Finish a Fleece Blanket

Guidelines for "No Sew" and "Sewing Required" fleece blankets are on this page.

To print a copy of "No Sew Blanket Guidelines"  click here.

General Guidelines

Our local hospitals will no longer accept preemie blankets made from fleece.

Please make fleece blankets
54" x 60"
(1 1/2 yards of fleece per blanket)
or
60" x 72"
(2 yards of fleece per blanket)

We prefer single layer fleece blankets with straight fringe - no knots.  Medical tubing and wires can get caught on the knots.  Knots are painful for sick children to lie on and many of our blankets go to area pediatric units.

Regardless of the method used to finish a fleece blankets - do this first:  Neatly trim off both selvage edges (the wavy, bumpy edges - not the sides cut at the fabric store) and then square up the fleece.

Fringe two opposite ends, not all four sides.

Cut the fringe no longer than 2" - 3" long.  The longer the fringe, the less blanket there is for snuggling.

Cut all the fringe on a blanket the same width and the same length.

Do not tie knots so tightly that the blanket looks like a bowl or basket instead of a flat blanket.  Our volunteers have to take the time fo cut off the fringe which greatly reduces the size of the blanket and wastes a lot of fleece.  Again, we prefer no knots!

If you do knot the fringe, the fringe should not be longer than 2" - 3" after knotting.

Do not use fuzzy (almost like fur) fleece for fringing.  When it's fringed the fuzz flies all over the place and it is not healthy for kids (or anyone) to breathe.

Do not attach buttons or other decorative items to a blanket.  They can be a choking hazard.

Following these guidelines insures a neatly made blanket that will comfort a child with a warm blanket hug.

No Sew Blanket Guidelines

Basic Straight Fringe

Place masking tape 2" from edge of blanket. Line up template along edge of masking tape. Cut from edge of blanket to the lines on the template.

To Make Template - draw lines (using a ruler) 1/2" apart or 1" apart (or the width you want your fringe) on card stock.  Then cut the card stock into 2" strips.

Jungle Grass  (Optional)

After cutting straight fringe, cut a corner from each strip of fringe.

Picket Fence & Bunny (or Hound's) Ears

Cut fringe 1 1/4" wide x 2" long.  Cut ends as shown below.

Optional:  Cut a small slit  - no wider than 1/4" - at the base of the fringe. If you make the slit wider than 1/4" the fringe will pull out of the slits.  Pull fringe through the slit to make a "Bunny Ear."  If you don't make the ends pointy - you have "Hounds Ears." 

Pinking shears variation - cut fringe with pinking shears

Another pinking shears variation - cut edges of blanket with wavy blade rotary cutter.  Then cut fringe into every other notch of the wavy cut.  This can also be done with regular scissors if you don't have pinking shears.

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Single Layer Braided Fleece Blanket

I have received permission from Polly in Central Washington State to share her instructions for a single layer braided fleece blanket.

Cut 2" squares out of each corner, cut fringe 2" long, 1" wide.  

Click on the Braided Fleece Edge picture to go to Polly's website.  Click on the same picture when you get to her website for complete instructions.

Please note the step in her instructions where she cuts off a strip - that's for a scarf.  You won't need to do that.  Also, be sure to work in the direction shown in her pictures.

Thank you, Polly!

Wholesale Fleece Blankets
Click on these links to visit Crooked Brook's website.
In addition to wholesale fleece blankets, Crooked Brook offers wholesale sweatshirt blankets, wholesale fleece baby blankets and personalized fleece blankets.  The method of decoration they use to customize blankets is embroidery.  When mistakes happens (or sometimes it's just a smudge that can be washed out), they have perfectly good blankets they can't sell and these are the blankets they donate to Project Linus chapters.  These blankets are ideal fo cutting down and crocheting around the edges or making No Sew Fleece Blankets.  Contact them at info@crookedbrook.com.

Our Project Linus chapter has received several boxes of donated fleece blankets from Crooked Brook.  Thank you, Crooked Brook!

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"Sewing Required" Fleece Blanket Guidelines

Single Layer Texas Fleece Blanket (Pat Vandewater, Texas)

Use a dinner plate for template to round corners.

Option 1:  Stitch a decorative stitch approximately 2" from the edge of the blanket.
Option 2:  Stitch a decorative stitch and then cut a basic straight fringe - be careful not to cut through the decorative stitch.

Shell Stitch (Susan Murphy, Florida)

Trim off selvage edges and even up fleece on all sides.  Round off corners using a Curve Corner Ruler or a dinner plate for a template.

Modify the sewing machine's standard hemstitch - lengthen the stitch to at least 2 and increase the width as far as possible.  You may need to reverse (mirror image) so that the zigzag in the stitch goes just off the edge of the fleece.

This is an especially nice soft finish for a baby blanket.

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Looped or Optional Braided Finish    (Mary Ann Overturf)

- Cut 3" squares from each corner of fleece after removing the selvage edge.
- Place a strip of masking tape 3" from the edge of the fleece on all four sides.  Turn up the edge of the fleece to meet the masking tape.  Pin & sew the raw edge using a zigzag stitch.  Cut the fringe in 1/2" strips stopping the cut 1/4" from the stitching.
- Optional:  After cutting the loops, make a braided edge by "finger crocheting" one loop through the next loop.  Go all the way around the blanket using a large crochet hook to pull the loops through.  Tuck the last loop into the first one and hand stitch to anchor.
- Another option for the Looped Finish is to sew a 3" piece of contrasting or coordinating fleece to each end of the blanket.  Fold in half, sew down with a zigzag stitch and cut the loops as above.