Project Linus: More Easy Blankets

By Kaelyn Angelfoot

Okay, here we are again, with some more easy, quick, and cheap blankets for Project Linus.

Crochet Edged Fleece Blanket

This is a very simple blanket that requires a length of fleece, cut to the correct dimensions, a special rotary cutter or something to punch the holes, yarn, and a crochet hook. I'm approximating that this blanket will cost $10 to make, due to needing to purchase yarn and fleece. The complexity of the crochet along the edges if up to you, but I imagine this will be much easier than a traditional afghan because the fleece will give significant stability to the crochet stitch. I'm thinking about picking up the special rotary cutting blade for this project. Here is another blog (Handcrafting with Love) with more details. (My apologies to whomever I borrowed the above images from. I forgot to bookmark the site when I saved the pictures. Email me if they are yours, please).

Depending on the color combinations and the crochet stitch chosen, this can result in some pretty awesome looking blankets. This method can also be used to finish off the edges of a pieced fleece quilt. (Skip-Stitch Idea Page)

FYI, I did some research on the special Skip-Stitch rotary blade and if you want to purchase one, I would get it from the original manufacturer. All the knock-off blades I've found received very low user reviews.

Project Linus: "Simple Gifts" Striped Quilt

This quilt pattern is provided by Project Linus as an easy, any size quilt. It is great for beginners and requires minimal cutting and piecing. You don't have to take the time to quilt it, instead you can "tie" the quilt layers together with embroidery thread.

Link: Simple Gifts Striped Quilt Pattern 

The patterns requires a couple yards of fabric and can easily be made from fabric you already have or can pick up in the clearance section at the fabric store. For quilts, a 100% cotton material is preferred. Material should be washed and dried before using. It requires only nine pieces to make this quilt and the color and pattern combinations are endless. An additional expense would be quilt batting, the inner warm layer of quilts.

Project Linus: No-Sew Fleece

By Kaelyn Angelfoot

I've decided to start a series of posts about simple hand-made blankets that can be put together in as little as a couple hours (or a day for more complicated projects) in an effort to show how easy it is. I know a lot of people aren't crafty and it can be intimidating to think about putting together a hand-made blanket. There are also concerns about expense, so I will cover those also. All costs are estimated and will be based on JoAnn's retail price, because we can easily get 40-50% off coupons and the supplies we are looking at go on sale frequently.

Project Linus requires that the blankets be handmade because they've had countless thank-you letters from the children receiving those blankets expressing awe and amazement that someone would take the time to hand-make a blanket for them.

Basic No-Sew Fleece Blanket

This is the simplest  pattern, results in a blanket of any size you choose, and only requires a ruler, scissors (or rotary cutter & mat), seam ripper, and approximately 1 1/2 yards of 54" to 60" wide fleece (for a 50" x 50" finished blanket). Fleece costs $6.99 - $12.99 per yard, giving this a maximum cost of $11 - $21 per blanket without a coupon.With coupon or sale, it will be closer to $7 - $13 per blanket. The tutorial was provided by Project Linus.

Link: No-Sew Single Layer Fleece Blanket Tutorial

Double-Sided No-Sew Fleece Blanket

JoAnn's No-Sew Fleece Kit

This requires twice as much fleece and you'll want to pick out two different patterns to make the blanket more fun.This requires the same tools as the Basic No-Sew Fleece Blanket and 1 1/2 yards each of two different fleeces. When you double the yardage, you also double the cost ($22 - $42 per blanket) which I why I wouldn't make this without a coupon or a sale. You can also purchase a kit from JoAnn's, which contains all the fleece you need for $33. The downside is you have fewer fabric options. The upside is that this kit is almost always on sale for half off, bringing your cost to $16.50. 

The tutorial was printed as a PDF from the blog "Confessions of a Homeschooler." 

Link: Double-Sided No-Sew Fleece Blanket

Braided No-Sew Fleece Blanket

 (Single & Double-Sided)

This has the same fabric and tool requirements (and cost) as the single- and double-sided blankets above but has an interestingly different look. I found this tutorial on the "Helping Little Hands" website and converted them to PDF. The only additional required tool is a paperclip.(That should pique your interest...)

Link: Single-Sided Braided No-Sew Fleece

Link: Double-Sided Braided No-Sew Fleece

Additional Information

I almost NEVER buy anything at JoAnn's that isn't on sale or that I don't have a coupon for. The exceptions are notions and emergency supplies (thread, etc), because they aren't that expensive. If you add yourself to the JoAnn's mailing list, they will regularly email you nice coupons. Also, they have a Smartphone App (available for certain on Android phones) with re-usable coupons! A little extra time to hunt up a great deal is totally worth it.