Anyhow, I just want to echo Mrs. J. Blankets make wonderful heirlooms. My grandmother makes lovely quilts by hand, which I know various relatives hope to end up with. But even her “mere” knotted, old, machine-stitched blankets that don’t have the most beautiful fabric squares are loved. My mom and I would be glad to have one like my brother does (and in some ways I might prefer it to the more decorative quilts, since I might not be willing to use the “best” ones!). My uncle kept his from childhood until past when he married at about 30. His wife said he would wrap the blanket, by then said to be in shreds, about his face as he slept. I’d love to someday give each of my own children their own adult-size blanket made by me. Thank you for the inspiration! And now about that fabric . . .

I do not recommend using teeth! I have two tiny needle-sized nicks in my front teeth which the dentist was able to smooth to near invisible. Not without some tsk-ing.

I just know this based on precious quilts we have inherited from great ladies of the past. There still aren’t enough!

Here’s a cheap “batting” idea: The last two quilts I made were for two boys. I used old flannel sheets as batting. They each had some worn spots. This worked because the quilts were smaller than standard twin. I made them smaller so the boys could handle them better and their little bodies don’t need such big blankets.

My 13-yo daughter and I took a quilting class together last winter and learned about rag quilts. In class, we made flannel baby blankets, but the same method was recommended for today’s topic: picnic blankets.

So now we are setting aside 7 inches squares of denim and home decorator fabric. In the class, we used 8 inch squares of flannel, but 7 inches works better when cutting up old blue jean legs. I am also planning to use other old clothes and whatever I can find as middle and back layers here, too. (To make it water-resistant, you could use an nylon shower curtain as a middle layer. Vinyl might crack with machine washing.)

The method:
Each square should be two or three layers thick. Taking one square, with all its layers, to the machine, stitch from one corner to the opposite corner. Do it again, stitching an X. Repeat with each square.

Then lay squares out on a large surface just as you want them to be when the blanket is finished.

Put two squares together, BACK sides together. Sew along one edge with 3/8 inch or 1/2 inch seam allowance. Sew each row of squares, then sew the rows together.

Stitch around the perimeter of the blanket, 1/2 inch from the edge. The raw edges will fluff up in the laundry.

There’s so much string and fuzz when washing these blankets, that the teacher suggested we wash them at a laundromat in their commercial machines.

These blankets are fun, simple and great for using “what I have in my hand.” And I hope these instructions are clear.