch of flannel scraps, cut into strips or squares and it is two-sided but you put the material "together" and then sew all the seams onto the one side then snip them all (seams and edges) and put it in the washer and VOILA, you've got your shaggy-raggy-whatever-they-are-called flannel blankets! If it is easy I'm gonna start making them for baby showers! I know I am not explaining this right, but when I am done I'll post a pic! Wish me luck! :rockon

[Mother of Sons]

I've made those before. They are called rag quilts here. Super cute and really really easy!

[Irene]

sounds cute! do you have any pics of such a thing? wow I feel so out of the loop about the latest crafts these days! :shifty

[Mother of Sons]

Here's a picture I found.

http://www.flynnquilt.com/images/wwseventeen.jpg

[boonpnutsmom]

My DD has one my sister made for her for Christmas last year. Took her maybe 3 or 4 hours.

Here it is....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/boonpnutsmom/Holding%20Cell/booblankie.jpg

[Irene]

O those are cute!!! I dont understand the directions though :blush (typical me :rolleyes )

[boonpnutsmom]

One side is normal, stitching, the other side the seams are exposed and you cut into them, then the flannel with shred when you wash it.

[Mother of Sons]

The instructions are really easy.

You know how when you are normally going to sew something, you sew the pieces right sides together? Well when you do this, you sew it WRONG sides together so that the seam is on top. When you have them all sewn up, then you go along the seam and cut little snips in it all the way across. Then when you wash it, it gets all nice and raggy.

When I made mine I sewed three layers together.

[Irene]

AH! I get it now! thanks! do you put a backing on it, or do the same for both sides and sew it together?

[Mother of Sons]

When I do the 3 layers, it makes it's own automatic backing :)

[ShangriLewis]

So, each square is 3 layers and then you sew that one to the next till you have a row and then you sew the rows together.

Is that right.

Because that is really cute and I think I could manage that. The boys need some new blankets for this winter.

[Mother of Sons]

Yep, each square is three layers so when you sew 2 together, you are sewing through 6 layers. It doesn't make super thick blankets but they are cute and cuddly. If you wanted a thicker one, you could make it as a quilt top and then sew it to a backing and batting.

[chelsea]

Thanks MotherOfSons for the link and the directions! You explain it very well! When you make it, do you sew all seams onto only the one side? The one I saw in the store was "normal blanket looking" on one side, because it's seams came up on the other side. So one side was "normal", and the other had all 4 seams coming together (they didn't put 3 layers on that one, only two). The one I saw had only one pattern on the "normal" side, and then did the "patchwork" on the seamy side. (Please forgive my lack of lingo, I don't know any sewing terminology.) :O
Boonpnutsmom, your dd's blanket is beautiful! And I like how there is a pattern on it...I was just going to do ds's blanket randomly!
Irene, I'd never seen it before either so don't feel "out of the loop"! ;) When I saw it I was practically flying off the wall and the lady who worked there must have thought I was such a loser but she was sweet anyhow and chimed right in enthusiastically. :lol

[ShangriLewis]

This post reminded me of that episode of Home Improvement. Was that it? Anyway..where the mom couldn't throw away the old baby clothes so they had a quilt made out of them. I thought that was so sweet.

[boonpnutsmom]

Thank you!
Boo's blanket is only two layers as anything more would be way to hot here, even in winter. The back side is all smooth seams. I bought the material from a kit at www.hearthsong.com last year and for my DD's one my sis could make the pattern, but for my nieces one, they didn't give set amounts, and she can't get a good pattern going. I tried to improvise for her, but hard when she is 3500 miles away and we are trying to do it over the phone.

[boonpnutsmom]

My MIL made quilts out of all my SIL's old dresses, we have them.

[chelsea]

So I went on a rag blanket binge and made 5 in one week. I made one for ds first, then gave one to a relative's new baby, and plan to sell some on my cousin's website. They take a long time but they are SO FUN!

Ds' rag blankie:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y133/chelseastrom/ij_blanket_01.jpg

Close-up of ds' rag blankie (gotta have hockey material on it because we're Canadian!) ;) :
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y133/chelseastrom/ij_blanket_02.jpg

One I'm selling:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y133/chelseastrom/beary_girly_01.jpg

Another one I'm selling:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y133/chelseastrom/kitties_n_such_01.jpg

[bostonsmama]

sooooooooooo cute!!!! what did you do on the outer edges? serge them? (what if you dont have a serger?) ;) those are very very cute!!!

[expatmom]

what did you do on the outer edges?

That is my question too! :popcorn

[inesperada]

The outer edges on mine are the same as the rest - you sew a seam around the outer edges then snip it and let it become raggy, too. :)

[chelsea]

The outer edges on mine are the same as the rest - you sew a seam around the outer edges then snip it and let it become raggy, too.
Yes, mine too. I sewed a seam the same width as the middle seams around the edges and then snipped it, making sure I didn't cut into the seam.

[boonpnutsmom]

Great job, I love them all.

[steffanie3]

So how big do you make the squares?

[chelsea]

So how big do you make the squares?
You can do any size you want. I've even seen a strip blanket, where they were much longer in length than width. On mine I think the pattern I cut was 7inches by 7inches.

[steffanie3]

Thank you, I just started one after I posted and did 6" since I wanted to get going.

Thanks

[canadiyank]

Cute pics! I am keeping warm under one right now that my mom made for dh for his recent birthday. It is really cute, and she used "manly" flannel colours. Very warm, too! :mrgreen