If you or anyone you love has ever dealt with severe anxiety, you understand why I want to do everything I can to help my daughter with her battle. JuneBug obviously had anxiety issues at a very early age. She’s had ups and downs as she has grown, but the past few years have been pretty rough on her. One of the ways I have found to help her is with a weighted blanket. There is a lot of talk about weighted blankets and their benefits and more and more companies are offering them for sale. If you’ve looked into them, you know they are not cheap. Honestly, I would gladly spend the money, but, I have been wanting to make one for her since before they became popular. Which means, the supplies were already in my craft room when the need for one arose, and a perfect project for the Monthly Craft Room De-stash Challenge!
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Stash Busting
JuneBug has a favorite blanket she likes to sleep with. It’s a lightweight fleece blanket that coordinates well with her bedroom. Instead of adding yet another blanket to her collection (because she actually has a few favorites) we decided to incorporate this blanket into her weighted blanket.
For the reverse side, we raided my craft room and found a collection of fabric already cut into wide strips in the perfect colors. I made a quick quilt top out of these strips (like my Quick Crazy Quilt).
Because my quilt top ended up much larger than the fleece blanket, I decided to use the excess to bind the edges. I should note, I am not a quilter! I admire quilts but don’t have the patience to put the detailed work into them, so the method to make this may go against all quilting rules out there!
Centering the fleece blanket on the backside of the quilt top, I pinned it in place.
Next, I sewed along the two shorter sides and one long side of the fleece blanket, leaving one end open. Just inside the first seam, I sewed a second. It’s going to be heavy after all.
Sewing Pockets
Using the top as a guide, I sewed several channels the width of the blanket. Since I used coordinating thread, this doesn’t show up well in my pictures!
So, using PicMonkey, I drew some dotted lines on this picture to give you the idea. Sew the whole length of the blanket.
With the “channels” complete, we’re ready to move onto the next step… filling the blanket!
Weighted Blanket
What makes the blanket weighted are poly pellets. I picked these up periodically over time in order to have enough. We wanted her blanket to be about 10 pounds because she knows she will still put at least one more blanket over her when she sleeps.
I used a measuring cup to put one scoop of pellets into each channel. Shake the blanket to make sure all the pellets get all the way down the channel.
Then, sew the first row of pockets closed. I repeated this until I had a filled the blanket with the pellets. This is definitely not my best sewing job. One little shift and the weight of the blanket would cause my seams to be off! But, it serves it’s purpose.
To bind the edges, I folded the remaining fabric over. Pinning it in place before sewing it closed. Again, using two rows of stitches.
In hindsight, I would have used a twin needle for the entire blanket. Thankfully, JuneBug is gentle with her blanket… when I make one for O-Man, I might need to come up with major reinforcements!
JuneBug felt better the very next morning after sleeping with her new weighted blanket. She found it much easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. After a few nights of good nights sleep, she experimented. On a weekend, she tried one night without the blanket. Let’s just say, the blanket has become a necessity for a good night’s sleep!
Her weighted blanket and customized planner are two tools that have aided in her ability to deal with her anxiety on a daily basis.
Monthly Craft Room De-Stash Challenge
Every month a group of bloggers are challenged by C’mon, Get Crafty to create a new craft or project from their own stash of goodies! Everyone is allowed a $10 allowance for necessities to complete their project, but the bulk of it must be created from their own stash of goodies. Check out some awesome creations you might be able to make from your own stash! #CraftRoomDestashChallenge
If you’d like to join in the Craft Room De-Stash Challenge, you can request to join our Facebook group here!
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As always, feel free to pin and share. If you make or have a weighted blanket, I’d love to know if it helps you!
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