These blankets are pretty simple to make. I’m a fan of
simple tutorials that don’t go into too much detail and just tell you what you
need to know, so I’m going to try to keep this short and simple.
What you’ll need:
1 yard of grassy looking cotton quilting fabric
1 yard of antipill fleece
½ yard of tan cotton quilting fabric (for the path)
½ yard of light blue fabric for the lake (I had sparkly formalwear dress fabric in my stash that I used)
½ yard cotton quilting fabric print with large whimsical animals
½ yard cotton quilting fabric print with large trees
1 yard of antipill fleece
½ yard of tan cotton quilting fabric (for the path)
½ yard of light blue fabric for the lake (I had sparkly formalwear dress fabric in my stash that I used)
½ yard cotton quilting fabric print with large whimsical animals
½ yard cotton quilting fabric print with large trees
If you end up with extra animals and trees, simply save them
for next year’s blankets. :)
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to wash and iron all of
the fabric first. ;)
Lay the green fabric flat. Map out your path. Use pieces of
scrap paper to create a pattern before you cut a single thing. The orange in
this picture is scrap paper I used for the lake pattern. There is no right or
wrong way to make your path, so just figure out where you want it to be. I
found it to be pretty easy to use three basic pieces – a straight piece and a
couple of curves. I cut six total pieces for my path.
Once you’ve got your layout, go ahead and cut your path
pieces as well as the animal and tree appliqués. Lay everything out before
stitching – take a photo so you remember what it looks like!
Make sure you remove weener dogs before cutting ;)
Take your path pieces and place them with the right sides
together, then stitch them first.
If you are cutting little flower appliqués, it is easier to
stick them under the path, and appliqué over them. Pin them in place and stitch
over them as you sew along the path. Note that you are using a zigzag stitch
(it makes for cleaner edges). You will come back later and sew the loose part
of the flowers.
When your path is completely sewn, go back and sew around
the flowers! When that’s done, you are ready to sew your lake. Use the same
technique and zigzag stitch, but be sure to change your thread so it matches
the lake fabric.
Once your path and lake are done, you can take out that
photo you took of the layout. Get your animals and trees ready!
Put your animals and trees where they belong. I found it
easier to pin them all at the same time. My mom made a blanket too (some of
these photos are of hers) and she pinned a couple at a time. You decide what
works best for you. In the photo below we were sewing little frogs onto the lake!
Next you are ready to put the blanket top with the fleece
backing. To make these thin enough to fit in the shoeboxes along with other
items, you will NOT use batting! Use a wide, flat surface to do this, such as a
clean kitchen table. It may take you a few minutes and lots of pins to get
everything to be in place. Keep in mind that fleece is stretchy while the
cotton is not, so it can be a little tricky.
Lay the fleece flat, and then the cotton top over it. Smooth
it out as best you can, then pin it in place. You are now ready to do a basting
stitch all around the edges! This will ensure the pieces don’t move around when
you add the edging.
When this is done, you are ready to put on your binding. We
used 1” double-fold bias tape. Another good option is satin blanket binding.
There are two ways to sew the binding.
Option 1:
Sew the binding with the right side facing the fleece. Then
fold it over and top stitch on the other side. This is Mom’s blanket:
Option 2:
I call this the lazy jerk way ;) I pin the binding on all at
one time, and then stitch it.
Your blanket is done! Be sure to take a photo of you or your
kids playing with the doll and pony on the blanket and include it with your
shoebox. This way the little girl who gets your box will know exactly how to
start playing! :) Here is a shot of Mom with her blanket!
I hope you enjoyed the tutorial – please feel free to email
me photos of your finished product, I would LOVE to see! Bless you for blessing
the children through Operation Christmas Child! You are welcome to share this
tutorial with others. The more people who make these, the better!
For more information on how to pack a shoebox, visit
SamaritansPurse.org/occ
PS: Here are the toys we used, just for reference.
