How to Make a Weighted Blanket: Crafting Comfort and Restful Sleep

People love to make things at home through their DIY skills. It keeps a person busy and enhances their handicraft skills. In older times, people used to weave their blankets in homes instead of purchasing from a market. It was very common, and many traditional values are attached to it. How can I make a weighted blanket? Some people still do that, and some want to learn about it. You don't need many items to make it since it hardly weighs from 5 to 25 pounds. Once you read this blog, things will become easy for you and every beginner who wants to learn. 

 

After that, you will have comfortable and mind-calming sleep since these blankets have many benefits. Not only physical benefits but also mental benefits are connected to them. 

What Items Will You Need? 

It is not difficult since you can find tools and fabric at home. If something is missing, you can find it in the nearest superstore or online store. You will need these items to make a DIY weighted blanket.

 

☑️  Fabric

☑️  Thread

☑️  Scissors

☑️  Plastic or glass beads

☑️  Sewing machine

☑️  Marking chalk or pen

☑️  Ruler

☑️  Pins

☑️  Funnel

☑️  Cup

 

All these items are easily available in everyone's home. That means you can make your weighted blanket whenever you want. 

 

Step 1 (Sew Sheets from Three Sides)

In the first step, you will have to use a fabric sheet that is 60 inches by 80 inches or 60 inches by 90 inches. It depends on your height, and you can decide accordingly. Choosing a few inches above your height is the right way. Since you might not know what kind of fabric you should choose, a question might come to your mind. That question would be, what are weighted blankets made of?

 

You can consider a few types when selecting the base of the blanket because it will work like a sandwich. The material on both sides of the blanket will be the same, and you can choose any one of them. 

 

☑️  Linen

☑️  Cotton

☑️  Fleece

 

Each of them is the best blanket material you can choose. Now, let's move on to making the base of the blanket. If you look at a pillow cover, it is closed from three sides and open from one side. You can take the example of a tote bag of fabric to decide how you will make the base. 

 

To make the blanket's base, you will have to cut two sheets of the same size. Then, sew them from three sides (both vertical sides and one horizontal one). Now, it will look like a large pillow cover. The next step is to make pockets.

 

Step 2 (Making Pockets)

The next step involves making pockets. In this step, you will learn the weighted blanket pattern for pockets. First, use a ruler to make vertical lines evenly on the blanket. These vertical lines will decide the pocket sizes. Use chalk or marker to make vertical lines on the blanket.

 

Then, you will have to sew all those vertical lines to make long sections in the blanket. It will be like separate streams in the blanket for the filling process of plastic beads. Once you complete this step, then move to the next step.

 

Some people use a different method: They sew all the pockets before filling them with beads. They leave some end open of each pocket to fill beads with a funnel, then sew them individually. That method might be tricky for you, so you can follow the above method of making vertical sections to fill beads.

 

Step 3 (Filling the Pockets)

Now, you will take the third step, which is about filling the pockets since they are not yet filled because you have only made vertical sections in the blanket. Once you do the filling, you can sew them to call pockets. What's inside a weighted blanket? This is what you will know here because people use different types of filling materials. 

 

☑️  Beads of plastic 

☑️  Micro glass

☑️  Grains

 

The benefit of using plastic or micro glass beads is that you can wash your blanket easily. If you use grain, it might lose its quality or start shredding. Once you choose the type of filling, then move to the filling process. Use a funnel and a cup filled with plastic beads. Then, pour beads equally into each section of the blanket. Distribute the weight in each section equally when filling the weighted blanket. Then, your blanket will have a balanced weight of fillings. 

 

Step 4 (Sewing Those Pockets)

Once you fill pockets with beads equal to a regular cup in each section of the blanket, it is time to sew and close those pockets. This process will require you to use a sewing machine. Once you pour those beads for the first time into the base, sew and make the first line of pockets at the bottom of the blanket. How do you sew a weighted blanket? Well, you must have some basic skills in using a sewing machine.

 

After you make the first layer of pockets, fill the beads again in each vertical section of the blanket and sew them one by one. This way, you will make all the pockets by filling the beads and sewing the sections. Now, you sew the last section at the top of the blanket to close the last layer of pockets. Finally, you know how to make a weighted blanket.

Should You Go for Blanket Making or Purchase It?

The difference is in money because the home-made weighted blanket is cheaper than a purchased one. It is a low-cost way because you will not pay off all the costs and expenses of a read-made weighted blanket. However, you will have to perform a neck-breaking task with basic or advanced sewing skills to make one for yourself. 

 

When purchasing, its price will be a little higher, and it will be convenient. Your time and energy will be saved because you can buy online or from the nearest market.