Cozy Blanket

I really have been busy with a little creativity and not just the mundane, everyday house work. It's hard to sneak in the time, but I did.

Here is one such project. My brother-in-law recently married a wonderful lady, and I wanted to make them something special. Plus, it's been a bit of a running joke that I would make a blanket like this for him when he got married. (I made one for the in-laws a few Christmas's ago.) When the ring was on the finger and the date set, I started planning - and sweating.

This cozy blanket was so much fun to make! Plus, I loved working with all the soft, beautiful flannels. It's been a while since I've done a project of this scale, so it wasn't finished by the wedding deadline. However, the recipients have been very gracious and forgiving in the lateness of the gift. (Sorry for the sideways pics. At least I remembered to take them this time!)

The blanket is big enough to be placed on a twin bed, if desired. My main goal, though, was making it big enough for both newly weds to be able to fit under comfortably. No complaints about stolen covers, here!

The full blanket:

The panel:
Here are a couple of close-ups of the panel. All the pieces are ironed on and then satin stitched around to secure and keep the fraying at bay.
I did just a little bit of hand stitching in different areas. The smoke coming from the chimney is just a running stitch placed a bit randomly. Obviously, the buttons, eyes and beads on the snowmen where done by hand as well. The last hand work was a blanket stitch around the bear. There was just no way I wanted to try and maneuver those curves through my machine.
I have enough left over material for a good start on another blanket. My husband is now wondering when HE gets a blanket! At least it's a good excuse to do some more sewing in the near future.