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Homemade Blankets

Source: Martha Stewart Living, February/March 1994


Double-Faced Blanket
Double-faced wool -- two layers that are held together by a web of threads -- is available at most fabric stores. It can be used to make blankets that are especially warm, and the contrasting colors give character to a quiet bed. To make a double-faced blanket, start with a piece of double-faced wool 1 inch longer and wider than the dimensions you want the finished blanket to be. To make rounded corners, cut out a paper circle that is 4 inches in diameter for a pattern, or use a lid or saucer the same size. Lay the circle on the blanket at a corner so that it just meets adjacent edges. Pin, and trace the arc of the circle's circumference where it fits inside the corner with tailor's chalk. Cut along this line. Using a seam ripper, carefully separate the two faces of the fabric 1 inch all around; they should come apart surprisingly easily, revealing a shared set of threads in between. Fold the raw edges 1/2 inch inward, clipping the corners as necessary to make the fabric lie flat. Line up the folded edges evenly, and pin them together. Thread the sewing machine so that the top and bottom bobbin colors correspond to the top and bottom fabric colors. Carefully stitch around the perimeter of the blanket, 1/4 inch in from the folded edges.

Contrasting Hem
A contrasting hem visually frames a blanket and also gives it a soft, smooth edge to tuck under your chin on a cold winter night. To trim a blanket, start with a piece of soft wool fabric the dimensions that you want your finished blanket to be. To trim it in ribbon, you'll need satin ribbon that's at least 4 inches wide and 4 inches longer than the perimeter of the blanket, cut into four pieces, each 1 inch longer than the side of the blanket to which it will be sewn. To trim it in contrasting wool, you need to cut wool into four strips, each 5 inches wide and 1 inch longer than the side of the blanket; the extra width is for a hem, since the wool doesn't have a natural selvage the way ribbon does. Turn and press 1/2 inch under both long edges of each wool strip. Mark the width of the hem at both ends of the blanket with chalk lines. Flip the blanket over, and repeat on the other side. Lay one hem strip or length of ribbon on the blanket (with the pressed edges down, for wool) so that one edge lines up with the chalk line, and the strip or ribbon extends 1/2 inch past the blanket at each end. Pin. Turn, and press the excess at each end flush with the blanket edges. Fold the strip or ribbon over the blanket edge to the other side so that it meets the second chalk line. Pin, making sure that the hem is the same width on both sides of the blanket. Topstitch through all three layers, about 1/4 inch from the hem line.

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