Double-knit polyester may seem like a bygone tragedy (thanks, 1970s), but there is still a ton of it out there and, as fate would have it, that ton has landed on Thrifty's doorstep. So, out of necessity and sheer stubbornness (we refuse to send anything to the landfill), we started sewing up these blankets and want to share them with all of you! Keep reading to find out how to make your own Festival Blanket!
Festival Blanket Tutorial
- Gather your supplies! For this project, you will need a variety of double-knit polyester pieces or scraps. (Don't have any lying around? Visit our site.) You will also need a large piece of fabric for the back of the blanket. I aim to make my blankets 50x60", so I usually go for a backing piece that is at least 54x64".
- Start piecing your blanket. Don't worry about making your pieces totally uniform, they can be any variety of shapes and sizes, just make sure the edges are straight so the seams lie flat. I usually use a seam allowance of a 1/2" then fold it and topstitch it down. Keep trimming your edges straight before you add a new piece.
- As your panel increases in size, it may be easier to start a new one. I typically piece my scraps until the panel starts to look like a square or rectangle and make sure to "true up" the corners to 90 degrees before I start a new panel. Trueing up the pieces will make assembling the final blanket top easier.
- Once you have enough panels to make up the size of your blanket, start sewing them together! You can do this using the same method you did to piece the panels together.
- When your top is done, it's ready to attach to the back! Lay out your backing fabric and put your newly assembled top piece over it with the right side facing up.
- Trim your backing piece to size, leaving 1.5-2" around all of the edges so it's slightly larger than the top piece.
- Fold the backing fabric toward the top edge until they meet, and then fold it again, covering the edge of the blanket. This will leave a nice finished edge and work as a binding for the blanket.
- Lastly, tack the two layers of the blanket together by top stitching along the seam lines or by using the Tie Method (Here is a tutorial for the tie method by Suzy Quilts).
Happy Sewing!
Kelly