Handmade Blanket CoatBy makeupAnna from Made Up Style has her own V-neck and layered oversized blanket coat.Here's another version you'll want to make, and she has a full photo tutorial on her website.See also: Weighted Blankets: What You Need to Know For Your HomeIntroduction: How to Make a Simple Blanket CoatStep 1: Measure your workFor this coat I used the full width of a double size blanket. A man's cape needs to be at least double, but more likely a queen or king. The blanket needs to be three times the width of the shoulders, so there is double overlap in the front. For example, if you want the shoulder diameter to be 24 inches, you want the body part to be 72 inches wide. HBC Lace Blanket Dimensions:Double: 3 1/2 points 60" x 86"Double/Full: 4 points 72" x 90"Queen: 6 points 90" x 100"Extra Large: 8 points 100" x 108"Things you may interest:Sleeve BlanketMeasure your piece and mark the lines with pins. I marked the measurements with sidewalk chalk so I could see them better. The body of the cape is 42 inches below the lower half of the quilt. To make your own coat, measure your neck to the floor and subtract about six inches. You can even subtract more depending on the final length you want the coat to be. These are basically calf lengths as I expect their straps to grow taller soon. The yellow coat is 47 inches. I used the finished edge of the quilt for the bottom of the cape and the finished sides for the two fronts of the cape. This way I don't have to use blanket stitching to finish these edges. I also used the finished edge on the cuff ends and the top of the bag. Regular lace quilts will also put the strips in the right place if you use the finished edge. That is, along the bottom of the bodice and at the level of the cuffs.For the sleeves and hood, I measured 25 inches from the other end of the blanket. I divided it into three parts: two 19" wide and one 22" wide. I used the sides of the quilt for the edges of the sleeves and the center of the quilt for the hood.The remainder is about 11 inches (I ripped 42 inches from one end and 25 inches from the other end) by 60 inches (the width of the blanket). I use it to make square bags and capes. I've seen coats without a cape but with fringe on the shoulders and hood.Things you may interest: How big is the baby blanket? know everythingPrompt Question Download ReviewStep 2: Tear It Up!Once you measure a bunch, shake a bunch, and measure again, you can tear off the blanket. I made a small cut on the finished edge and ripped it open. It won't exactly follow the line you measured, but it will be squarer and more even. I've also heard that wool fabrics come apart more easily when torn than when cut. It doesn't drop a lot when sewing.You will receive two sleeves (19" x 25"), a hood (22" x 15") and two fringes, a bodice (42" x 60"), a cape (33" x 11" ), two pockets (11" x 13"), and some junk. You can turn the pieces into tassels, or even two little bags or something. (My numbers may not match because old blankets stretch/shrink and are difficult to measure correctly).See also: Where do you store towels and sheets?Some capote patterns make the sleeves longer so fringes can be made from the rough ends of the sleeves. This is accomplished by turning the excess sleeves over and sewing the sleeves to the body of the coat, as there are two sleeve layers sewn to one body layer. The folded (shorter) part is left on the outside of the sleeve, then torn into a fringe. Before sewing, cut a notch on each side of the folded piece to prevent the tassel from getting caught in the lower seam of the sleeve.Prompt Question Download ReviewStep 3: Do the shouldersFor this you need the sleeve part and the body part.Make the armholes by folding the body part into thirds. Mark the arm cut at the crease. The sleeves of this coat are 19 inches wide (closer to 10 inches when folded into the sleeves) and I tore 13 inches along the gussets on the sides. I measured the length of the tear and marked it with a pin. The needle is the stopping point where I'm very careful about tearing.To make the sloping shoulders, start by marking the center of the back with a pin. Leave this pin in place to place the cape later. Measure 5 inches from center in both directions and mark with a pin. The middle ten inches forms the neck.Measure 3 inches at armhole tear. Start with the pin measuring the outer edge of the neck and cut three inches down to the pin mark. This forms the angle of the shoulders. You will end up with four small triangles. Set these aside to decorate.Sew the shoulders together and the sleeves together along the longer edge. Seams on the shoulders and sleeves are on the inside of the jacket. They are sewn and the machine is turned on.Prompt Question Download ReviewStep 4: Prepare the HoodYou need your hood and tassels to do this.The hood is a piece about 22 inches wide and 15 inches long. Basically, the remaining 15 inches at the end of the blanket will be used to make the sleeves. When I shrunk the 22 x 25" pieces to 22 x 15" and used them for the tassel, I tore off two 2" strips from the torn pieces.Fold the 22 x 15 pieces in half along the long sides to make the hood. Fold the two strips of fringe over and pin the pleat to fit the inside of the pleat. They should protrude slightly from the seam. The seam forms the top of the hood, and the fringe protrudes from the top and hangs down the back of the coat.The hood I made was different from other Capote patterns because I used a smaller blanket. Some have made a much lower hood that can be folded further back and folded to the edge. These also have a rather conical shape.Prompt Question Download ReviewStep 5: Machine StitchingFor this you need your sleeves, hood and fringe parts and your body.Sew shoulder seams, sleeve seams and hooded top. I sewed 5/8". When sewing the sleeves, start with the finished edge to make sure they line up neatly. Since you ripped the pieces apart, they should all be the same size.However, you may find that your quilt has stretched or contracted at some point during its lifespan. As you sew, you can stretch a little so they line up just right. Your piece may not look right on your machine, but the fabric is woven the way you shouldn't have any problems (unlike denim or thick corduroy).I prep all the pieces and sew them all at once. I also sewed all the edges and fringes hidden above the hood seams.Prompt Question Download ReviewStep 6: Install the HoodInstall the hood 2 more picturesFor this you will need sewn hoods and fringes, capes and sewn shoulder capes.This step consists of three layers: cloak, cape, and hood.Flip your work around. Find the middle of the long side of the cape. Pin the cape to the coat collar and center it. Pin the cape to the body of the coat, four inches along the neck. The cape is attached only at the neck seam.Find the center of the long side of the hood. It should match the seam you just made above. Once it's on the coat, your hood will be much taller than it's width. Attach the hood to the jacket on the same neckline as the cape.Sew all three layers. This is only about ten inches of seam.Push the cape to the side and tuck most of the hood over the front flap of the cape body. not quite. You should leave about an inch of opening on each side so you can fold back the edges of the hood and sew and organize the blanket. You sew the two outer layers of the original three layers so that the hood is in front of the cape, but the cape falls freely over the shoulders.Prompt Question Download ReviewStep 7: Attach the SleevesFor this, you need sleeves and sewn straps.Turn the coat body out (seam out) and coat sleeves out (seam out).Tuck the sleeves into the armholes, and the bottom seam matches the armholes you ripped on the coat. Pin the right sides together.The batting will stretch a bit as you sew, and you can encourage it to do so so your sleeves fit the holes perfectly. Make sure to tuck the raw edge of the sleeve into the hole, not the finished edge you need for the cuff.Sew the sleeves to 5/8". Start at the bottom of the sleeve and work your way up slightly. You don't want ripples or gaps, so work slowly, stretching the batt as needed to ensure the seams and pleats line up properly. It doesn't require a lot of stretching, but it may take a little time. Sew on the armpits and pressure points of the shoulders. I also sewed about 3/8" about 3" under the arm to reinforce this pressure point.See also: Best Camping Blanket: Warmest Camping BlanketPrompt Question Download ReviewStep 8: Attach the PocketsTo do this, you need to sew the jacket and the two pocket sections as before.Sew both pockets 5/8 ft down from the top edge of the pockets. That is, from the finished edge to the opposite edge.Put a pocket on the jacket to measure the position. Since the coat is small, I'm going to place the top of the bag under the armpits, about four inches from the front edge on each side. Once you can see where you want the pockets to be relative to the front of the coat, mark the corners with chalk or pins.Place the pocket inside and out on the front of the jacket, overlapping the chalk edge and the "top" of the pocket by about 1 inch. Since it's upside down, the finished edge is at the bottom and the raw edge is at the top. For this small coat, the finished edge of the pocket is about 5 inches from the finished edge of the bottom of the coat. The unfinished edge of the bag is about ten inches below the armpit.Just pin it to the unfinished "top" edge. This will eventually become the bottom of the bag. This edge is sewn on the machine. This makes it difficult for small items to slip out of the bottom of the bag. The side seams of this bag are hand sewn. You can machine them, but that will take away your historic look.Sew the pockets to the jacket along the raw edge, about 1" (2.5cm) from the edge of the pockets. Fold the pages along the binding. Fold the bag along the topstitching and pin it to the front of the coat.Repeat the above steps for the second pocket on the front of the other jacket.Step 9: Sew/Finish the BlanketNow that your coat is all together, it's time to finish and trim the rough edges. Rough edges are usually bound with circular stitches. I've also seen leather or cotton trim. The back seam is hand sewn with thread and a large darning needle. Any visible rough edges should be stitched (or otherwise done), including:The sides and edges of the bag (if rough). This is important because it also connects the pocket to the jacket on the side of the pocket.Front of hood (turned less than 1" around face and hand sewn)Roll the sleeves up as far as possiblealong the top seam of the hoodtassel around the hoodCross the front from corner to corner and cover the neck and hood seams on the insidenear the edge of the capeI used what was left to reinforce the corners and give the front topstitching a sharper edge. I didn't sew on the front or bottom because I used the finished edge of the blanket.TipsUse thread colors that match the color of the blanket. However, you can use thicker lines.When you're done sewing, go back to your project and trim any loose threads.Sew at the beginning and end of the seam. This will prevent the threads from unraveling.You’ve just read: How to Make a Blanket Coat
