Lazyboy Blanket

Last year, my daughter-in-law, Emily, MADE Christmas gifts for John, Ross and Elliott. They all got hand-tied blankets made out of their favorite football team polar fleece. Polar fleece is 60 inches wide. As recommended, Emily bought two yards -- so each blanket was 60" wide and 72" long.

During our recent Polar Vortex, every blanket in the house was much appreciated -- but the NFL blankets, altho warm, were not the right size. Because the width is almost the same as the length...if you pull it on wrong, your feet are sticking out...

So, BIS -- (Because I Sew) -- the answer to this problem is EASY PEASY. I'll make a blanket that is long and skinny. Of course, I just HAPPENED to have a leopard print flannel sheet in the closet (no matter how cold it gets -- nobody in my family likes sleeping on flannel). I'll pair it with that ugly piece of polar fleece (a pine cone pattern? yuck...).

To make this warm prototype SUPER FAST -- I ripped the flannel to the right dimensions, then laid it down on the polar fleece (wrong sides together), cut the fleece to match the flannel, then serged around the four sides.(yep -- another 20 minute sewing project)...

The finished dimensions ended up: 88" long x 40" wide.

NEXT COMES the real genius. The leopard flannel sheet came as a set -- so I had a perfectly good leopard flannel pillowcase to sew on the backside -- creating a foot pocket.

I pinned the pillowcase to the bottom edge (more or less) -- and sewed the two sides and the bottom...

The new Lazy Boy blanket is SUCH A GREAT thing...

This is a gratuitous picture of Lilly, doing her favorite thing -- making cupcakes. This winter, we did a little sewing, a lot of decorating, a little cooking.  She has become very good company...

Lillian is so easy to entertain -- we've had a great year.  I am gonna miss four...