Customizing the Blanket’s Size & Weight
Choose the dimensions for your weighted blanket. Are you making the blanket for yourself or someone else, like a young child? Are you hoping to make a throw blanket or something large enough to cover your entire bed? Pick the blanket size and dimensions that make the most sense for you and your needs. Throw blanket: 50 by 60 in (130 by 150 cm) Twin bed: 65 to 66 by 90 in (170 to 170 by 230 cm) Full bed: 80 to 85 by 90 in (200 to 220 by 230 cm) Queen bed: 90 by 90 to 100 in (230 by 230 to 250 cm) King bed: 108 by 90 to 100 in (270 by 230 to 250 cm) California king bed: 104 by 108 in (260 by 270 cm)
Add 4 in (10 cm) to the dimensions for your blanket. You’ll essentially be stitching a grid-style pattern onto your blanket (with each square stuffed with pellets), so it’s important to factor in a little extra fabric to ensure your weighted blanket is the right size. Adding 4 in (10 cm) to both the length and width helps accommodate this. If you were making a weighted blanket to cover a twin bed, for example, your new dimensions would be 69 to 70 by 94 in (180 to 180 by 240 cm).
Purchase two sheets of cotton fabric matching these dimensions. Visit your local craft store (or even a big-box store like Walmart) and choose a fabric pattern you like. Ask for 2 larges pieces of this fabric to be cut in the dimensions of your blanket. You can also order the fabric online and cut out the measurements yourself. To change things up, get your sheets of fabric in different colors and patterns. Pro tip: Some sewing enthusiasts find materials like cotton and flannel to be super easy and smooth to stitch, so stick with those types of fabrics if you don’t have a lot of experience with a sewing machine.
Cut two sections of cotton batting that match your fabric’s dimensions. Measure out the batting so the length and width are identical to your fabric pieces. When cut out, your batting should be the same size as the cotton or flannel portions of your blanket. Batting is a thick and soft material that gives your fabric a little cushioning. It’s commonly used in quilting. Depending on the size of your blanket, you may need to double-up on sheets of batting.
Get 10% of your body weight in poly-pellets to stuff the blanket with. Most weighted blanket sellers suggest getting a blanket that’s about 10% of your total body weight, so use that formula when calculating how many poly-pellets (in lb/kg) you’ll need for your own blanket. Let’s say you weight about 140 lb (64 kg)—in that case, you’d want about 14 lb (6.4 kg) of poly-pellets to evenly stuff your blanket with. If you’re making a weighted blanket for someone else, estimate what their weight is and calculate your poly-pellet weight based on that.
Measuring & Stitching the Fabric
Arrange the fabric pieces together so the “wrong” sides are facing out. Your fabric has 2 sides: the “right,” brightly printed or patterned side, and the “wrong,” or lighter/less obvious side. Sandwich the fabric pieces together so the “right” sides are touching and the “wrong” sides are facing out.
Pin the fabric together at the corners. Don’t pin the edges of the fabric together just yet—you still have to attach the batting, after all! Instead, pin the corners of the fabric together to line it all up and give it a little bit of structure.
Pin the batting to the “wrong sides” of the fabric. Use your pins to attach the batting to the fabric while also pinning the fabric’s edges together. This helps keep your batting in place throughout the sewing process.
Sketch a 2 in (5.1 cm) perimeter along the edge of your fabric pieces. Mark 2 in (5.1 cm) from each edge of the fabric, creating a slightly smaller rectangular perimeter within the fabric. This helps serve as a seam allowance for your blanket.
Stitch 3 of the blanket’s edges together (leaving one “short” end left). Carefully feed the long side of the pinned fabric into the sewing machine, stitching along the lines you’ve drawn out. Continue to stitch along the short end of the blanket, followed by the other long end. Leave the second short end open, since you’ll be using that to stuff your blanket. You should now have a basic structure for your blanket, with the batting and fabric securely stitched together. Consider using a denim sewing machine needle, which is designed to handle tougher material.
Flip the fabric around so the “right” sides are facing out. Untuck your blanket so the batting is on the inside and the brightly-patterned portion of your fabric is facing out again. Optional: Give your blanket a more polished, uniform look by stitching along the long and short ends of the pre-stitched fabric while it’s right-side-out.
Mark a “grid” of 6 rows and columns on your fabric. Divide the length of your blanket by 6 and mark even horizontal lines on your fabric. Then, divide the width of your blanket by 6 and mark 6 even columns on the fabric. Your finished sketch will resemble a rough, 6 by 6 grid. Use an invisible fabric marker that won’t leave stains on the material.
Stitch the vertical lines of your grid to create the fill channels. Following the pre-marked lines on your fabric, stitch along the vertical lines. Don’t stitch the horizontal lines yet, though—you’ll do this as you start stuffing the blanket. Go over these vertical lines twice to give them a little more security.
Stuffing & Finishing the Blanket
Divide 36 by the total weight of your blanket. Let’s say you’re funneling 14 lb (6.4 kg) of poly-pellets into your blanket overall. Before starting the filling process, you’d divide 36 by 14 lb (6.4 kg), which gives you around 2.6 lb (1.2 kg) of pellets per square.
Split your weighted poly-pellets into smaller piles. Use a kitchen scale to measure out the individual amount of poly-pellets needed for each square within the blanket. Set these piles aside, so you’ll have easy access as you start assembling and stuffing the blanket. Consider dividing your poly-pellets into sandwich bags beforehand for easy organization.
Funnel the pre-portioned pellets into each column. Stick a funnel into the opening on the far-left vertical column that you’ve stitched into your blanket. Pour the pre-portioned amount of poly-pellets into the column, and give it a shake to make sure they’re distributed evenly at the bottom. Repeat this funneling and shaking process in the other 5 columns within the blanket. You don’t need to have a funnel for this part of the process, but it can make it easier. You can always just spoon the pellets into each column, too! Shaking your blankets also gives you a chance to see if there are any gaps or holes in the seams that need to be stitched up.
Pin along the bottom, filled row of squares on the blanket. Pin along the horizontal line you marked earlier, making sure that all the poly-pellets are firmly settled in their respective squares. You don’t watch to stitch over any pellets by mistake!
Stitch along this pinned row to seal the pellets in their squares. Carefully guide the sewing machine needle along the horizontal line, removing the pins as you go. To be safe, stitch along the row again to make the weighted squares extra secure.
Funnel, stuff, and stitch the next 4 rows of squares. Continue to funnel the pellets into each column of the blanket, give the blanket a good shake, pin along the pre-drawn line, and stitch the row closed. Shift your sewing machine to the middle of your table as you finish more and more rows. It might be difficult to properly align your machine once you finish more of the heavy blanket.
Funnel pellets into the final row of the blanket. As you’ve done before, pour the last 6 portions of poly-pellets into the final 6 pockets of your weighted blanket, making sure the weight is evenly distributed in each one.
Fold and iron the exposed edges of the fabric inward by ⁄2 in (1.3 cm). Tuck these folded edges against one another, which creates a more sleek and polished finish. Run an iron over the folds to help seal them in place, making sure your iron is set to a cotton-friendly setting. Check your iron’s settings and user manual to confirm the best settings for cotton or flannel.
Stitch the final edge together about ⁄4 in (0.64 cm) from the edge. Measuring slightly away from the edge of the fabric, carefully feed the final, unstitched edge through the sewing machine.
Sew along the entire perimeter of the blanket. For extra security, guide each side of your weighted blanket through the sewing machine. Once you’ve finished stitching, your weighted blanket is officially ready to use (or gift)!
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