At Northwoods Humane Society, our animals find comfort in the blankets that are placed in their housing while at the shelter, whether it be to cuddle into, keep warm with, or even act as a drape to provide a hiding/”safe” space. Many of these blankets are the handmade fleece tied blankets that volunteers have made or members of the community have made and donated.
With each of our cat and kitten adoptions, we try to take a blanket from that individual’s housing and send it home with them… the familiar scent helps with the transition into their new life. This, of course, means that we go through a lot of these blankets every year and are always in need of more.
For that reason, we’re always looking for donations of fleece (we have student and other groups who will make up the blankets) or finished fleece blankets. Fleece and fleece blankets (single ply and stitched around the edge) can often be found on sale and we are able to cut those up to use to make double-sided, tied edge blankets that all of the animals seem to love. And, the scraps that are left from making the blankets can be used to make braided rope toys and small ball toys for the cats and dogs, too.
Where To Find Good Deals On Fleece:
Where to find good deals on fleece:
- Menards, Walmart and dollar stores often have fleece blankets for good prices
- The website Fleece Fabric | Highest Quality Fleece At Affordable Prices (yourfleece.com) has good deals on assorted fleece by the yard (search “remnants”)
- Joann Fabrics often has fleece on sale that combined with coupons from their website can be $3/yard or less
If you’d like to donate fleece, just drop it off at Northwoods during our business hours. If you’d like to make some blankets to donate, please see instructions below.
HOW TO MAKE A TIED, FLEECE BLANKET FOR A CAT OR KITTEN
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- Sharp scissors for cutting cloth
- Measuring tape or ruler
- Fleece fabric: Machine-washable fleece in any color, this is where you get to be creative! One yard of fabric will make two large kitty blankets or four small ones.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cut Fleece Fabric For Large Blanket (Cats)
Cut two rectangles that are 22 inches wide by 30 inches long. Lay one rectangle on top of the other so they completely overlap. Cutting through both layers, cut a 3-inch square out of each corner and discard the pieces.
Cut Fleece Fabric For Smaller Blankets (Kittens)
Cut two rectangles that are 12 inches by 20 inches or (bigger) 22 inches by 22 inches. Lay one rectangle on top of the other so they completely overlap. Cutting through both layers, cut a 1.5 or 2 inch square out of each corner and discard the pieces.
To Make Your Blanket
Cut slits (1.5 to 2 inches long for smaller blankets or 3 inches long for larger blankets) approximately 3/4 inch wide along all four sides. Make the cuts as even as you can. This will look like fringe. Tie individual fringes together, top layer fringe to bottom layer fringe, using double knots. There are lots of videos on YouTube for visual instructions and creative ideas for fringe-tying.
*This same process can be followed for dog blankets, just cut them larger.
