Above are the different stages in which I was creating but this is my blanket.

So as I promised my first project is done! I did the no sew blanket this weekend and it came out very well if I do say so myself…and I do, LOL. My husband also wanted one and for once I refused to make him one  but knowing that he was the person he (always wanting something that I had, luxury wise as well) I bought him some material too). Then I made him make one with me.

I forgot to take pictures of his (mainly because he took two days to finish his and I did mine in less than 2 hours). If I had not bought him the materials or did the project for him he would not respect the blanket and have the same sense of accomplishment he later had or the new skill he learned which he later appreciated though he may never make another. He can show someone else how to make or start one. I try to do things like this with him in effort to not only spend time with him but because I know that he will have an empowered sense of accomplishment when he is done and I am usually right about these things when it comes to him. He danced around like a little kid when he was done and spun it around and walked around the house like it was a banner instead of a blanket showcasing it as if I was not there with him while he was making it. I could see the pride.

Whether he would be embarrassed or not to show his friends I doubt because I heard him down play it to them but he definitely told them, LOL. He was proud but did not want to lose his MAN card. It was after all arts and crafts. I also wanted to show him such a skill because not everything has to be so intense and hard that you have to buy a ton of tools and take years to master. I wanted to prove that if I was gone or something happened and I could not use my hands he could still do something for our children that they could be proud of as well and be utilized not just a showpiece.

Moreover, the whole experience helped him see how important it is to choose wisely what you do while making such a project. He had to go into the store, choose his fabrics carefully which took so great thought and time as we only want ed anti-pill fleece and there were many patterns. He and I had to choose between if we wanted a print/pattern on both sides or one side pattern/print and solid on the other. we decided on the later for costs. Then we had to learn about how the store measured and cut fabric (by the yard not by the sq ft). After that I had to decided if I wanted to buy the additional and VERY optional project supplies like a cutting mat and rotary scissors and a fiberglass tape measure. I did not. I had a fiberglass tape measure in my sewing kit at home, and after watching her cut with her scissors using two different pairs I realized I could use the ones that came in my sewing kit as well. They worked perfectly. I could sharpen my other regular scissors for my husband to use for his blanket if they needed it. Then was the self healing mat, but it was only needed if you used the rotary scissors which I did not so I was good.

I was excited and happy. We left the fabric store (Jo Ann’s but you could use Walmart as well) and went to dinner and then went home and started our projects. I will tell you now if you are a beginner and you are starting this project just watch a youtube video if you are a bit confused on how things work and choose the style you like as far as how to make your knots. As far as how far to cut the initial corners 5in or 7in honestly it’s just so that it’s uniformed and has good spacing. 5in was fine but if you have really thick fleece you may want to do 7in so that you can easily tie you fleece.

Moreover, they say measure and cut 1in fringe strips for your ‘ties/knots’ I eye balled mine and my husband and I tied as we went. We decided that we did not want to wait until the very end and try to tie all those knots. We also tried pinning (me pinning my blanket to keep it matched and together while working on it and my husband NOT pinning his). I liked pinning mine since my husband actually stepped on mine early on before I pinned mine and messed up my matching while I was cutting/ trimming my corners and made me gouge 2 of my sides. I was able to fix it but from then on I pinned it and made him WALK AROUND unless he wanted pins in he bare feet.

Be prepared to spend more time than the recommended 1-2 hours on this as a beginner if this is your first project ever because you will be a bit slower at tying your fringe knots at first until you get into a rhythm, and if you have a lot of excess trim to cut off like I did from how the material is made (it’s called selvage). Moreover, do not be anxious about mistakes, anything you do can be ‘undone with this project or changed to looked like you meant to do it. If you accidentally cut off a whole fringe then maybe you can cut off every other or every 5 fringe or every 10th one and make a pattern out of it. No one has to know you did it by accident or you can simply tie the next fringe over together tighter much like the the way the corner fringe knots look (though you will have a little pucker if you did this a few times around the whole blanket you could get a very unique a cute blanket).

Moreover, if you have arthritis or chronic issues you may have to take breaks because of bending over or the tying of the knots so don’t worry about it. My hands started to cramp a little in the middle so I took a small break and then I was good. My husbands hands ever cramped and he has no issues so just be mindful of the actions, it should be fun not forced!