How to Make a Weighted Blanket – The DIY Guide

Weighted blankets are becoming more popular, and some people have even begun to construct their own at home. With downloadable patterns and several types of stuffing to choose from, you can personalize your anxiety blanket to suit your taste and style.

If you’re looking for an easy and affordable way to make your own weighted blanket at home, check out these design ideas.

Tie-up Blanket for Kids

Before crafting your anxiety blanket for a young person, you should know that the final product should only weigh up to 15% maximum of your child’s body weight. You want the final product to be comforting, but also safe. For this project you will need the following:

1 pair craft scissors

4 yards micro-fleece fabric (in your choice of design)

Sewing thread (the same color as your fabric)

Scrap fabric from old curtains or sheets

1 sheet white paper

1 marker

1 ruler

100 oz. or 10 cups poly-fil beads

Sewing needle or sewing machine

To begin, you will want to create a small template which you will use to form bean bags. These bean bags will be sewn into the blanket, so you want them to be uniform. On your paper, using a ruler and your marker, draw a long rectangle; this rectangle will be traced again and again onto your scrap fabric until you can cut out ten identical rectangles. Each rectangle can now be sewn into pockets with one side left open. 1 cup of poly-fil beads goes inside of each rectangle, before the final side is sewn closed.

Now it’s time to form the blanket; cut your microfleece fabric into two identical squares or rectangle. You can base the shape and size on the needs of the child it is being made for. Remember that once it is tied, it will lose about two inches on each side, so make it too big, rather than too small when cutting.

On the inside of one microfleece square tack your beanbags into place by distributing them evenly across the fabric. Sew down a stitch or two on each corner and one in the middle to hold them firmly in place. If you want to be precise with your distance measurements, you can use your ruler to place them evenly, but as long as they look fairly spaced, the blanket will work.

Once bean bags are sewn in, lay your two squares of microfleece on top of each other, so that the bean bags are inside and both outer facing pieces of fabric are facing out. Cut small strips into the sides, approximately 2 inches deep and ½ -1inch apart, and tie them each strip together so that the two layers are joined. Use strong double knots so that the blanket doesn’t come apart.

Adult Weighted Quilt

For a modern adult sized weighted quilt style anxiety blanket you will want the blanket to be approximately 10% of the weight which is deemed healthy for your height. You will also require a sewing machine, as this blanket will require more sewing than the tie blanket above. Before you begin, you will need:

Cotton material (two new bedsheets work well for full sized blankets)

Thread (same color as fabric)

Sewing machine

Chalk pen (you can buy these at fabric stores)

Ruler

14 cups Poly-fill beads

1-2 bags stuffing (found at craft stores)

In this blanket, there will be no bean bags, instead you will put the beads into quilt patches as you sew. Begin by trimming the sheets so that they are two equal squares, and lay them on one top of the other. Now, using your ruler and a chalk pen to mark out 7 rows of 7 squares. Next, sew each column, leaving the ends open for stuffing. Stuff each section, one at a time as you begin to sew the horizontal columns into your blanket. Use one cup of beads and a handful of stuffing for each square you stuff.

You should notice your blanket coming together as equal pouches, and beginning to resemble a quilt. When the blanket is finished, you should see 49 squares, each packed with weighted beads and soft stuffing.

For more information on anxiety blankets, visit our main website at www.anxietyblanket.com. Keep an eye on our blog for more interesting facts on weighted blankets, and how they can benefit your life.