Edgebrook Covenant Church - It’s going to be a cold winter, and families served by the North Park Friendship Center desperately need our help. If you can cut with scissors, you can make a blanket for these needy families.  Our goal is to make as many blankets as we can, and distribute them to Friendship Center families.

The “Twice As Warm Blanket” below is a wonderful project for families  — Mom or Dad can do the measuring and scissoring, and the kids can tie the knots.  Fleece fabric can be purchased at local stores, such as Jo-Ann’s, Hancock Fabrics, or Walmart.  

Twice As Warm Blanket
Requires no sewing and can be made in less than 2 hours
Materials for a square blanket:  makes 1 blanket
1 2/3 yards outerwear fleece – color A
1 2/3 yards outerwear fleece – color B
(You can also use the same fleece for front and back, just make sure to purchase 3 1/3 yards, and cut the fabric in half width-wise to make two pieces, piece A and piece B, each measuring 1 2/3 yards)

Materials for a larger, rectangular blanket:  makes 1 blanket
2  yards outerwear fleece – color A
2  yards outerwear fleece – color B
(You can also use the same fleece for front and back, just make sure to purchase 4 yards, and cut the fabric in half width-wise to make two pieces, piece A and piece B, each measuring 2 yards)

Cut:  Remove selvages (“bound” edges of the fabric on the sides of the fabric that are not cut when you bring the fleece home).  

Directions:
1.  Place color A fleece on top of color B fleece – WRONG sides together, matching raw edges.  Smooth out any wrinkles and trim so that both pieces are even on all four sides.  You can place a few pins in the fabric to keep the pieces together, but it is not absolutely necessary to do this.

2.  Cut fringe 5 inches deep, 1 inch wide, on EACH side.  In each corner, you will remove a square of fabric — but that’s OK, you’re supposed to!  Aunt Katherine’s great suggestion:  when cutting the fringe, use a ruler to lay on the fabric (at least one inch wide) as your guide for both how wide the fringe should be and where to cut a straight line.  It works like a charm, and makes it ever so much easier to cut the fringe evenly!

3.  Using an overhand knot, tie front and back (color A and color B) fringe together.  Continue tying front and back fringe together around the entire blanket.  Be careful not to stretch the fringe when you tie the knots – just do it gently.  That’s it — you’ve made a blanket!