FUN (WARM!!) NO Sew Project for your Family

Thank you, volunteer Patty Doyle, seen above with Keziah Sullivan, the IRC Resource Developer! Patty brought in a couple of fleece blankets that she made in about an hour with NO sewing!

IRC, with cold weather setting in, is very much in need of blankets! Patty says that it's a super inexpensive project, especially if you use a 40% off coupon from JoAnn's Fabrics or Michael's Crafts from the Sunday newspaper.

Here's how it works:

Making a NO Sew Fleece Blanket

1. Start with two complimentary pieces of fleece material that are exactly the same size. (You can make your blanket pretty much any size you would like to the width of the material.) Note: You will end up with a blanket that is 8" shorter and narrower than the material you start with, so keep that in mind when choosing a particular size of fabric, especially if you want a larger blanket!

2. Lay the two pieces of fleece out on a table. Using straight pins or safety pins, neatly pin the material together about 8" from the edges. This is to keep the blanket in place as you work. Trim, with scissors, all the way around to make sure that your edges match exactly and that your fabric is perfectly square.

3. At each corner, cut a 4" square intent into the corner. Then cut a 4" long, 1" wide fringe all the way around the material. You may want to use something to measure as you go, or you may "eye ball" it if you trust yourself.

4. When finished cutting the fringe, start at one corner and begin to tie the fringe of the two layers together. After all the ties are finished, remove the pins! And that's it! You have made a warm blanket with no sewing, for a member of your family!

5. Let the person in the fabric department know that you're making this project! You can get a really good deal on fabric that's available at the end of a bolt. You might also find some fabric for as low as $4 a yard.

6. Here's a website that can help. http://womenbygrace.com/christian-homemaking/no-sew-fleece-blankets

This is a fun project that you can with with your family and/or your refugee family. It's fun!