Here are the materials needed for making your blanket. How much fabric and how many pounds of poly pellets depend on the size of your finished blanket. For this blanket I used:
2 1/2 yards of cotton fabric (top of blanket)
2 1/2 yards of muslin (inner fabric)
2 1/2 yards of flannel (back of blanket)
8 pounds of poly pellets
thread
Wash your fabric in hot water and dry in the dryer. Iron fabric after drying.
Figure out the size of the pockets that will hold your poly pellets. This blanket was for a twin sized bed, so my final measurements were 40"x72". I like to have 2" around the edge of the blanket for seam allowances and ease of sewing. This left the available area for the pockets at 36"x68". Each pocket will end up being 6"x6" except for the top and bottom rows. These pockets will be 6"x7". I am not great with math so here is the fantabulous way I use to figure out each blanket.
Draw your grid on the muslin.
Lay the top fabric right side down and then lay your muslin on top with your grid facing up. Smooth out the two fabrics and pin, pin, pin!
Sew across the bottom of your blanket and then sew the up the columns. I like to start from the bottom and sew my way to the top to help prevent puckers.
Calculate the weight of poly pellets required in each pocket. This blanket weighed 8 pounds. I have a digital scale that measures in ounces and grams. I usually measure in grams because the math is a lot easier! Eight pounds is 3,636 grams. Divide by 66 pockets and you come up with 55 grams of poly pellets per pocket.
Measure 55 grams of poly pellets and pour them into the first column. Do this 5 more times until all of your columns are full.
Sew across the row closing your poly pellets into the pocket. Be sure to push all the poly pellets away from your sewing foot and needle. It is not fun when your needle hits a poly pellet. Continue weighing, filling and sewing across the rows until you reach the top of the blanket.
Lay your flannel right side up and place the blanket top side down onto your flannel. Be sure to smooth out the flannel as your lay the top down. This will prevent puckers and wrinkles.
Pin around the edges of the blanket leaving about 9" open on the bottom. This will allow you to right side out the blanket after sewing. Sew around the entire blanket and don't forget to leave the opening!
Right side out the blanket paying special attention to the corners. Sometimes I use the back of a spoon to poke them out.
Pin or iron around the outer edge of the blanket.
Sew around the edge of the blanket making sure you close the opening at the bottom of the blanket.
Viola! Your weighted blanket is complete! Snuggle up and sleep well!
Feel free to e-mail me with any questions. I will try to get back to you as soon as possible!Disclaimer: I am not an OT nor do I play one in the bloggy world. The standard formula for a weighted blanket is 10% of body weight plus 1 pound. Always check with your OT to determine the proper weight for your blanket.
78 comments:
I just wanted to thank you for having this tutorial posted. I am not new to the world of sewing and crafts but I am new to being a Memaw. My daughter-in-law mentioned to me about making this for Aiden and I said to myself What the heck is a weighted blanket. Well not only did you answer my question you have wonderful pictures and easy steps in order to make my grandson his very own special blanket. Thank you again. C.Green
I'm glad to have helped. I hope Aiden loves his new blanket!
I am new to sewing and I don't have all my materials yet so I can't envision this....so sorry for the stupid questions. I am with you until the part where the flannel gets attached. I am getting lost on photo 10 (the one that sows the gril w/ pins on top). Where am I sewing it together in photo 10... your finished blanket looks like its sewn together on the ends (obviously) but you also have a 1-2" border - that's what's messing me up - which gets done when. Told ya - dumb question but I don't sew (I just need to try since weighted blankets are too expensive).
opps... hard to type with kids... that should say "photo 10 (the one that shows the grid w/ pins on top)"
Jen- When I draw the grid I make the first column 2 inches, then I draw six columns that are 6 inches wide and then a final column that is 2 inches wide. I also do that with the rows- draw my top row 2 inches and then draw all the other rows at 6 inches. In the picture you are talking about there is only stitching on the left hand side of the border. If you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail me at 1squishypickle at gmail.com
Where did you find the pellets?
You can find them at Michael's or Hobby Lobby. They come in a 2 pound bag. I usually bought those with the 40% off coupon they have in the Sunday paper. I bet Joann Fabrics would have them as well. Once I started sewing blankets for people it was easier to buy them online in bulk quantities. Now I usually buy mine from www dot craftpellets dot com
I am so glad to have found your instruction; I am about to undertake making several for children in our early intervention program. I am concerned about making them so that they are easily laundered. Can this blanket be washed and dried? does the extra weight cause any additional problems? Many thanks,
My son's original blanket is over 2.5 years old and has been washed and dried countless times and has held up wonderfully. It was only 4 pounds. The fabric has faded a bit from being washed and loved so much. His current blanket is 8 pounds and the only problem I have when I wash it is it bunching up on one side of the drum when it spins. I have a top loader so then the machine knocks and shakes. I just readjust the blanket inside and turn the washer back on. Let me know if you have any other questions!
I thought I read that you make these for other people. Do you sell them yourself? I want to try a weighted blanket for my son that has sensory issues (he needs deep pressure and responds well to being tightly held) and I know I just do not have time to make one myself, anyway back to the point, how much do you charge for the blankets you make, that is if you sell them. Thanks!
Yes I do sew weighted blankets. Please email me at 1squishypickle @ gmail.com and I can give you all the details. I am working on opening an Etsy shop but it's not quite ready yet.
Does the 2 1/2 yards of fabric take into consideration any shrinkage after it's washed in hot water? Or are your measurements done post-shrinkage?
Just curious if I might need to buy a little more than 2 1/2 yards.
Thanks!!
Yes, I do take shrinking into consideration. The 2 1/2 yards is my measurement before washing. Let me know if you have any other questions and happy sewing! :)
I am going to try to make this for my son this weekend, how long did it take you? Thank you so much for the tutorial!
I can get a twin sized blanket done in about 5 or 6 hours.
Do you have any Etzy shop open yet? I'd love to purchase a weighted blanket made with TLC. Thx- Jes in CA
No Etsy shop yet, but I am more than happy to sew one for you. All of the information can be found here http://thesquishypickles.blogspot.com/2012/01/still-no-etsy-shop-yet.html or email me at 1squishypickle at gmail.com
My son's OT recommended that I make one a weighted blanket and use aquarium pebbles as the weight. What is your thought on using the aquarium pebbles vs. poly pellets?
I personally don't care for using aquarium gravel. I know it is cheaper than poly pellets, but then how do you wash it? I guess you could just make a duvet cover for the blanket and take the cover off and wash as needed. My son is still young and has accidents on occasion. I like to have the option of tossing the whole thing in the washing machine if necessary.
I have heard of people using popcorn or kidney beans, but again, kinda hard to put in the wash. I'd worry about bugs too. A blog I read the other day (sorry I can't recall where) used glass pebbles from a dollar store. Not sure how that would hold up in the wash either, but if my only options were gravel and glass pebbles, I think I would take the glass pebbles. The gravel might break down into dust over time.
I buy my poly pellets in bulk online, but if you have a Michaels or a Hobby Lobby by you, you can use a 40% off coupon to bring the price down to about $5.50 for a 2 pound bag. Hope I have helped you. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hello, My g'ma is making a blanket for my son and has measured everything out, but now after only two rows the thing weighs almost 5 lbs already and it should only weigh 4.8. She is wondering, do you have to factor in the weight of the material/fabric?
You can account for the weight of the fabric if you want, but I'm really not sure that the weight of the fabric would make the blanket 5 pounds after only two rows. Did you weigh it to know that it already is 5 pounds? It does feel heavier when it's all bunched up. How big is the finished blanket? How many squares will you be filling? What are you using to weight the blanket?
He only needs 4.8 lbs. of polly filler pellets. His blanket is 36in by 42in, and the pattern she started with says to multiply that and then divide that # by 4 to get 108 squares in his blanket and he needs 72 ounces of pellets, which makes it .6 of an ounce per square. She weighed it and it already weighs like 5 lbs with two rows done. She double checked all the measurements.
I'm back. :) She finished his blanket using the 5 pounds of poly pellets. Weighed it and it weighs almost 13 pounds. It was a soft flannel material.
I was just thinking of you today when I was sewing a blanket since I hadn't heard back from you. Then I realized that my last comment to you never posted. I apologize.
If you started with 5 pounds of poly pellets I am really stumped on how a blanket that small can end up at 13 pounds. The one I sewed today was filled with 8 pounds of poly pellets and weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces. It was a twin sized blanket made with 2 1/4 yard each of quilting cotton, flannel and muslin. Can you send me the link to the directions she used?
Thank you for posting this. I'm using batting instead of muslin so the blanket will be a little cozier ;)
My question is about sewing up the final edge after turning the blanket right side out....what type of stitch do you recommend?
I just use a regular straigt stitch when sewing arou d the edges, but you could use a zig zig or a more decorative stitch if you'd like.
I love this tutorial... I have a son with autism and have been trying to find some things to make for him, and this would be great for him as he loves weighted things. thanks for posting. I can't wait to see more of what you have.
Thank you so much! I finished my little man's blanket this afternoon! It was my first independent sewing project...ever. It is not beautiful but it works. :-)
I am trying to ask a question, but cannot get my comment to post. Before typing it for a 3rd time, I am "testing" first to hopefully figure this out!!
Ok, my test worked so here I go!! My daughter-in-law sent me your blog on weighted blankets and thinks I can make one for my grandson. I have ready your instructions and need clarification before I can continue. I understand the muslin part and drawing the squares. I understand you need another fabric to sew the columns to fill. This is where I am confused. Do you use the solid flannel for that? So the are the sewn squares stitching just showing on the flannel and the muslin? Then the patterned fabric is only attached and sewn along the the edges? Hopefully you can understand what I am trying to say!!
Thanks, Grammy
I am working with a website, and we would love to share your tutorial on our Facebook page about poly pellets. This is the link to our Facebook page, and this is the link to our <a href="http://www.qualitypolypellets.com/>website</a>. We sell poly pellets at a very good price, and are looking to spread the word.
Thank you for your help.
Sorry for the delay in getting back to everyone's comments. We were enjoying the peace and quiet in the middle of no where before school starts again!
BigMomma- I'm glad you were successful and I hope it helps your son!
Elaine- I sew the muslin to the cotton front of the blanket. The squares are visible on the cotton front. I attach the flannel to the back and no squares are visible. The only visible stitching is around the edges. I hope that helps you out. If not, you can email me at 1squishypickle @ gmail.com and I can help you out more.
Brian- I would love for you to share my tutorial on your Facebook page. Thanks for asking!
Thank you so much for posting this!! I just made my Aiden (8 years) one! He has sensory processing issues and is always seeking sensory input! He loves the blanket!!
My son loves his. He is still very little so I halfed the pattern to make him a small 4 pounds blanket. It was so easy. I had not sewed in years but this was so simple. Plus the cost was only 40.00 for the fabric and the polyfill pellets. Weight blankets are hard to buy for that price. My son got to pick the fabric which made it even more special. Thank you so much
Glad to hear it Kathleen! The prices in catalogs are outrageous, aren't they?
I am so excited about making one of these blankets for my son who is 5 years old but I am thinking about adding a satin trim. Can you give advice on how you would do that? I have never actually used a sewing machine but am pretty crafty and think I could manage, it's just new to me.
I just wanted to say thank you for this tutorial. My husband bought me the materials for a weighted blanket for Christmas (I'm on the autism spectrum), and so far I've found your instructions easy to follow and quite useful.
I modified my blanket a bit; because I need sixteen pounds total, I'm making two eight-pound blankets out of muslin and putting them in a duvet cover. Still, this is an easier project than I expected. Thanks!
Love this blog. Like many, I'm a first time Grammie sewing a blanket for my darling grand-girl who has SID. Prices for buying readymade are AWFUL. Here's where I'm confused. After sewing the columns, isn't it easier to fill one row's worth, then sew the row closed? It would seem that if you fully fill each column then sew the rows closed it would be hard manage getting the pellets evenly distributed. Maybe I just misunderstood.
You are correct Susan. I fill the columns across and then sew one row shut. I continue on across the blanket until I come to the top. I would be rather tricky if you filled an entire column and then tried to make it into rows. :)
I am making a twin weighted blanket for my 5 year old Granddaughter. According to the formula the blanket should weigh 6 lbs. I just finished sewing the flannel and muslin and weighed before starting to add the poly pellets - it alone weighs 1 lb. and the blender fleece that I will use for the topper also weighs 1 lb. Should I decrease the pellets to 4 lbs so the total weight is 6 lbs? My fear is that since she is little, most of the weighted area will be on the bed, not on her, so should I make a crib size blanket that weighs 6 lbs? Sorry, this is all new to me, Grammiekayky
You could make a smaller blanket if you'd like. It all depends on how much pressure your granddaughter needs. If she is just using the blanket for sleeping I would leave it at 6 pounds or even more. Does she have an occupational therapist? My son's occupational therapist said it was ok for his blanket to weigh 8 pounds since like you said, a lot of it would be laying on the bed and not on top of him. If she is using the blanket to lay under to help her calm down when she is upset or overstimulated, then I would make a smaller blanket that weighs 6 pounds.
i followed your tutorial and shortly after the blanket started being used, the whole grid system in the middle ripped out so when you pick up the blanket, all of the poly pellets fall to the bottom. any suggestions on fixing this?!
nevermind, i figured out my problem! :)
It is like a "thunder suit" that older children wear. It helps them feel safe and not so easily distracted or overwhelmed.
Thank you soooooo much for this!!! I am an Early Childhood Special Education teacher and after I showed this tutorial to my mother-in-law, she was able to make 2 for my classroom as well as 2 personal ones for a couple of my students. There's no way we would've figured this out on our own and we saved so much money by making it ourselves. This tutorial is a life-saver! Thanks again!!!
I love this one of the best ones I have come across! I am a first time sewer and this is the very first thing EVER I am trying to do where I am lost are the pockets to be filled!! Do I fill them one at a time and close it up or do I make long colums and then go back and separate them HELP LOL THANKS!
I sew long columns from the top to the bottom of the blanket. Then I sew a line across the bottom of the blanket.Once that line is there, I go to the top of the blanket and pour how many ever ounces I calculated out for each square. Once I have filled each row, I sew across. Go back to the top, refill each column again and then sew it shut. Keep doing that until you get to the top of the blanket.
How do you get the columns and rows so straight?
Hello,
Can't you just use a twin comforter and fill it with pellets? Would that work?
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. This tutorial was so simple... I made a poly pellet filled blanket for my niece with autism and I'm making a denim filled blanket (my son isn't keen on the feel of the pellets) for my little guy with sensory issues. <3
You are AWESOME!. My grandson needs one and sew my grandchildren a lot of blankets, now I can make one he and his brother really need. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS.
Just saw this tutorial -- any allergy issues with the poly pellets?
Other tips:
1. The post office has scales handy to get an exact weight. The fabric I use is very heavy, 2.5 pounds for a small blanket so I have to subtract for that.
2. I lay down one row of stitched across the columns, in the middle of the fabric, fill the columns on one side then the other. This cuts the amount of fabric bunched up in the sewing machine "throat" in half.
3. Use staples instead of pins; no more pokes.
Thank you for this post! I realize it's a bit old, but I hope you are still checking comments! My question is why there is a muslin layer. I wondered about just sewing the cotton top to the flannel back, using the grid and filling with pellets as you go. Can you explain what the benefit would be of having that inner layer? I am new to sewing and this will be my first project, for my 2 year old son, and I'm hoping it goes well! Thanks.
You can sew it without the muslin layer if you'd like. Some people with sensory issues are sensitive to seams. If you use the muslin layer in the middle to hold the pellets, the flannel layer is smooth on the back.
Brilliant! Thank you.
Thank you for this well laid out tutorial! I made one yesterday for my daughter, 14.5 yrs. it was easy to follow and turned out great! The tip that helped me the most besides what you've written was to use a wrapping paper roll tube to pour the beads down into the channels. With that, I had minimal bead shifting I needed to do before sewing the rows closed. your 6x6 grids were perfect.
I am just finishing my grandson's blanket. I did fill the pockets from the bottom up. It did get harder to sew the rows across the blanket with the weight of the filled rows. I put the blanket over my shoulder to make it easier to sew.
I've been looking at info about weighted blankets for a while now, but haven't committed to making one yet as it would be for my husband - a 20-pound blanket will be pricey for filling and awkward to sew, so I'm still waffling.
Can you tell me, are the poly-pellets healthy?
Thanks.
Thank you for these instructions! Have you found that a single muslin layer is sturdy enough to hold the pellets? Or have you ever had to double the muslin? I'm planning to make the outer fabric a duvet cover so it can be washed more regularly than the inner weighted blanket.
I made a large weighted quilt for my sister's foster son a few years ago, i used the aquarium gravel. I made double lined bean bags out of the gravel and muslin, then sewed them into the grid. It washed just fine and he used it for the 2 and a half years that they had him. He took it with him when he left, last we heard, or was still doing good...
Great Post, Indeed. I came across to your blog from the ApartmentTherapy Post. They have featured your post there. I was searching there how to make your own weighted blanket. They mentioned like, The Squishy Pickles
I was reading a guide, how heavy my weighted blanket should be, I found this one
Hope other readers get some insight from this one too.
Cheers.
Hello! I found some great organic bamboo double-weave muslin that I want to use. I see you use muslin for the inner layer and then another fabric for an outer layer but is there an issue with using just the muslin layer to keep the temperature down? Thanks!
I made one for my grandson who has a sensory disorder, He is only 30 lbs so you take 10% of body weight and add one to two pounds so for him I made it 5lbs.
My blanket has 6 columns across and six rows which equal 36 squares, 5lbs of pellets is 80 ounces so just divide 80 x 36 and you get 2.2 ounces so for a 5 pound weighed blanket each square has 2.2 ounces of beads in it.
Fill the first row all the way across, shake it down and then sew a line across to close the square, then fill the next row, shake it down and sew the row closed, you repeat this all the way to the end.
It is nice post and I found some interesting information on this blog. Keep it up. Thanks for sharing.
Hello and thank you for your tutorial,
I am going to make those blankets for my grown kids, but I bought a binding, because they didn't have the other material. Can I wash the binging with the material before I do the blanket?.
I also need to know if is anything like the blanket but for a 7 month old baby.
Thank you very much.
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Very well done! Absolutely brilliant information of weighted blankets. I'm in love with this blog. They always provide such a great information.
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I bought very fine glass beads from a construction supply store. They are used as abrasives, like sand blasting. I got the largest size they sold, 600 - 800 µm = 0,024 - 0,031 inch , and the smallest sack (almost 50 lbs) . but it was only about 36 dollars including transportation. The glass beads are very fine, bigger than sand but smaller than what is sold in crafts stores. I hope this helps. I got mine from a company in Germany, and shipped to my home in Spain. So, I will not post the company link, but if anyone wants it, just let me know and I will send it.
Now to try to put the blanket together (I have enough to do a few blankets !)
Best of luck and thanks for this great tutorial !
I bought this weighted blanket as a recomandation from a therapyst friend.
It wasn't expensive at all and I love it! I feel more relaxed trough sleep.
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