A now sew, easy to make, inexpensive blanket to keep you warm! These blankets are great gifts for people of all ages and sizes. They are great any time gifts and are perfect for any occasion. Tie blankets are also great because they can be personalized for each person. They can be specialized by size, such as a smaller square blanket for kids and infants, while they can also be made big enough for two people to use on a love seat. They also make great personalized gifts because the fabric can be chosen for each individual person likes and dislikes. You can pick a favorite color or pattern that the person enjoys.

Tie blankets are also great for people with low skill levels or relative inexperience with sewing machines. The no sew tie blankets require few materials and tools which is also great for beginners. Tie blankets also take relatively shorter time to make then quilts and other blankets that require sewing.

Step 1: What You Need

Ruler

Sharp Scissors or Fabric Scissors

2 pieces of fleece about 1 1/5 to 2 yards, depending on how big you want your blanket to be.

Note: you will be cutting into the blanket so the finished blanket will be smaller than the original size of the fabric so keep this in mind when deciding on a size.

Cutting board or some kind of hard cutting surface, such as a tile floor (optional)

Large area or open space

Step 2: Choosing the Fabric

Choose the fabric. You can choose a print and a contrasting or matching solid, but make sure you pick appropriate fabric for the potential user of the finished blanket. I am making a blanket with fabric that has a pattern for my college so the fabric may not always be a print and a solid.

Step 3: Launder Fabric

First, wash and dry both pieces of fleece.

Step 4: Iron and Smooth Fabric

After drying, iron both pieces so that they both are completely smooth and flat and are free of wrinkles or creases. Ironing helps to insure that there is not gap in between the fabrics when you start to cut and tie each piece together.

Step 5: Align Fabric

Lay the 2 different pieces of fleece on the ground or cutting surface, with one piece directly on top of the other. The patterns on the fleece you want to see when finished should be facing outwards.

Also, make sure that the patterns on the fabric are going in the same direction if need be so that you do not have the bottom piece of fleece upside down or vice versa.

Step 6: Trim and Prep Fabric

Next, cut off any unnecessary ends of fleece that are larger than the rest. Both pieces should be exactly the same size when you are finished. This can be done by placing your straight edge on the fleece just far enough in so that when you start cutting you have a straight line and both pieces of fabric are exactly the same size then.

Repeat this step for all four sides.

Step 7: Cut Fabric From Corners

Now you want to make two cuts into one corner of the fleece. The length you cut in will also be the same length you will use to cut the individual ties. To measure where to cut into the fleece, you should measure horizontally the same amount you will cut down vertically. The cut should be about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches or longer if you prefer longer ties. You will make two cuts per corner to cut out the square.

You will then repeat this process on the remaining three corners.

Step 8: Cut Side Ties

Next, you will be cutting the ties, or fringe of the blanket. You should cut vertically into the fleece about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches, of the same length you used to cut out the corners. You must cut through both pieces of fabric when cutting the ties so that you have the same amount of ties on every side.

You should place each cut about 1 inch apart so that all the ties are the same length and width. When cutting into the fleece, make sure that each piece has enough length to be tied into a knot. If each tie is too short, cut them all longer so you can double knot each tie.

Step 9: Knotting the Ties

Now tie the corresponding top and bottom ties together into double knots. The double knots help keep the blanket stay together better. The way you tie each knot will decide whether the top piece of fabric will be positioned on the top or bottom of the blanket. This step is more effective when you are working with very bright or different colored pieces of fabric. With fabrics that are the same color it does not matter as much how you tie each knot. You can do this easily; you just vary what side of the fleece you put on top when tying the knot.

Step 10: Continue Knotting Until Completed

You can continue to knot each tie all the way around the blanket until you are finished. If possible, do not move or rotate the blanket during the knotting process so that each individual tie stays lined up correctly with its corresponding tie. Try to do this project in an area with a lot of open space so you can easily move around the blanket.

Step 11: Completed Blanket

When finished tying, you now have a completed blanket. These blankets make great gifts that are relatively inexpensive. They are also great for infants or little children as they are very warm. You can also give them as part of a gift basket and include a book and hot chocolate. Enjoy!