When we were kids, it seemed that my mom always had a quilt on the quilt frame. It was so fun to lay underneath and watch it be completed. There is just something special about a handmade quilt. I think it's because so much time and love are put into each one.

I've got the love, but I don't have the time. The solution: A tie quilt or blanket. You tie them with yarn instead of quilting them so they are super quick. I made a few of these back in January and one more last week.

I'm sure you've all seen tie blankets and probably even made a few yourself. But in case you haven't, I've got a little mini series for you. I'll be covering how to tie a blanket, how to bind a blanket and how to make your own quilt frames.

I taught my 8 year old son how to tie these and he loved it. If he can do it, then so can you!

How to Make a Tie Quilt Blanket

To begin with, I have two different methods that I use when I'm putting the blanket together.

The first and easiest is what is shown in the picture below. I lay out two pieces of the same size of fabric right sides together. On top of them I place a piece of batting cut to the same size. Then I sew them together, leaving an opening for turning. I turn it right side out and sew up the opening.

Pretty easy, but not quite as nice as a blanket with binding. For a blanket with binding, you will sandwich the batting between two pieces of flannel that are right sides out. Tie the blanket (as explained below) and then add a binding around the edges to finish off the blanket.

What type of fabric should I use for a my blanket? 

Ultimately, this depends on what you prefer. For a blanket to snuggle up with on the couch, I love to use flannel. It's warm and cozy. You could definitely use cotton for a lighter, summer blanket. Or fleece for even more warmth.

How much fabric do I need for a blanket? 

You will need two pieces of fabric and a piece of batting for each blanket. Here are some guidelines:
Baby blanket - 1 yard
Child blanket - 1 1/2 yard
Teen or adult - 2 or 2 1/2 yards

Adding the Blanket to the Quilting Frames

Next it's time to put the blanket on the frame. Start on one end and tack down the blanket onto your frame. Then clamp it down to the two side rails. Tack down the two sides and make sure it's pulled tight.Then clamp the end rail and tack it down.

Did that even make sense? I hope you've seen this done before because I'm not sure I can even follow that :)

It's important to note that you don't "have" to have quilting frames to make a tie quilt. If you don't have them, you can totally still do this. It might be a bit more challenging, but it's doable. I would suggest laying out your blanket and using safety pins every few feet to pin all the layers together.  Then start tying. I've done this with small baby sized blankets. I sat on the couch and had the blanket on my lap as I worked.

By the way, if you are a professional quilter you will know that this is not the best way to attach the blanket to the boards.

A real quilter will have fabric attached to the board and then she will pin the blanket to the fabric. That way there is a little more give and it's less likely that the fabric will tear. {At least I think that's the reason}

But these blankets go so quick that I don't worry about it. You can have them done in an hour or two, depending on the size. It's not like a real quilt where it's sitting there for a month or two.

Steps for Tie Knot Quilting

Anyway... once you've got your blanket attached to the quilting frame, it's time to start tying. On this blanket I made a tie on each flower with a pink center. It was a little random, but that's ok. Most fabrics will have some type of pattern that you can use to make your ties.

Step 1 - Thread your needle with yarn. Pull the needle to the center and leave it untied. Insert your needle making sure to include the bottom layer of the blanket.

Step 2 - Pull the yarn through until there is about 1 1/2 inches left of the yarn.

Step 3 & 4 - Tie the yarn in a square knot.

Step 5 - Insert your needle in the next spot.

Step 6 - Loop the yarn up and around in a circle and stick the needle up under the yarn that is between the knot you are working on and the knot you completed previously. Pull the yarn tight.

Step 7 - Loop the yarn down and around in a circle and stick the needle down under the yarn that is between the knot you are working on and your last knot. Pull yarn tight.


{I don't think it matters which order you do step 6 & 7. You just need to do it each way in order to make a square knot.}

Repeat steps 5-7 until you run out of thread and then start at step 1 again.

Step 8 - Cut the yarn between each knot.

Cutting the yarn is a perfect job for kids. My 5 year old got mad if I forgot and cut any of them before she could.

Here's another one of the blankets we did:

Have you tied blankets before? Did I leave anything out? Was this helpful to you? 

More Blanket Tutorials

• Easy Crochet Blanket
• No Sew Fleece Blanket
• Striped Quilt Tutorial
• Easy Baby Receiving Blanket
• Ragtop Baby Blanket
• Baby Blanket with Mitered Corners
• How to Make a Blanket (30 ways)
• EASY Rag Quilt

Yarn Tie Blanket

Yield: 1

Author: Rachel

Estimated cost: $20

prep time: 10 Mperform time: 2 hourtotal time: 2 H & 10 M

Making a tie quilt is a quick and simple alternative to hand quilting. Perfect for flannel blankets.

materials:

• flannel
• batting
• yarn
• needle

tools:

• quilt frames

steps:

1. Place fabric and batting on quilting frames.
2. Thread your needle with yarn. Pull the needle to the center and leave it untied. Insert your needle making sure to include the bottom layer of the blanket. 
3. Pull the yarn through until there is about 1 1/2 inches left of the yarn.
4. Tie the yarn in a square knot.
5. Insert your needle in the next spot.
6. Loop the yarn up and around in a circle and stick the needle up under the yarn that is between the knot you are working on the knot you completed previously. Pull the yarn tight.
7. Loop the yarn down and around in a circle and stick the needle down under the yarn that is between the knot you are working on and your last knot. Pull yarn tight.
8. Repeat steps 5-7 until you run out of thread and then start at step 1 again.
9. Cut the yarn between each knot.

NOTES:

Fabric yardage guidelines:

Baby blanket - 1 yard

Child blanket - 1 1/2 yard

Teen or adult - 2 or 2 1/2 yards

https://www.adventuresofadiymom.com/2013/03/how-to-tie-blanket.html

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