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Christmas in July! I
first heard of this unique celebration when I was a teenager and my
family was staying at a campground.
I was completely intrigued with the campsites sporting red and
green decorations while the sun was sizzling.
As an events coordinator, I frequently host a Christmas in July
celebration, marking the countdown to the hectic winter holidays.
The dog days of summer are a perfect time to jump-start that
holiday gift-giving season. With
that in mind, here’s one of my favorite gift ideas, fleece throws,
that everyone, young and old alike, seems to love.
I say this because I made these soft blankets for our kids as
Christmas gifts last year and my husband loved them and wanted one,
too. And
you can give this handcrafted item year-round.
The fleece throws were a big hit with the high school grads
this year. Some blankets
were made with the school colors of the college the grad would be
attending in the fall and others were made with sports-themed fabric.
Best of all, you can make these blankets in less than two
hours. 1.
With right sides of the fabric out (wrong sides
together), trim uneven edges so all the edges match.
2.
Cut a four-inch square out of each corner. 3.
Cut strips through both pieces of fabric around all four
sides. The strips should
be 1 to 2-inches wide (depending upon on thick you want the strips)
and four-inches deep. Use
the square cut out to measure how deep to make the cut.
4.
Once the strips are cut, take each cut strip and tie the
two pieces together. For
example, take the patterned strip and solid blue strip and tie these
two pieces together in a knot. Repeat
all the way around the fabric until all four sides are finished. 5. Enjoy the snuggly feeling of your fleece throw. TIPS:
·
The blanket is easier to make once the edges are
trimmed. If there is a
rough, rolled or hard edge due to it being a bolt end, trim it off.
It will be easier to cut through the two layers of fabric to
make the strips. ·
The wider you make the strips the less knots you’ll
need to make, but don’t go any wider than two inches as it doesn’t
look as nice. ·
You can cut one and tie one side of the fabric pieces at
a time. ·
A plaid pattern makes cutting the strips easier since
you have the line to go by. ·
Be sure to knot the strips, but do not pull them too
tightly as the fabric will pull and look bunched up.
To
purchase:
Buy 1 ½ to 2 yards of fabric in two different colors.
Or buy one piece of a solid color and one with a design on it.
(The first one I made was for my son.
One piece of fabric had a basketball design on it and the other
was a solid blue to coordinate with the patterned piece.
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