After you’ve made your blanket, you don’t want to leave its edges undone.
To help you with this, here are the three easy ways on how to finish a blanket.
With those crafty hands of yours, you can make those edges look slick!
How To Finish A Blanket?
Method #1. Sewing ahem
- Step #1. First, you should fold the edges of your blankets. The width of the folds should be 0.5 inches. To hold them to place, secure them with the pins.
- Step #2. Then, set your sewing machine. It should be on a zigzag stitch setting.
Make sure that you review first the manual of your machine before proceeding.
Skipping the instructions might damage your blanket during the process— you wouldn’t want that.
After making sure you know exactly how to operate the sewing machine, continue with stitching.
- Step #3. Do zigzag stitches along the edges of your blanket. When you reach the end, do backstitches.
Backstitches will help secure the folded edges.
- Step #4. Cut loose threads on your blanket, and done! You have sewn ahem.
Method #2. Fringing
- Step #1. When doing a double-layer blanket, you must first cut a square piece of fabric at each of the corners of your blanket.
It should be 3 to 4 inches in size. When fringing a single layer one, you won’t need to do it.
If you have always found it hard to cut straight and accurately, you can first make a template.
You will need a guide for this.
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- Step #2. In cardboard or construction paper, draw lines of 2 inches which are 0.5 inches apart.
Please use a marker or a dark-coloured pen when drawing lines. Drawing lines will make the marks more visible.
- Step #3. Tape or pin your template onto the edge of your blanket 3 inches from the raw edge. You are using it as a guide, cut fringes.
It will now be easier to cut straight.
- Step #4. Continue cutting until you reach the end, then proceed to tie.
Create knots with two adjacent fringe pieces (if you are doing a double layer blanket, you will need to tie four pieces together).
Do this all around the edges of your blanket. Once done, you now have that cosy and creative cover-up.
Method #3. Braiding
- Step #1. You can only achieve this in two-layer blankets. You must first take two blankets of the same size.
Put them together in a way that the printed sides are facing each other.
- Step #2. Using a sewing machine, sew straight stitches 0.5 inches from the edges of the blankets.
Take note that you should leave a 6-inch gap for inverting later.
- Step #3. After sewing all the edges, turn the blanket inside out through the opening.
Continue until all the fabric is out and the stitches you made earlier are now inside.
You should be able to see the printed sides of the blankets, which one neatly put together.
- Step #4. With the sewing machine, sew the gap close using the same stitch you used earlier. The edges should look as even as possible.
Step #5. Afterwards, you can proceed with cutting fringe pieces. You can use a template if you are having a hard time cutting straight.
It will also make the braids look neat and even.
- Step #6. Draw 2-inch lines which are 0.5 inches apart on a piece of cardboard or construction paper. The drawing will serve as the template.
Place it about 3 inches from the edge of the blanket and secure it with a pin or tape.
- Step #7. Guided by the template, cut fringe pieces. Do it up to the edge of the template, starting from that of the fabric.
Continue until you finish with all the edges.
- Step #8. Sew straight stitches on the edges of the fringe pieces to secure.
You can now start the fun part, the braiding!
- Step #9. Starting from a corner, pull a loop (a fringe piece you cut) over the loop to its right.
Then, pull the loop next to it over the last loop you just pulled.
- Step #10. You can either use a crochet hook or just your hand on this.
Continue doing the same process along with the blanket until you only have one loop left.
- Step #11. Now, secure the last loop with the first loop you pulled with stitching.
You can do it with a sewing machine on a zigzag stitch setting.
- Step #12. If you want your beautifully braided edges to be sturdier, you can use a needle and a thread to sew through two loops.
It takes effort to secure all of them, but it will be worth it!
- Step #13. Now that you finished braiding and sewing, you can now use your blanket accented with elegant braids.
Conclusion
There is no such thing as standard when it comes to ways on how to finish a blanket.
You can always explore and add a bit of your personality, taste, and emotions.
You can do whatever you want to do—even hand stitching and adding a bias tape.
As long as you do things with passion, every piece of the blanket will be appreciated.