With the winter winds slowly starting to blow in, the threat of high heating costs down the line, and a continuing recession still affecting more than half the nation, keeping warm during the cold winter nights while saving money in the process is the order of the day.
So we wrap our boilers and cover our windows, turn the thermo down when we are not at home, and keep it at a maximum of 68 degrees when we are. We monitor our gas stove usage, place draft blockers against doors, and throw on an extra layer of fabric, all in the name of financial preservation.
One such layering phenomenon is the blanket slash robe slash cult fashion called The Snuggie, The Slanket, The Snuglet, The Snuggler, or the Nuddle Blanket to name a few. For some this cold weather friend is nothing more than a robe turned backwards; a must have for idiots promoting laziness and a lack of discipline on financial spending. For others, it is the next best thing to the 'Clap On' light and every other marketed item aimed at the desire for comfort and convenience to the overworked, overstressed, and financially strapped American consumer.
After spending what seemed like hours online viewing and comparing information on these trend setting fleece wraps, this is what I found:
While
The Snuggie is by far the most popular and least expensive out of them all (inspiring several fan based sites solely dedicated to the worshiping of this 100% polyester garment, and pricing in at very consumer friendly 2/$19.95), the number of individuals who passionately oppose the "blanket with arms" is just as popular. At one point during my research, I had to stop and laugh at the degree of negative energy being omitted by such a seemingly mundane argument and judgement call on not only the invention, but the purchasing of this and all the other wraps.
Ranking in at #2 on the popularity scale, but far outweighing The Snuggie in color selection and customer satisfaction, was
The Slanket. Invented by a college student tired of layering himself up during cold winter nights on campus, and sewn up by none other than his loving mother, The Slanket is about 60" wide and 95" long and uses 100% polyester mircofiber with no piling to create a soft wrap that is not only warm, but stands the test of time through many midnight meanderings and morning after washes. Problem... too much fabric and not enough stuff going around to keep the back and neck as snuggly as the front. Pricing in at $37.99 ea., The Slanket is considered a moderately priced product worth the purchase.
I could not find much on The Snuggler to make an accurate comparison except that it is created by a company called Northwest, has a seamed bottom so that your feet stay warm, come in solids and custom prints, and sells for $29 and up. While the enclosed base seems appealing when snuggled up with a bowl of popcorn in front of a good movie, but heaven forbid you have to rush to the bathroom or get up for any reason, it is almost like running in a potato sack race.
The last blanket wrap is The Nuddle Blanket (nap + cuddle). This super soft double sided and generously warm poly coral fleece fabric also comes with foot pockets like The Snuggler, but has an outer hand pouch and measures 55" wide by 71" long to ensure full shoulder to foot coverage when needed most. But just like The Snuggler, consumers are limited in their movement once in a vertical position. Available in a limited 5 colors and carrying a price tag of $58, The Nuddle caters more to the idealistic than to the practical side of our nature.
With these specs now noted, I found myself even more compelled to save a little money and try my hand at making my own blanket wrap. A seam here, an opening there, and viola, I can transform a 2 yard piece of 60" polar fleece into a warm and cozy Friday night movie companion for less than $20. I could even get creative and use a zebra print faux fur, sheepskin material, or fleece with the name and logos of my favorite NFL team the NY Giants to really make my blanket wrap a permanent body fixture on a cold winter night. With the holidays right around the corner and the football season well under way, what better gift for yourself or a loved one than a custom blanket wrap made by none other than you!
In these economically uncertain times, saving money is the order of the day so why not kill two birds with one stone by making your own blanket wrap. You will not only be saving money and heating expenses, but crafting a really hot gift to last you through time.
Step I
Go to J&O Fabrics and purchase your fabric.
Step II
Click on the link below to view step by step instructions.
http://www.sissonfamily.com/Sewingroom/images/2006projects/thesnuglet.pdf
courtesy of
Welmoed Sisson
welmoed@sissonfamily.com
www.sissonfamily.com/Sewingroom
faux fur fabric
polar fleece fabric
Posts by J&O Fabric Store
Labels: blanket-wrap-crafts, conservative, fabric-crafts, faux-fur, frugal, making-blanket-wraps, polar-fleece, the-nuddle, the-slanket, the-snuggie
Hey, that's an order. Anyway, around this time of year fleece seems to fly off the shelves here at J&O. What are people doing with it? Whatever they feel like, we guess. Fleece blankets make nice gifts and are easy to put together because there's not a lot of sewing involved. Just get yourself about 2 yards, bind the edges some way and you're all set.
A customer in our store in New Jersey once asked "What other material can I use for a blanket besides fleece?" For those of you who enjoy arts and crafts but aren't that crafty, our pre-quilted fabrics can be made into a blanket in a flash. In solid colors and prints, some have one layer of cotton with batting, while others have two layers of cotton fabric with batting in the middle. Basically, the two sided ones are premade bedspreads sold by the yard and cheaper than fleece.
Fleece is soft and oh-so warm. Sometimes when it gets cold in the store, us workers tie some of the remnants around our necks and 20 minutes later we're hot!
If your interested in making blankets for your loved ones, try mixing our popular polar fleece with a quilted fabric. Here's some coordinating fleece and quilted fabrics for baby blankets to grown up bedspreads.
Combine Bears Polar Fleece with Orange Circle Quilted Fabric
Or combine pink fleece with pink quilted; tan fleece with tan quilted.
Or do opposites, red quilted with blue fleece.
For a child's blanket combine any of our children's quilted designs with a red or blue solid fleece.
Oh, did we forget to mention our collection of fur???? J&O's faux Fur is also a warm and cozy material that can be made into a blanket. Did we forget to mention that? I guess we did, maybe another time. We're telling you J&O has sew many possibilities.
Every now and then at J&O we get some strange orders and we say,"I wonder what this person is making?" How 'bout letting us know. What do you do with the fabric you order from J&O????????
Posts by J&O
Fabric StoreLabels: blanket, faux-fur, fleece, polar-fleece