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Personalize a $3 Fleece Lap Throw DIY/Two Thrifty Versions

I'm starting a column on the sidebar of Handmade Holiday gifts that I'm making this year, so you can refer there for tutorials and ideas.  

Walmart is selling fleece throws in packages of 2 for $6.  I thought I'd personalize them with fabric letters.  This is a no sew project.  YAY! 


You'll need:
Fleece throw
Scraps of fabric
Heat Bond
Scissors
Font Stencil
Iron/Ironing Board
Pencil
Carbon Paper


I used the 'Hoedown' font and increased the size to 600pt.  You can also print it off and have it increased at a copy store.  You'll want to reverse the font.  You can do this in Photoshop or your Word program. With this technique, you'll only have to cut the letters out once.  


Cut out your fabric pieces and Heat-n-bond for each.  
Lay your fabric right side down and iron the Heat-n-bond sheet (sticky side) to the wrong side of the fabric.  After you completed this for each letter, lay a piece of carbon paper on the paper side of the Heat-n-bond and then your letter font on top of it.  Trace your letter (make sure it's reversed!)  Complete this step for each letter.  
Cut out each letter.
Pull the paper portion of the Heat-n-bond off of each letter and position on the fleece throw.  
Iron on each letter.
YOU'RE DONE!
This would be a great gift for any occasion.  'Mr. & Mrs.' would be cute for a wedding gift.   


VERSION TWO:

Now, I'm all about recycling and I've been collecting wool blankets from thrift stores for years (there will be a pillow DIY coming soon).  I thought a wool version of this lap throw would be cute too.  The only sewing you need to do for this is the blanket stitch on the edges.  I used bulky Cascade wool yarn.  I cut the blanket to 50"x60".  An easy way to do this is fold the blanket in half, measure and cut off the end.  Most blankets are 50" wide.  I felted the blankets by washing them in hot water and drying in the dryer.  Follow the same steps for the letters above.


I'm thrilled with the results and can't wait to make more!

Maize

10 comments:

Esther Sunday said...

Your're such a craft critter.

Yona said...

oh, we don't have heat and bond in my country :(. so sad because i would have loved doing this to personalize my stuff or gifts for friends.

נשים למען המקדש said...

maize, it is very nice what u r doing.
and yona - u shuold try it with another material dont give up.

Geek+Nerd said...

This is so adorable! Thank you for sharing...I'm definitely going to keep this idea in my "gifts to make" arsenal :)

Samantha said...

Great project.

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

Aww! This is so, so cute! I just clicked over from Craft and I'm so glad I did. I would love to link to this if you didn't mind.

Sarah AJ said...

That's such a great idea!

Emily Anne Knight Williamson said...

I love the "hoedown" font but I cant seem to find it in word. Can you please email me and share where I can find this font.
Also... Did the fleece do ok with the iron? It didn't melt? And.. did the strong hold heat bond make the blanket really stiff?
I think it is a REALLY cute project and I would love to create some too! I'll share photos when I'm finished. ( = I can't wait to hear from you. Kudos on the handmade Christmas list. More people should have handmade Christmas' and remember the real reason for the season. I've done handmade Christmas' for several years and the gifts I give are treasured so much more that store bought ones. I hope I receive a handmade gift this year too! ( =

Catherine Peart said...

This is so lovely and I really love that font. I have used it for various things over the last few years. This project will be going into my handmade gift list for sure!

Laura said...

I love this idea! I'm going to make one as a baby shower gift! Thanks for sharing!