How to make a fleece blanket at home?

In the cold season, one wants to warm oneself under a warm blanket, and it is wonderful if it is made of sheep's wool. Unfortunately, there are a lot of bedding on sale filled with cotton wool, which is not as practical as fleece. Vata absorbs moisture and various odors very easily, cakes, and the blankets from it are short-lived and heavy. Whether it’s a quilted woolen swirl or a felt blanket. It is light, elastic, airy and will serve more than one generation. Whoever hid with such a blanket at least once will not trade him for anything. Today we will try to recall the traditions of our ancestors, who knew exactly how to make a blanket of sheep’s wool at home. Indeed, for a long time, our ancestors of the fleece not only knitted socks and mittens, but also felt boots.

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How to sew a blanket from sheep or camel hair?

Is blanket restoration possible? Even if the house is thoroughly prepared for the winter, it will still not be cozy without pleasant and practical little things that will help to cope with the cold. It is this kind of protection against dank days that can become for us a warm, pleasant to the touch and warming with our warmth, quilted blanket made of wool.

Important! A very long time ago, when there were still no warm swirls in the stores, our grandmothers themselves made unpretentious and beautiful blankets. Any multi-colored shreds left from sewing went to work. They were selected by color and carefully sewn. The result was a beautiful quilt similar to a meadow with flowers and herbs. The canvases of the top and bottom of such products had the same dimensions as standard blankets. Mostly, animal hair was placed inside the canvases. The miracle blanket served for many years, warming in the winter and cooling in the summer, thanks to the properties of the fur.

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DIY quilt made of sheep’s wool - master class

Sewing a blanket of sheep’s wool is not so difficult, the main thing in this matter is to properly tension it for further work on it. You can make a simple fixture, thanks to which the fabric is easily stretched, something like a hoop. And you can use an assistant for this process. Well, now more about the process of making a sheep’s blanket.

Choose size

First of all, decide on the size of the blanket. All products are divided into 2 main groups:

• One and a half bedding. The size of one and a half blankets is 145x205 cm. Recently, products measuring 150x205 cm have been very popular on the market.
• Double. The size of the double product: 175x205 cm. Currently, the most widespread size of the blanket is 200x220 cm, the so-called “European standard”.

Work stages

The process of making a blanket from wool can be divided into several stages:

1. Preparing the rune.
2. Interruption of the material.
3. Making a cover for a fan.
4. Laying the rune in the case.
5. Quilting the blankets.

Consider all the steps in more detail.

Wool preparation

One blanket for an adult will require 2.5 kg of washed sheep fleece. Unwashed wool will need 2 times more. If possible, then immediately get an erased fleece, although it is much more expensive.

Important! The best wool is that which is sheared from sheep in May.

If you have unwashed hair, it must be thoroughly cleaned. It is done like this:

1. Soak the wool in warm, slightly soapy water.
2. Lay the fleece on the net and rinse with running water.
3. Let the water drain.
4. Spread the fibers evenly on a horizontal surface to dry. Turn the fleece from time to time, like hay during drying.

Important! A couple more useful tips will help you make it faster and easier, and most importantly - without compromising on the material:

• Do not use the powder to soak the bristles, as the fibers will become unpleasant to the touch. It’s best to just soak the fleece in warm water, and constantly drain the water as it gets dirty. You can wet your hair for about 2 days. During this time, all the dirt will go away and the coat will become good and clean.
• Dry the fleece in a suspended form on sticks or spread the fur on a grid. It is best to dry the material outdoors or in a dry, warm, and well-ventilated area.

Interruption of material

To make a blanket of sheep’s wool at home, clean and dried wool must be sorted out, as for spinning.

Important! Some recommend combing the fibers with brushes and graters so that the fur is loose and fluffy. But combed wool is not suitable for making a blanket, because when it is scratched, the fibers break and turn into dust. Such fibers of the fleece quickly slip into lumps, acquire the properties of cotton wool and quickly “fail”.

To qualitatively interrupt the hairline, proceed as follows:

• Spread a plastic wrap on the floor or any sheet 2x2 m in size.
• Put the dried fleece on a prepared film slide.
• Spray wool fibers evenly with warm water so that they “open” and become elastic. In the process of water treatment, turn the fur and ted.
• Leave the material for 10-15 minutes.
• Prepare a flexible and smooth rod for cutting wool.

Important! You can make a rod from hazel or another similar shrub. The length of the rod should be 1.2 m, and the diameter at the tapered end - 8-10 mm. Round the ends of the tool and smooth smoothly.

• Put a gauntlet on your right hand and a wet gauze bandage on your face.
• Take the rod in your right hand, with sharp movements from top to bottom, beat on the fibers of the wool.
• Raising the rod for the next blow, remove shreds of hair from it with your left hand. To do this, pull the rod through the slightly compressed palm of your left hand.
• Recover the wool that has collapsed during the interruption process and move the lower layers to the top.
• Interrupt the fleece until it becomes fluffy and does not increase in volume by at least two times.
• Carefully transfer the broken wool to another clean cloth. Make sure that the resulting wool dust remains on the first litter and does not subsequently fall into the blanket.

Important! The work of cutting wool is very dusty and hard, so entrust this process to a man. Interrupt in the summer - preferably in the yard or in a dry, warm and well-ventilated barn. Cover your face with a moist gauze bandage so that dust does not enter the respiratory system.

 

So, the sheep’s hairline is broken, and by this time, the cover should be ready.

Making a cover for wool:

1. Sew a cover of lightweight, dense natural fabric to fit the blanket. It can be calico, chintz or satin.
2. Leave one (short) side unstitched.
3. Turn the cover inside out, as in the future it will be used in this form.

Laying wool in a cover:

1. Prepare a place for laying the comforters. You can work on a clean floor, or you can build a structure from two large tables to get one big one, like a tennis one.
2. Spread the cover turned inside out on the prepared surface.
3. Carefully smooth the cover with your palms.
4. Spread the broken wool evenly over the entire surface of the breastplate.
5. Check for even styling with your palms.
6. Invite an assistant, along with him, stand at the short, wired side of the breastplate.
7. At the same time, gently and slowly, twist the cover, along with the contents, across the entire width into a roll, moving to the opposite unwired side.The fibers protruding from the sides are constantly fed back into the roll. Roll the “roll” is not very tight.
8. After you rolled up the bedcloth into a roll, grasp the assistant on the lower, not wired side, on both sides.
9. Turn the ends of the cover onto the roll at the same time.
10. Spread the sides of the breastplate, slowly turn it in the opposite direction. Hold the rolled out part of the blanket so that the previously spread out wool does not stray into lumps.
11. As a result of your joint actions, the cover will turn out on the front side, and the hair cover will be evenly inside it.
12. Gently smooth the surface of the breastplate with your hands.
13. Ask the assistant to hold the sewn end of the cover along the entire length, and carefully gently pull the bottom side of the breastplate with an un sewn edge.
14. Make sure that there are no excesses and wrinkles on the fabric.
15. Sew the open end of the cover over the edge.

Important! If you spread the cover on the floor, it is convenient to lay the wool on your knees.

Well, the blanket is almost done. The most crucial moment comes - the stitch.

Quilting blankets

Veryuga is quilted with a reel (preferably cotton) thread No. 10 (in three threads) and a thick needle 7-8 cm long with a wide eye.

Important! For strength, it is advisable to stretch the thread through wax (candle) or soap.

Step-by-step instructions on how to make a blanket of sheep’s wool at home:

1. Step back from the edge of the product 10 cm (from any angle).
2. Without flipping or lifting the blankets, sew stitches “needle forward”.
3. Take stitches around the perimeter of the entire product. Do not tighten the stretched thread during operation so that the blanket does not change shape and size.
4. Press the corners of the unfolded blanket with a load, for example, clean cobblestones. Put smaller loads in the middle of each side of the product.
5. Moving in a spiral, quilt the following rows so that the distance between the stitches is the same 10 cm. Tie the next one to the end thread (not more than 1.5 m) so as not to interrupt the process.
6. Continue quilting to the center of the blanket.

Advice:

• Penetrating the upper side of the breastplate and the entire layer of contents beneath it, with the end of the needle, slightly shift the wool fibers to the outside of the blanket. Only then pierce the underside of the cover. When making a stitch, bring the end of the needle to the top of the cover for the next step. This will prevent knitting of the fleece fibers in the center of the blanket and ensure uniformity of all rows. Otherwise, a lump of fur forms in the center.
• For the finished blanket, you can sew the upper elegant cover, but if the means are limited, then you can use the original breastplate.
• Three years later, the blanket must be moved. For this, cover the cover, kill the wool and repeat all operations again. You can refresh the bedcloth if it explodes.
• You should not sleep on the quilted blanket, since in this case the hair coat is caking faster, in the future it will require a more frequent disruption.
• A woolen blanket will serve more than one generation, it is only necessary to change the cover over time and add a handful or two of wool.

Important! If you are interested in the question of what can be made from an old wool blanket, then there may be several options. Old blankets can be cut into strips, glued or stitched from them elegant unique rugs for both the hallway and the children's room. They will be very warm, natural and environmentally friendly. Your children will definitely like this rug, because it’s good to play on and comfortable to lie on. And you can also make woolen blankets upholstery on the furniture for the cottage, stand for hot dishes, slippers and many useful gizmos for a country house.

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Stock footage

An elegant warm quilted woolen blanket will decorate any home. It is not a shame to give it to your family and friends. A handmade blanket will literally warm your loved ones with the warmth of your hands. Paradise dreams and deep dreams!