Blanket project

So back in August was when we moved the girls into their toddler beds.  I wanted to have some cute blankets to go on them and decided that it would be cool to make some from their baby blankets.  I don't like how they just stay folded up in my closet, I would much rather them be used for something.  So I got to planning.  I had seen a design using a 9 square pattern and I liked that.  So I needed 9 different fabrics.  I calculated and tried my best to figure out the best size of square, but since this was my first time I made a few mistakes.  I started out cutting 6 inch squares, but then realized that those would really be too small.  So I sewed up some of the fabric that I had cut so I could cut bigger squares, the other fabric that I had cut I just didn't use.  

I ended up buying two fabrics so I could have enough but here is my stack of 8 inch squares.  If I was going to make this blanket again I would do 9 inch squares.  It would just measure out to be a better size.  It was a lot of cutting, and my roller blade was dull in one spot so it wouldn't cut through.  So I would have to cut that spot again - big pain.  I should have thought to buy a replacement blade before I did all the cutting.    216   8 inch squares

 So then I figured out the best pattern for the 9-squares.  Doug was brilliant and told me to take pictures of the fabric and print them out so I could play with them and find the best combination.  I had fun changing things around and finally came up with this.  The blankets are not quite the same.  Some of the fabric I had enough of to use on both, but some I only had enough for one. I trimmed these 9-squares so that they were more even.  I lost some inches due to this and I decided to add an extra row to help it be long enough.  27   9-squares

 So then you cut the 9 square into 4 pieces, a cross in the middle.  Note to self, if I make this again, reinforce the seem where this cut will be, because the stitching started to come undone.
108   11 inch squares

 Then you sew these squares together.  I did 9 rows of 6. This was the first the girls had really seen the material.  I had actually been using one of their baby blankets as a pillow case for them, so I didn't want them to see me cut the blanket up.  They saw that material (the ones with the red cherries) and said 'my pillow' and were a bit sad, but I told them it would be a new blanket for them.  I think they liked the blankets that much more since they recognized the fabric.

 I was so glad to have the tops done!  Yeah!  It was a lot of cutting and sewing, but the worst part was the ironing.  I ironed all of the seems so it would lay flat and look nice,  That was a pain - I don't like to iron much.  It had taken me all of September to work through this part of the project.  Now I needed to find some bottom material.  There was a sale at Hancock during Labor Day weekend, but I didn't have time to get there.  I figured out how much I needed and realized that it might be cheaper just to use a king size bed sheet.  I went to the fabric store just to check, but I needed something like 26 yards, and it was going to be around $50+ for some flannel (it was 40% off).  So the king size flat sheets at Walmart were $15 each, so that was the better deal.  I still ended up having to piece it a little bit to get enough length.  I got the batting at Hancocks since it felt like better quality.  All of this was kind of stressful for me, since I wanted it to look good, but I didn't want to pay a fortune for it either.  So finally I had all the pieces, then I laid them out to get a rough idea of the size I needed.

 I know you normally cut the edges of all of the layers the same, but I wanted to make the blanket bigger than my top layer.   So I purposely made the bottom of the blanket a few inches longer on all sides so that it would make about a 4 inch border.  The church had these stands and I was grateful to borrow them.  I set these up when Doug was gone for his first long trip to Houston. (mid October)

 I finally got them tied.  It didn't take that long, but I was in the middle of being a single parent, looking at houses online ,and getting Halloween costumes ready. Then I just evened up the edges, ironed the hem, and pinned it down ready to finish.

 I really worked hard the last week of October.  We were going to have pictures taken of the house to go on the market and these blankets would look so much better than the navy fleece ones that the girls were using.  So I got them done Monday October 27th!! Wow, that was much more involved than I thought it was going to be.  I don't know if I'll be doing any other blankets any time soon.  Maybe when college time rolls around :)

Kaylee's

 Jenna's

 I love how they turned out! I just can't wait to put them on twin beds, they will look so much better.  I saved the rest of the material that I had.  I would like to make a throw pillow and/or a wall hanging with it, but I think I will wait awhile before I get started on that project :)