Weighted blankets
 

Have any of you made a weighted blanket.

My friend Susan just made one. It has pockets of batting and plastic pellets. It looks like a lot of work, but very comfortable for some people.

Search on here for weighted quilts. There have been a couple of threads on here about them.

My friend has made a few of them. Seem like she quilted it into columns like tubes and filled them with the plastic pellets. She then quilts the pellets into squares.

I made one a few years ago. As I recall, I did an online search for a video and chose how I wanted to do it. Used a tightly woven full sized sheet, hoping it would hold up better with use. With it folded in half, it was a good size to use atop a twin sized bed. As I recall, I sewed columns, weighed pellets to fill one "pod", stitched, then fill the next, stitch, etc. By the time it was completed, it was getting pretty heavy to hoist around but it went well and still being used. Be sure you don't hit the pellets with your needle! I don't remember the one who did the online video but that was one of her comments, too!!

Oooh.. Ohh! I have an awesome tutorial on this from You Tube and I was going to do one. Here ya go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svqiyDlJmus

Hope this helps. It seems very thorough and has some good tips. Enjoy!

I have been making them for the group home I work at, they do get heavy as your sewing them together. I use rice.

I was going to link you to Rob Appell's video on making the weighted quilts but Jcarpentier beat me to it. He has a great video & gives info like how much weight for it, etc. If I were making one I would use the poly pellets. I don't use rice, beans, walnut shells (food products) for anything that will attract vermin.

I have made 2...they aren't that hard...unless you you use minky on both sides😔. I would not use rice...you will want to wash them. I bought pellets. Let me know if you have any specific questions

We made them in our FCE clubs. we give them to the Autism center. We make ours about finished size 36 x 42. we use commercial Velcro. we make channels about 7' wide and them we put 1 lb. of stripped material in them.
the stripes are cut about 1 to 1 1/2 " wide. We have been making these for about 10 years . we do it twice a year and we average at least 100 a year. we also make small ones that is about 18 long and about 24 wide.. we channel them also and then we make a another bag the size of channel and put rice in that bag sew closed and put in the channels. we also use Velcro on these.

Rob Appell of Man Sewing has a good tutorial on weighted blankets. My friend used it to make some for a church donation project and said it was a really good way to handle the little pellets.

Her page has a video on a weighted blanket. Hers seems much easier than some of the others I've seen.

velcro
 

What is the velcro used for? Also, does the rice last when it is washed? For the strips, do you just stuff it with fabric strips. this is for a 3 year old and weighs 47#. What size do you recommend. Do you use flannel on the back. I know, so many questions. Sorry.

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Rice is cheaper, but can not be washed. Better to use plastic pellets. They are way more sanitary.

Just to repeat, "approximately 1/4 cup plastic beads equals 1 1/4 oz, and roughly 10% of the child's body weight or just a little less" according to Rob from Man Sewing.

That is a good tutorial. I know someone who has a child on the very low end of the autism spectrum. I'll tell her about it.

I'm doing one with flannel on one side and minky on the other. Should I interface the minky with a lightweight non woven, like Pellon SF101? I'm concerned it will be too stretchy on the minky otherwise.

I made 2, about 24 x 36. Google & Youtube are good resources.
The ones I made are posted in the 'General Chit Chat' section of the QB,
Good luck
Mike

I am making weighted blankets... I am wondering... Do any of you add a binding to it?
Thanks, Darla

I birthed mine, so no binding. By the time the last row was stitched, I just really wanted to be done.

I've made only one, for my grandson to take to college.

The sandwich consists of five layers in this order- top- batting- two of muslin- back (flannel). The pellets are between the muslin layers. It is assembled and and stitched into columns leaving one end open for filling. There's 12lbs of pellets divided into what is 99 pockets- 9 wide, 11lengthwise. Fill with weight for each pocket, stitch across, fill for next row- stitch, repeat until finished. Close top and bind.

The muslin layers allows for quilting of the top three pieces. Add second muslin piece and back, sew columns, fill and finish. Filling between the muslin pieces insures the pellets don't have any seams to get caught on as you fill.

Nice!
 

Wow! Great job. I bet he finds it comforting. Thanks for the photo... I can see the answer to my question. Looks like you did a binding on it as well!
McDarla

I ended up with a lot of lead aprons at my house from DD who seemed to change her mind a lot about what pattern she liked when working with heart patients and since moved on to another field. I gave one to a family whose child was autistic and the mother said it was a game changer for them. It is heavy but not pressing. I offered to make a pretty case for it but she said no it was easy to clean and was smooth which was a texture her child liked.