How to Make an Easy No Sew Fleece Throw

Make an Easy No Sew Fleece Throw!

Would you like to take on an easy project that requires no sewing skills? Maybe you’d like to make a baby blanket, lap blanket, or fleece throw? I’ve made several easy ‘no sew’ fleece throws and really enjoy this simple craft!

The first time I ever saw a no sew fleece blanket or throw was when my Mom gave my son a super cute patchwork fleece blanket. She used blue and gold fabric with a star design and used no sew ties to finish the edges. That was years ago but my son still has that blanket … somewhere in the black hole of his room.

Now that I’ve made several different projects using this technique I can share the instructions for creating your own no sew fleece throw!

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How to Make an Easy No Sew Fleece Throw

Before you start, you’ll need to choose your fabric and decide on the finished size of your blanket or throw.

Choosing Fabric for Your No Sew Fleece Throw

You’ll want to use fleece fabric to create your throw. I suggest choosing an ‘anti-pill’ fleece to keep your new throw from getting funky looking over time. Cheaper fleece fabric may be thin and wear out more quickly, however, I have used it for some projects and it came out nice. You may be able to find some remnants or clearance fleece to help reduce the cost.

Check out “How to Buy the Best Fabric for a Tight Budget!”

Choose two colors or designs that look nice together or use the same fabric for the top and bottom of the throw. Picking out the color and prints to go together is half the fun of creating your project!

Choosing the Size of Your No Sew Fleece Throw

You’ll need to decide what size to make your throw. Here are the basic guidelines for choosing the size of fabric needed for your project:

Receiving Blanket – 2 pieces of fabric that are 1 yard each

Lap Throw or Large Baby Blanket – 2 pieces of fabric that are 1 1/2 yards each

Full Sized Throw – 2 pieces of fabric that are 2 yards to 2 1/2 yards each

Each piece of fabric will need to be 8 to 10 inches larger than the final size of your finished throw. Because you will be cutting strips of fabric around the edges of your throw, the finished size will be smaller than the pieces of fabric that you start with.

Preparing Your Fabric

You may want to wash your fabric with cold water on the delicate cycle before beginning this project. This will remove chemicals from the manufacturing process and any dust or lint. If the fleece shrinks a bit with the first washing you’ll have that out of the way before making your throw.

Once your fabric is clean and dry, you’ll need to lay it out on a large, flat surface. Lay the first piece of fabric face down (so that the right side will be facing out when you finish) and smooth it out.

Now lay the other piece of fabric on top of the first piece, with the right side facing up. Smooth the fabric out and line up the edges as best as you can to prepare for the next step.

Trimming the Edges

You’ll need to trim the edges so that both pieces of fabric are the exact same size and also to remove the selvage. I used a right angle from my woodworking tools to mark the corners of my fleece using a bit of chalk.

Then I used a yardstick to draw a straight line from corner to corner. These lines were drawn along the edges of the fleece just inside the selvage or the spot where the two layers of fabric lined up.

This created a good guideline for cutting my fabric into a neat rectangle.

To trim the edges you will want a sharp pair of fabric shears or a rotary cutter. Be sure to cut through both layers of fabric at the same time so that they will be the same size and shape!

Cutting and Tying the Edges of a No Sew Fleece Throw

Now that you have your fleece fabric pieces laid out and trimmed to size, you will need to cut the edges and tie them. There are several options for finishing the edges of a no sew fleece throw. The length of your ties will depend on which method you use.

I created my fleece throws with a balloon knot. This is probably the easiest method, however I intend to try some of the other methods of tying in the future. In this post I will give instructions for using the balloon knot method and when I try other edging techniques I’ll add those instructions.

Cutting the Ties

You will need to cut your fabric strips 4 – 5″ long and about 3/4″ wide to create a ‘fringe’ around the edge of your throw. These strips will then be knotted to create the edging that holds your 2 pieces of the throw together. You can decide on what length and width you’d like to cut your ties.

I have used several different measurements for cutting my ties. I’ve found that shorter ties shouldn’t be quite as wide or it can be difficult to tie the knots. If ties are 4″ long, you may want to cut them a bit under 3/4″ wide. If ties are 5″ long, you may cut them 3/4″ to 1″ wide. Personally, I do not like to cut the ties any wider than this or it is tricky to tie them.

Once you decide on the length of the ties, you will cut a square of material from each corner of the throw. If your ties will be 4″ long, cut a 4 x 4″ square from each corner. If the ties will be 5″ long, cut a 5 x 5″ square. The measurement will need to be the same for the corner as it is for the ties.

When the corners are removed you can begin cutting your ties. Start by laying down a yardstick or stick a piece of masking tape from one corner to the next as a guide for cutting the length of your ties. Make sure that this remains in place as you go!

Some people just eyeball the width of their ties as they cut. I like to use a ruler as I go to keep the width fairly even all the way around the throw. You can measure and use chalk to mark the width of your ties if you like.

You’ll find that as you get close to the end of one side of the throw you may need to adjust the width of your ties so that the last one isn’t super skinny or wide.

As you cut your ties, be sure to cut through both layers of fabric with one cut so they are the same size.

Tying the Knots

Once you have cut your ties all the way around the throw, you’re ready to start tying your knots. A balloon knot is just what it sounds like… it’s the kind of knot you use to tie off a balloon. It’s an easy knot to tie and this is a very simple way to finish the edges of your throw.

I’m right handed and I find that starting with the fabric strips on the left and working my way to the right is easiest.

This part of the project can be a bit tedious, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to work quickly. This is also the last step of the project!

How to Care for Your Easy No Sew Fleece Throw

Now that you’ve created a super cute fleece throw, you’ll want to take good care of it!

Wash your throw in cold water on the delicate cycle with like colors.

Do NOT iron your fleece throw!

If you used anti-pill fleece your throw should look nice for a long time. 🙂