Believe it or not, 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep trouble, and people are always looking for ways to help. One of the latest sleeping crazes has taken the industry by storm. Weighted blankets, are they worth it?
Well, there are many pros and cons to using weighted blankets. One of the most misunderstood downside of a weighted blanket is the cost. Although they are often costlier than a traditional blanket they are worth it and you totally get what you pay for.
Like most products, you can save money and make it yourself! But is it worth it? Let's talk about how to make a DIY weighted blanket from scratch and the pros and cons of a DIY weighted blanket!
How to Make a DIY Weighted Blanket from Scratch
1.- Choose Your Weight & Size
First, you will need to determine what size you want your blanket to be. An easy way to do this is to grab a blanket you want to mimic and measure it! Alternatively, you can go with your height plus a small margin for the length, as you can then cover your chin to your toes with just enough extra room at the bottom.
For the width, 50 inches should be enough for one person, but if you are trying to cover a queen-sized bed, you will need around 90 inches to cover the top and leave an additional for the sizes if you want to make a bed with it. Weighted blanket for couples are a good add, but also require a bigger measurement to cover both.
When deciding the weight, it may be a little more challenging if you've never used a weighted blanket. Generally, weighted blankets are between ten and thirty five pounds, so somewhere in that range should be right for you.
With a DIY weighted blanket, you can aim high and give yourself options to remove some weight until it's comfortable, or vis versa! We recommend on our weighted blanket weight chart to use a weighted blanket that weighs 10% of your body weight. Usually it's best to round down in case you are between two weighted blanket standard weights.
2.-Gather the Right Materials
Once you have the idea for your blanket, you will need the right materials to make your weighted blanket.
Keep in mind, we're offering advice on how to make a weighted blanket from fabric and filler and not how to turn an existing blanket into one. However, if that's what you're trying to do, simply remove the current filler from your blanket and start with the complete pieces of fabric by trying to separate the top and bottom at the seam.
Alternatively, you can buy a cover for a weighted blanket and fill it yourself! Otherwise, you will need enough fabric to make the blanket into the size you want.
Materials for Making a Weighted Blanket
- Fabric
- Filler
- Measuring Tape
- Tailor's Chalk
- Scissors
- Sewing Machine
- Kitchen Scale (Ideally you want to use a kitchen scale to create the evenest distribution.)
measuring tape, tailor's chalk, scissors, and the filler of your choice. Ideally, you will want to use a kitchen scale to create the evenest distribution.
3.-Choosing the Right Filler
Generally speaking, poly pellets or glass beads can be a start for beginners. Anything smaller may spill out of the seams and make a mess out of your bed. For that reason, it's tough to use sand or any filler with a similar consistency.
However, weighted beads made from glass or metal should do about as well as the poly pellets or glass beads. The advantage of the poly pellets or glass beads is that they are slightly heavier, more insulative, and easier to work with.
Alternatively, you can use rice or even beans as filler, but they won't be as heavy. Also, rice may be too small if you don't close the seams tightly enough, whereas beans may make for an odd texture. If you do use beans, small beans would be a good option, as they tend to be distributed better among the DIY Weighted Blanket.
4.- Outline the Pockets
Make a grid with tailor's chalk on your piece of fabric. This should be in the dimensions you laid out earlier along with grids for the "pockets", which should be every 4 inches with a one-inch margin between them so you don't cut into the other pockets by accident.
5.- Start Cutting
Once you have the layout drawn onto the fabric, you can cut around each outline carefully with your best pair of fabric scissors, giving yourself some room for the seam. Assuming you have the one-inch margin, this won't be a problem.
6.- Start Stitching
On the inside of your blanket, based on an identical grid, you can stitch three sides onto these squares using a sewing machine. Leave one side open so you can put the pockets in later, close it up and sew along.
7.- Fill the Pockets
Measure out your filler based on the weight or volume. Do the math ahead of time to see how much you will need in each pocket. For example, if you have 20 pockets and you want your blanket to be ten pounds (160 ounces), then you will need 8 ounces in each pocket. You may not use that many pockets, or you may choose to use more, but that's a good figure to stick to! After you stitch the pockets, shake each of them around and squeeze them to ensure nothing is leaking.
8.- Fill the Blanket
Once your pockets are full and stitched up, fill the blanket with weight and enjoy! As soon as you stitch up the seams, you'll be ready to use your blanket whenever you want.
You may want to leave it unsealed at first to see how everything is working or if it's leaking at all. If so, it'll be easier to fix from there. Either way, seal up each pocket, stitch up the seams on your blanket, and enjoy your new DIY cuddle partner!
Potential Risks of Making a DIY Weighted Blanket
Homemade blankets have various risks, that is why even though it can be a great activity, we do recommend that you invest in a premade weighted blanket.
Cons of Making a DIY Weighted Blanket
- The time invested to make one may not be worth it
- The weight may not be evenly distributed along the weighted blanket
- It may not be machine washable
- It may not be sustainable
- It may not be as cozy and/or design oriented
What Sets a Sunday Citizen Weighted Blanket Apart
Sunday Citizen weighted blankets are a must have. They are filled with glass pearls and natural crystals such as Amethyst, Clear Quartz and Rose Quartz. They have a removable cover made of 100% microfiber which is very easy to care for your weighted blanket as the cover is machine washable. The cover has buttons and straps to keep the weighted blanket in place. Last, its small quilting evenly distributes weight to reap out all the benefits of a weighted blanket.
Weighted Blankets are not only great for a good night's sleep but thy also have other benefits for pain, down syndrome, pregnancy and restless legs among others.
Get Your Weighted Blanket Today
Now that you know how to make a DIY weighted blanket from scratch and the benefits of a premade weighted blanket, why wait? The sooner you get one, the sooner you can enjoy some peaceful sleep.
Weighted Blankets sometime take some time to get accustomed to. How long does it take to get accustomed to a weighted blanket? It depends.
Let us know how it works, if you can get out of bed to tell us! Stay up to date with our latest comfort news and don't forget to look at our ultimate guide to weighted blankets to learn more.