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How to make a weighted blanket: DIY Sewing Tutorial
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Learn how to make a weighted blanket with this weighted blanket sewing tutorial. Step by step instructions for the perfect sensory blanket. These sensory blankets may be helpful when dealing with anxiety, autism, ADHD, sleep struggles, Parkinson’s disease, and more. Find more details on making DIY weighted blankets.
Click to read also: Handmade Gifts for Children
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Looking for a Ready-Made Weighted Blanket?
What You'll Find on This Page
If you decide to look for a ready-made weighted blanket, I recently discovered these for sale on Amazon. There are also several sellers on Etsy, and weighted blankets have become so popular that you can even buy them at Target!
Even with so many ready made blankets available, sometimes it makes more sense to make one. This is especially true if you are trying to cater to a child’s interests, like I did when making these Harry Potter weighted blankets.
This tutorial can be used to make weighted blankets to sell, but please give credit to my site in your listing.
Drop by this post if you are looking for more resources for dealing with sensory issues.
You may also find these sensory activities to help kids calm down and stay calm helpful.
Learn How to Make a Weighted Blanket
Weighted Blanket Tutorial
What Are Weighted Blankets Made Of?
Choosing the right materials is an important part of sewing a weighted blanket. This post on what weighted blankets are made out of has everything you need to know, and I highly recommend reading it before you start sewing. T
These are the basics you need; you can also buy weighted blanket kits on Etsy.
- Sewing machine
- Poly pellets (learn how to make a weighted blanket without pellets)
- Fabric (some readers use receiving blankets or duvet covers)
- Thread
- Scissors
My weighted therapy blanket materials post offers some alternate fillings if you don’t want to use poly pellets as a filler.
How Much Should My Weighted Blanket Weigh?
The basic guidelines for weighted blanket weight is 15% of healthy body weight for children and 5-10% of healthy body weight for adults. There are a few studies, however, that show that there may be benefits to using heavier blankets. You can find more details along with weighted blanket weight calculators, charts, and more in my weighted blanket weight post.
DIY Weighted Blanket Sewing Instructions
STEP 1: Stitch your fabric together on three sides. OR, if you are sewing a large blanket, stitch the two side edges plus a center seam. You will then fill the blanket from the center out.
STEP 2: Stitch vertical columns. Mine were about four inches apart.
Making larger blankets: Anniebananie also had the wonderful idea of leaving both the bottom and the top open for larger blankets. She then stitched a horizontal center seam and worked her way out from both ends – less bulk to work with while stitching!
Another reader, Cicely, turned her sewing machine sideways, as she found it easier to manipulate the fabric and keep the beads in place that way.
This process is much easier if one of your fabrics has a pattern you can use as a guide; otherwise I recommend measuring out and drawing on your stitching lines with a washable fabric marker or a disappearing ink fabric pen (you can buy these at the fabric store; but if you don’t have a fabric store nearby the Crayola kids washable markers also work).
I was having camera issues and this photo isn’t very good, but if you look closely you can see how I used the pattern as a stitching guide. You could stitch directly on the printed lines; I found it easier to line up my presser foot with them:
STEP 3: Add your poly pellets. This is what they look like – and I think it’s cool that they accidentally formed a heart-like shape.
Filling Your Homemade Weighted Blanket
STEP 4: Fill each column with however many pellets you want per space. I used about 1/4 cup of pellets for each roughly 4×4 inch compartment. Note: the final blanket should not be heavier than 10-15% of the user’s body weight for children, and no more than 5-10% of an adult’s ideal weight.
Here is a calculator you can use to figure out how many pellets to put in each square:
(number of ounces needed)/(number of squares) = how many pellets you need per square.
Remember, there are 16 ounces in each pound, and calculating this amount in grams may be easier. You can weigh out the amount of pellets for each square using a kitchen scale.
If you prefer to measure your pellets, put them in a measuring cup and then calculate how many tablespoons you need per square. There are 16 tablespoons per cup.
Multiply the number of cups by 16, and then divide that number by the number of squares you intend to sew. This will tell you how many tablespoons of pellets to put in each square.
How to Figure Out How Many Pellets Per Square in a Weighted Blanket
Use this simple formula to figure out how many pellets to put in each square of your weighted blanket:
(number of cups x 16)/(number of squares) = how many tablespoons of pellets you need per square.
STEP 5: Once all of the columns have been filled, stitch across that row. Then repeat until you have filled up to the top of your blanket. I made the top row about 6 inches tall instead of 4, because that made it easier to stitch the blanket shut.
Here you can see the filled, stitched pouches. Orange is my nephew’s favorite color, and I’m showing the plain side so that you can see the stitching:
Finishing off your DIY Weighted Blanket
Reader Linda Schmidt emailed me this tip for finishing the final rows, which I know a lot of people have struggled with:
“Getting closer to the last few rows I stitched almost all of the way across each of the the pockets leaving only enough room for the bottom of a funnel to fit in. This kept most of the pellets from cascading out as the last stitches were placed.”
Thanks for the tip, Linda! I love seeing photos of the quilts people have made and receiving feedback like this!
Another reader recommends filling only a few pockets at a time towards the end.
STEP 6: Finish the edges. You can bind them, but I took the easy route and serged them. Stitch on binding for a more finished look.
If using with a child, please be sure they keep their head outside of the blanket.
Now that you know how to make a weighted blanket, I would love to see photos of the blankets you sew!
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MaryAnne Kochenderfer
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MaryAnne lives is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
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I Spy Bags | Blissfully Domestic
By Sylvia
Want to keep your kids quiet in the car? Want to keep them quiet period?? Then you have got to get one of these little bags of bliss!
They’re called I Spy bags and you’re kids will love them.
They are little bean bags with a plastic window in the front. The kids read the list (or look at the pics) of items printed on the back and manipulate the bag to find the items through the window. Sheer Genius I tell you.
My son loves playing I Spy when we drive but sometimes when I drive I have to pay attention ya know? So I started collecting little doodads around the house and saving some of the little things he collects (that we never have anything to do with) to put inside.
Here’s what you need to make one of these.
- 2-8 inch squares of flannel
- 4 inch piece of plastic, about 4mm thick
- poly-pellets used to fill dolls, found in the sewing notions section (Michaels carries these, but Joann’s and Hobby Lobby do not)
- little doodads (sequin, button, paper clip, acorn, doll house items, etc)
- printable fabric (I used cotton twill)
Directions:
Measure and cut with a rotary cutter a 16″ (width) x 8″ (height) rectangle
Iron fabric flat with 1/2 inch seam all the way around.
I also folded the fabric in half and ironed the seam so I knew where to center the front window.
Find a square object (I used a post-it note box) or measure a 3″ square window and trace it. Use rotary cutter to cut out.
In Word, type a list of all the items you’re putting in the bag or print a picture of them. Choose your font and print a test sheet before printing on your fabric. Measure it on the back of your bag leaving about a 1″ border to sew on. Once your satisfied print it out and follow the directions on the package.
I kept the test sheet, cut it out and laminated it for myself to keep in my wallet so (when I’m not driving) I can help him by reading the things off.
Cut a 4″ square out of the plastic and Scotch tape it to the inside of the bag.
Sew the plastic window, I did 2 rows of running stitch and then a zig-zag around. I have a choking phobia so I wanted to make sure these puppies wouldn’t bust a seam. Test first because I had to pull it out once due to the plastic sticking to the machine.
I just went slowly and it was o.k.
Sew the list on the back using zig-zag stitch so it doesn’t fray.
Pin edges together with right sides facing. Sew together leaving about a 2-3″ opening to turn right side in and add do-dads and pellets. Flip right side out and sew zig-zag around edges to secure seams. (Remember to leave your opening!)
Add doodads and then pellets. I filled up to top of window only. You want them to be able to move the items around to find them. Only fill it up as high as you have to, I think I may add a tad bit less next time.
Sew up opening with matching zig-zag and Voila! You have your very own “I Spy…” bag!
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Melanin ( / ˈmɛlənɪn / (listen); from Greek: μέλας, Latinized: MELAS, letters "Black, dark") - this is a wide term for a group of natural pigments found in most of them organisms.
Melanin pigments are produced in a specialized group of cells known as melanocytes.
There are five main types of melanin: eumelanin, pheomelanin, neuromelanin, allomelanin, and pyomelanin. [1] The most common type is eumelanin, which comes in two types: brown eumelanin and black eumelanin. Eumelanin is produced through a multi-step chemical process known as melanogenesis, where oxidation of the amino acid tyrosine is followed by polymerization. Pheomelanin, which is produced when melanocytes are defective due to the origin of the gene in its recessive format, is a cysteine derivative that contains polybenzothiazine. parts that are largely responsible for the red or yellow tint given to some skin or hair colors. Neuromelanin is located in the brain. Studies have been undertaken to investigate its effectiveness in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease. [2] Allomelanin and pyomelanin are two types of nitrogen-free melanin.
In human skin, melanogenesis is initiated by exposure to UV radiation, which darkens the skin. Eumelanin is an efficient light absorbent; the pigment is able to scatter more than 99.9% of the absorbed UV radiation. [3] Due to this property, eumelanin is thought to protect skin cells from damage by UVA and UVB radiation, reducing the risk of folic acid depletion and skin degradation. Exposure to UV radiation is associated with an increased risk of malignant melanoma, a cancer of the melanocytes (melanin cells). Studies have shown a lower incidence of skin cancer in people with higher concentrations of melanin i.e. darker skin tone. [4]
In humans, melanin is the main factor that determines skin color. It is also found in hair, the pigmented tissue underlying the iris, and in the stria vascularis of the inner ear. In the brain, melanin-laden tissues include the medulla oblongata and pigment-bearing neurons in brainstem regions such as the locus coeruleus.
It also occurs in the adrenal reticular zone. [5]
Melanin in the skin is produced by melanocytes, which are located in the basal layer of the epidermis. Although, in general, people have the same concentration of melanocytes in the skin, melanocytes in some people and ethnic groups produce different amounts of melanin. In some people, there is very little or no melanin synthesis in the body, which is called albinism. [6]
Because melanin is a collection of smaller component molecules, there are many different types of melanin with different proportions and binding patterns of these component molecules. Both pheomelanin and eumelanin are found in human skin and hair, but eumelanin is the most abundant melanin in humans and also the form most likely to be deficient in albinism. [7]
Micrograph of pigment melanin (refractive granular material - image center) in pigmented melanoma.
