WONDERFUL WORLD OF FLEECE

Maggie Mae, my Chihuahua, came with a fleece blanket all her own. She was born in January, so needed a nice warm blanket to come home with me. I have never figured out why the blanket was about 60” x 60” for puppy less than a pound. To this day it is still her favorite blanket! (Jackson came to live with me in June and did not come with his own blanket, but he immediately received one out of my fabric stash.) Now the Chihuahuas and I have numerous fleece blankets we snuggle under all winter.

What is fleece? Fleece has great wicking properties, which mean it pulls moisture away from your body and keeps you warm. Supposedly it is made out of recycled plastics, so is a green material. A quality piece of fleece will not wear out for many years. Lower quality pieces may pill after a few washing and not look as nice, but is still wearable.
There are different weights and grades of fleece, so you might want to investigate what would work best for you. Fleece is a very economical fabric.

If you are thinking of gifts for someone elderly or a young child you can easily make something warm and wonderful from fleece. Fleece is very durable and washable, so great for babies and for nursing home residents.
If you have a very tall family member make them a throw that is longer than the usual purchased ones. They will appreciate one they can tuck around their toes and put up to their noses!
I have never met and dog or cat of any size who did not love fleece blankets. Give them one of their very own to lay on the couch?
If you are a couch potato or live with one a fleece throw is a MUST!

Being a Chihuahua in the winter cold really sucks! Maggie has more fur than Jack, but both do not like the temperature I keep the house. They have their beds, each with a heating pad on low and a pile of fleece blankets to burrow under and stay toasty. They also have a variety of coats to wear around the house. This site is for a free dog coat pattern, which I used for their coats. (Jack really prefers to be tucked inside my robe rather than wearing some stupid coat.)

Also I have a red and black plaid fleece robe which I wear more than anything else all winter. When I come home from work, I change clothes immediately and usually put on my “house” clothes or my nightgown and robe. I had always been a fan of the heavy terry cloth robes until I started wearing fleece and find that it is warmer and more comforting.

If you like to sit and read in bed or watch TV a fleece bed jacket is a great idea or gift for someone. For years it was difficult to find a bed jacket, but it seems they are back in vogue. They seem a bit pricy, especially if you sew. It would be a nice winter sewing project.

You can make yourself a shawl with just 18 -20 inches wide and the usual 60”, just cut a bit of fringe on the edge. Use only 6-8” and you have a scarf. How simple can it get?

In the winter I use a small throw to wrap around my shoulders in bed, as I do not like to have my arms under the covers, so this works well for me. I can snuggle and still use the remote.

Keep a few throws or pieces of fleece in your vehicle for winter emergencies or picnics in the summer. (At the end of the winter season the fleece throws usually go on sale for very little.)

Fleece is very versatile and easy to work with. You do not have to be a seamstress to make nice looking throws etc, as fleece does not ravel or fray. You can just cut fringe into the edge. There was a trend for awhile to use two layers of fleece, cut a fringe into it all the way around and tie each fringe together from each color, thus having one blanket. Personally a double thickness of fleece is too warm for me.

When I have tried to just hem stitch fleece, I am never happy with the appearance of the edge. Some people use a Lycra blanket type binding to finish off the edges. It is possible to crochet or blanket stitch around all the edges to give them a neat appearance, but it is necessary to puncture a hole in the edge so you can get a needle or the crochet hook thru.

Several years ago I wanted to make a special gift for my favorite cousin who had cancer. I decided to make her a fleece blanket. I purchased about 2 yards of 60” wide fleece in white and a nice chenille yarn to crochet a lacy edging round it. I wanted it rather feminine and elegant, even if it was only lowly fleece blanket. After trying a number of methods to get the hook thru the fleece I found that if I used my seam riper and put little holes in the edge I could get the crochet hook thru. First I cut the selvage edge off, then proceeded to put small holes in the edges about 3/8 – ½ inches from the edge and spaced about ½ inch apart. This allowed me to first crochet a blanket type stitch for the base of the “lace” edge. Though it was a tedious job, it was a labor of love and IMO it turned out very nice.

For some other ideas for using fleece visit this great projects site for more ideas.

Hope you stay toasty this winter!