I need help making an extra warm no-sew blanket. Anyone have ideas?

[cjzimmer1]

I've made all my kids those tied double layered fleece blankets.  And while they are warm, it's sometimes not enough for our very cold house in snow country.  DS has a special friend who will be visiting in January (she's from Las Vegas) and I know she's going to be freezing.  I would like to make her a blanket of her own for when she visits us but I feel like it needs to be warmer.  I had thought about using three layers of fleece or trying to make some kind of insert or if there is another fabric that can be tied that might provide more warmth.  But I really don't much about fabric or sewing or materials so I don't know what to choose or how to go about making something like this since I don't sew (I can cut and tie and could probably do some rudimentary hand sewing) . Does anyone have suggestions that might work?  (Yes, I could just buy something but part of this is I want to give her a gift that I made specifically for her)

[prairiewindmomma]

Warmth comes from loft, which is hard with no sew. I would just choose a thick, plush fleece and then oversize it so they can double it around themselves and make a warm air bubble. 
 

Vegas to snow country is hard. I might think about adding some wool socks and a wool cap to the mix. If they grew up in sun country they may not have much of a wardrobe to work out of.

 

[VickiMNE]

I'd just make the tied double-layered fleece, especially if she'll be taking it with her back to Las Vegas.  If she is likely to be cold, give her some Hobo Mittens, Knitted Cap, Socks, and hand warmers (the instant ones on the stocking threads).  She'll be toasty and have some lovely keepsakes, too.

PS.  The mittens, cap, socks can all be store-bought! 🙂

 

Edited November 25, 2020 by VickiMNE
A very necessary PS.

[cjzimmer1]

20 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Vegas to snow country is hard. I might think about adding some wool socks and a wool cap to the mix. If they grew up in sun country they may not have much of a wardrobe to work out of.

 

That's a good idea.  And from what I've heard no she doesn't have a lot of really warm stuff.  DS said they will probably just stay at the house most of the time because she doesn't have the clothes to go out and none of my DD's are close enough in size to really load her anything.

19 minutes ago, VickiMNE said:

I'd just make the tied double-layered fleece, especially if she'll be taking it with her back to Las Vegas.  If she is likely to be cold, give her some Hobo Mittens, Knitted Cap, Socks, and hand warmers (the instant ones on the stocking threads).  She'll be toasty and have some lovely keepsakes, too.

PS.  The mittens, cap, socks can all be store-bought! 🙂

 

My thought was she could just leave the blanket here till her next trip.  She'd truly have no use for it there and I don't want to take up all her luggage space and she already has future trips in mind.  When she came in the summer she used DS's tie blanket but it's so much colder now and he uses his now so I thought it would be nice to make her a special one for herself.  Good idea on the extra things to include.

Edited November 25, 2020 by cjzimmer1

[prairiewindmomma]

Do you have a generous budget? If yes, I would add some cuddle duds or a fleece pullover to the mix of presents. If not, that’s ok, but she likely has been living in sundresses and flip flops. It is quite a shock to the system (says someone who made a similar move a few years ago). It would be awesome if she could get out for a few hours and see snow...

[PeterPan]

You could put a down comforter or throw on top of her bed to add a layer of warmth. I happen to really like Primaloft, which is a synthetic down that is AMAZINGLY warm. That on top of fleece and she'd probably sweat! If you went throw size for the down, she could use it around the house when sitting. I also have double layer fleece blankets from Target that I buy in king size and fold in half. Of course, I can get cold even under those, lol. Heated mattress pads are amazing too. She can at least prewarm the bed and then turn it off.

[Katy]

They sell a cheaper version of Cuddle Duds at Walmart. Start there, with more layers on her.  And also check outdoor & athletic stores for Smart Wool or Darn Tough merino hiking socks.

You could also see if your harbor freight store has any wool blend blankets, about $12.  Technically you could tie it between two layers of fleece but it would probably be better to just layer them because they have different laundry requirements.

[Katy]

Oh it's not until January.  In that case I'd check out sales after Christmas and look for winter coats, hats, and gloves on clearance.  I've found them for 60-80% off around then.  A wool one might be warm enough for where you are and still breathable enough for the coldest days in Vegas.

[prairiewindmomma]

My friend bought those blankets from Harbor Freight right before a camping trip and said they off-gassed horribly. Made for a miserable long weekend. Just FYI....

[SounderChick]

I might by the duvet and do the ties as a duvet cover

[Katy]

41 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

My friend bought those blankets from Harbor Freight right before a camping trip and said they off-gassed horribly. Made for a miserable long weekend. Just FYI....

Yes, they stink like the rubber tires in the store.  You can launder them at home.  I had to wash them twice to get them to smell like a stinky wool blanket instead of like that chemical smell in the tire aisle.  But for the price it's worth the work of figuring out how to hang them to dry in the winter.  I now also have them in our cars.

[KatieJ]

Joann fabrics has a line of very heavy and warm fleece. My DIL used it for Car ponchos a couple of years ago. 

Joanns runs great black Friday sales on fleece,  but not sure if this line is included..

 

[cjzimmer1]

8 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Do you have a generous budget? If yes, I would add some cuddle duds or a fleece pullover to the mix of presents. If not, that’s ok, but she likely has been living in sundresses and flip flops. It is quite a shock to the system (says someone who made a similar move a few years ago). It would be awesome if she could get out for a few hours and see snow...

I wasn't planning on spending a lot on it.  She's only here for a few days and I'm not sure when she will be here in the winter again.  Since she was using a blanket in the summer, I figured it would be something she could use on any of her trips not just the winter ones. I expect they will drive around to look at snow even if she doesn't have the gear to walk in it.

8 hours ago, PeterPan said:

You could put a down comforter or throw on top of her bed to add a layer of warmth. I happen to really like Primaloft, which is a synthetic down that is AMAZINGLY warm. That on top of fleece and she'd probably sweat! If you went throw size for the down, she could use it around the house when sitting. I also have double layer fleece blankets from Target that I buy in king size and fold in half. Of course, I can get cold even under those, lol. Heated mattress pads are amazing too. She can at least prewarm the bed and then turn it off.

I have a spare heated mattress pad that I could put on her bed but in reality they stay awake as much as possible to maximize their time together so mostly she is sitting on the couch so I'm looking for something for that purpose rather than keeping her warm in bed.  

7 hours ago, Katy said:

Oh it's not until January.  In that case I'd check out sales after Christmas and look for winter coats, hats, and gloves on clearance.  I've found them for 60-80% off around then.  A wool one might be warm enough for where you are and still breathable enough for the coldest days in Vegas.

I had thought about a coat but the reality is that a really good winter coat for our weather is going to be $200-$300 even on sale.  She is only here for a few days so that is a lot of money to spend for just such a short time.  Plus I feel like a coat is something she would need to pick out herself to make sure it fits and I kinda wanted to have it wrapped and waiting for her. I've got plenty of gloves and hats and scarves she could use.  

1 hour ago, rebcoola said:

I might by the duvet and do the ties as a duvet cover

I'm not sure what you mean, could you elaborate more.

20 minutes ago, KatieinMich said:

Joann fabrics has a line of very heavy and warm fleece. My DIL used it for Car ponchos a couple of years ago. 

Joanns runs great black Friday sales on fleece,  but not sure if this line is included..

 

That where I've always gotten my fleece but I'll admit, I always just go to the huge 60-70-80% (whatever sale they are running) off section and pick something out.  I haven't really investigating anything else because I know so little about materials, I'm not sure I would know the difference.

[wintermom]

My dc just pull out a sleeping bag when they get extra cold. If you want to make and give her a blanket, that would be really nice and she'd probably enjoy it. I don't quite understand getting a temporary visitor their own duvet. Maybe I'm a horrible hostess. 😉

[KatieJ]

12 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

 

That where I've always gotten my fleece but I'll admit, I always just go to the huge 60-70-80% (whatever sale they are running) off section and pick something out.  I haven't really investigating anything else because I know so little about materials, I'm not sure I would know the difference.

It is called Luxe fleece. It is not going to be mixed in with the fleece fabric . It is very thick and noticeably different. 

[Ottakee]

Of she might want to go outside and experience winter weather, you might ask on a local FB group to borrow winter gear for the weekend.  I see that often in our area and it seems like someone always has a spare coat in the right size and some boots and even snow pants.

Do you keep your house particularly colder?   If so, could you turn up the heat for a few days while she is there?  The blanket is a very nice gesture though too.