Weight blankets !

How to make a weight blanket.

Maybe you have heard about it, or maybe a 'weight blanket' doens't ring a bell... We are going to talk about a WEIGHT BLANKETS. More specific: how to make a weight blanket. Does this sewing-project belong on the website SewingChanelStyle? Mmmm .... actually not. But we do it anyway, because we are simply too enthusiastic and also love to sleep well.

What is a weight blanket?
First an explanation here. A weight blanket is a heavy blanket. Most people find it delicious to sleep under a heavy woolen blanket. Not only because of the warmth, but more the idea of ​​lying under something heavy. Duvets are now as light as a feather, nice and cool in the summer, but we often miss the feeling of something covering our sleeping body.

Tender feelings
We are not going to show science reports etc., but we will mention some experience-facts.
Weight blankets just feel good. Mothers with hypersensitive children or children with sleeping problems, swear by it.  And we love them too.
A weighting blanket covers well on and 'around' the sleeping person. The weight creates more pressure and this makes it easier to relax and fall asleep. You will sleep as a stone.
"A very deep sleep".
On the Internet, the weight blankets even claims to be ideal for people with autism, add / adhd, dementia, spasms, serious behavioral problems, hyperactivity and people with relaxation problems (such as Huntington and Korsakov).

Make it yourself!
However, weight blankets are expensive. This is mainly due to the materials and the great unfamiliarity with weight blankets. And that's wy we are going to make one ourselves. An inspiring challenge. Let's start!


What do you need to sew a weight blanket?

• Fabrics: poplin cotton on one side and light canvas on the other. This gives the rug extra strength. the canvas is a bit heavier, the poplin is nice and soft. Both fabrics are also washable and have minimal wrinkling.     
• The canvas fabric also ensures that hypersensitive people are not feeling the content; the grains. Poplin is a lot thinner and this can help to make the grains tangible. This is actually not such a big problem, but for hyper- or hypersensitive people (or children) it is just not pleasant.     
• You can also choose to take both sides of poplin. However, the blanket then becomes less firm.
• We do not recommend canvas on both sides either. The blanket will look more like a beanbag than a blanket and will not provide the 'sleeping' feeling of a great tender poplin cotton. 
• In terms of colors we advise you to take a neutral color. The blanket will fit in every bedroom or even in the living room on the couch. A print or flowers will get boring soon and a pattern or graphics are too restless. 
• The content: GRANULATE GRAINS. You can find this on the internet or at your local hardware store or hobby store. Please note: the granulates are not the light grains which are used for pillows, childrens playtoys; these are much too light and cannot be washed. The hard plastic granules, we are talking about, are washable up to 60 degrees.     
• An alternative could be: cherry kernel or rice. However, these are not washable.     
• A sewing machine, yarn, a ruler and textile chalk.

How to sew a weight blanket:
You cut (or better: tear) the two pieces of fabric in the right dimensions. Do not make the blanket too large. Then the blanket becomes very heavy and unmanageable. A size measurement of the length of the person and the width of max. 1.25 meters is more than enough. Children's weight blankets are often much smaller.

Sew the two pieces together with the good sides together on the length sides and bottom (= three sides), turn over, spread the seams and sew. Leave the top open.

Now you can draw 20 cm wide surfaces with textile chalk along the length of the blanket. And in width-lengths.

Stitch the lengths of the boxes.

After this, you fill the boxes with two and a half or three scoops of granulates to the maximum. (Depending on whether you want a really heavy blanket of around 9 pounds, or a less heavy blanket of around 5 pounds).

You now take the blanket with your hands on top and shake the blanket well. The pellets are now in the compartments below. After this, carefully sew the strip across the width. Be careful not to cross a grain with the sewing machine. This is not that healthy for the needle ...

Sew all this with the fabric on the left side of the sewing machine and on a large table. It is very nice if the sewing machine has an extra seat or quilt table.

Repeat this process until you reach the top row. It is becoming increasingly difficult because the blanket is now heavy and it can be difficult with the grains. But being patient is a good thing. Work neatly and slowly, this prevents frustration and a home or sewingroom full of granules ...

Finally, close the top with a beautiful decorative edge or fold inwards. You can also leave a flap of fabric on if you would like to be able to tuck the blanket between the mattress on the foot sides.

Finally, wipe away the remaining textile chalk with a piece of cotton and scrub the blanket well a few times.

Making a weighting blanket is not that difficult. It is a sewing project that requires neat work, a lot of patience, space and material.

But at least you will sleep like never did before ...