Minky Blankets

 

WOW only 7 days left of the July Ultimate Blog Challenge and so far so many bloggers are blogging on with the challenge!  For Day 24 the suggested topic is to write a post about training.  Whether you have recently taken a training class or why you haven’t taken a class, the topic is what was it on or what would you like to take and why.   As for me, I don’t usually take classes, I just wing it and learn by doing.  That’s how hubby and I started out interior decorating business over 50 years ago, learn what we were fabricating by jumping in and doing it.  So I guess if I was to write on training, I could write how I plan to start a new part-time business of making Minky Blankets.

 

Minky blankets are a super soft fur type fabric, so soft just like Mink. They are popular for new-born babies all the way to adults who love to snuggle in a soft, luxurious fuzzy blanket.  My training took me to the computer where I started researching Minky fabrics and there are so many!  Some are a solid fur like fabric which is used for the blanket back and then a variety of Minky prints for the front of the blanket.   My next training would be to plan what size blankets I will make plus the best way to cut the fur since you can end up with “fuzzies” floating all around the workroom!  But again, through trial and error, I found that by taping the back of the fabric before cutting, the “fuzzies” don’t appear.  Sewing on Minky fabrics are different from drapery weight fabrics, they S-T-R-E-T-C-H so much if you don’t pin them enough along the edges.

 

But after my self-taught training, I enjoyed making a few Minky’s!  The first one I made was a pink deep pile fuzzy Minky fabric for the back of the blanket and I used a poly/cotton with adorable butterflies for the blanket front. This blanket had a finished size of about 25″ wide by 36″ long, perfect for a new-born to snuggle in.  I had a small strip of the print fabric leftover so I added a little matching pillow to the ensemble.

 

My next Minky blanket was the same adorable pink fuzzy fabric for the back and I used a lighter weight Minky gray Chevron patterned fabric for the front. I think this blanket will have a new home very soon since my granddaughter’s soon to arrive Lia Faith’s bedding just happens to be pink with gray chevrons.   The finished size of this prototype Minky blanket is about 34″ wide by 42″ long.

 

Looks like my next size will have to practice on will be about 38″ wide by 54″ long, I have a few older grandchildren that would probably love a soft fuzzy blanket.  The Minky fabric is so soft, it’s great for any age! There you have it, a training class given to me by myself on Minky Blankets.