I spied a small woollen blanket in my local charity shop earlier in the year. I think it probably was used as a cot blanket earlier in it’s life. The blanket measures 38 inches x 46 inches, the colour of cream and has a lovely blanket stitch all along the folded edges.
No label on the blanket, but it is wool, and there are one or two nibbled areas from one or two moths.
I have a plan is to turn this old unloved blanket into a usable blanket for the younger grandchildren when they visit – to use in the house, or as a car rug, or to cuddle up with if tired. I will add a soft backing to one side – either a piece of flannel or fleece, and that should prevent the itchy scratchy feel of a woollen blanket that so many of us will be familiar with.
I decided to add some colour to each corner, and perhaps along the sides, throughout the rest of this year, and it may be done for Christmas time. I found my bag of scrap felt pieces and made a few layouts until I was happy with one that provided some colour and interest.
I have stitched these shapes down using my sewing machine. These pieces of felt are left from other projects, and some are prefelt (probably) and are placed with some artistic licence. I used a needle felting tool from Clover (green/yellow) to secure the pieces to the blanket, and I was quite surprised by how well it worked. I also have the fake/copy item (blue).
I continued adding to my layout, trying to give an impression of a little piece of my garden.
To secure the work thus far, I decided to add some water, soap and some friction to ensure that everything will stay well and truly stuck on.
I will continue working on this blanket through the rest of the year, and will show my progress in my posts. I am pleased with it so far, and now I must think of what to do for the next corner. I will also attempt to cover with some wool or embroidery stitches on the areas where some moths have had a lunch or two. A little needle felting and some embroidery stitches should do the trick.
The garden is looking so nice despite all the rain we have had so far this year. Here is a photo of a bumble bee on one of the alliums, no matter how hard I tried he would not stay in one spot, and my beautiful peony with so many blooms, and keeping fingers crossed that they survive the rain.
