A friend called me the other week and asked if she could drop over with a quilt question. I was home, so told her to come over right away. Her little boy has Asperger's and she needed to get him or make him a weighted blanket. Buying one of these blankets would be quite expensive, so we made one.
The weighted blankets are filled with resin beads, which are often used in doll making. My friend bought the little resin beads (which are about the size of lentils) on eBay. 9kgs of them!!
To get our heads around how we’d do this, our first step was looking on Google. Google never disappoints and we found a few tutorials on how people have made weighted blankets.
We thought we’d try a weighted quilt… yes, we were being over achievers.
To start with, we used a fabric panel and laid it flat over the backing and batting. My friend measured out and drew some chalk lines down the length of the panel. We pinned around the outside to hold the layers in place and then sewed around 3 sides of the quilt. Both of the long sides and one short side.
We then sewed down these long chalk lines... making channels where we would pour the beads.
We were going to make little pockets of beads. Each pocket would hold approximately 300g of beads, which we worked out to be 2 gravy jugs full.
We made a makeshift funnel and poured the beads into each channel and once each channel was filled, we pinned it down and sewed along across the width of the quilt, on some pre-drawn chalk lines, securing the beads in place.
We then filled the next row of pockets…
And so on… until we’d filled all of the pockets and ended up with a quilt weighing roughly 9kg. It was a good thing hubby was home to help hold it up to pour in the beads.
We even added the 2.5” binding around the outside… manoeuvring a quilt of this weight around a sewing machine was hard work and I think we both worked up a sweat!
My friend took the quilt home to finish hand sewing the binding to the back and I reported back that her little boy LOVED IT!!
And a few weeks later, he still loves it!
The weighted blankets are filled with resin beads, which are often used in doll making. My friend bought the little resin beads (which are about the size of lentils) on eBay. 9kgs of them!!
To get our heads around how we’d do this, our first step was looking on Google. Google never disappoints and we found a few tutorials on how people have made weighted blankets.
We thought we’d try a weighted quilt… yes, we were being over achievers.
To start with, we used a fabric panel and laid it flat over the backing and batting. My friend measured out and drew some chalk lines down the length of the panel. We pinned around the outside to hold the layers in place and then sewed around 3 sides of the quilt. Both of the long sides and one short side.
We then sewed down these long chalk lines... making channels where we would pour the beads.
We were going to make little pockets of beads. Each pocket would hold approximately 300g of beads, which we worked out to be 2 gravy jugs full.
We made a makeshift funnel and poured the beads into each channel and once each channel was filled, we pinned it down and sewed along across the width of the quilt, on some pre-drawn chalk lines, securing the beads in place.
We then filled the next row of pockets…
And so on… until we’d filled all of the pockets and ended up with a quilt weighing roughly 9kg. It was a good thing hubby was home to help hold it up to pour in the beads.
We even added the 2.5” binding around the outside… manoeuvring a quilt of this weight around a sewing machine was hard work and I think we both worked up a sweat!
My friend took the quilt home to finish hand sewing the binding to the back and I reported back that her little boy LOVED IT!!
And a few weeks later, he still loves it!
Well done girls. I don't know about working up a sweat but your arm and shoulder muscles would surely have been letting you know you had them. He would be one very happy little boy!!
ReplyDeleteLOL - yes, that they did.
DeleteSo wonderful that you were able to help her with this important project. So nice that her son loves it. Hopefully it helps him, I have heard they are very good.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a big thumbs up from her little man. Every morning, he gets under his quilt before heading off to school.
DeleteI must be missing something why would you want to make a weighted quilt, just asking what the benefits are?
ReplyDeleteCan you machine wash and dry the quilt?Your quilt turned out so cute.
From what I understand, a weighted blanket helps kids with sensory issues. The weight of the blanket makes them feel safe and secure.
DeleteYes it can be washed in the machine and line dried. I imagine it will take a while to dry, but summer is just around the corner, so that should be a bonus.
Great idea! I hope it helps him!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jess. Me too x
DeleteI had never even heard of a weighted quilt until your post. So glad that it was successful and it may help others that are trying to make something similar. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeanie. Yes hopefully it will help others in the same situation. Apparently he loves it, so it was a day well spent :)
DeleteI made several weighted quilts for our GreatGD. Except I made muslin sleeves for inside the channels. They are attached on the inside with button button hole with Velcro closure for the channel. This way we can remove the sleeves and throw the quilt into the washer/dryer. She also has one for daycare use. You're right they are very expensive to purchase.
ReplyDeleteWeighted items (blankets, vest, scarves and etc) are great for children who have sensory and other special needs. Search weighted blankets for more info.
Yes great idea!!! We did wonder about making little pockets to make it easier to wash. That will be our next project, when he gets bigger.
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