Charlie's "Papa's Pockets" Blanket

Okay, I promised some of my Facebook friends I'd blog about the baby blanket I've made for our grandson, Charlie. I actually came up with the idea and cut about 7 blocks out 2 or 3 months ago, but, being the procrastinator I am, finally decided to get it done this past week for Christmas. I started Wednesday. Christmas was Friday. But it got done on Christmas Eve and my stress level really wasn't abnormal. Until I broke my last sewing machine needle I had...the stress level increased a bit.

Anyhoo, here it is from the beginning to the end...



This is the pile of blue jeans that I stole from Cowboy Cody's closet. You know the piles. It's those stack of jeans that you can't quite get into anymore, but you're going to get fit and trim and be able to slide right into them again. Yes, he had one of those stacks. Not anymore!

I stole the stack and took the scissors to them the same day!

First thing was to cut out all the back pockets. Those cute Wrangler butt patch pockets. All in a stack.

Once they were all cut out, I laid them out in a very nice quilt pattern. I think this is just called a Patch Quilt or Block Quilt. Very basic. But when it's Christmas Eve Eve, you want basic. Otherwise you don't have a Christmas present.

At least not for this year, anyway.








I purchased some baby blanket flannel material and cut out blocks of the same size for the backing and laid them all out in another very basic, yet very colorful and distinct pattern.
















This was to be a Rag Quilt, which means all the seam allowances are on the outside of the blanket making it kind of fluffy and giving it a different look than a typical quilt. First thing to sew was each individual jean patch to an individual blanket backing patch.

Then each patch would be sewn to make a row keeping that perfect pattern that was laid out earlier. Yeah, right. Who needs a blanket in a perfect pattern, anyway?!



This was about time that I broke my third and last sewing machine needle I had in the house. I love living in rural America, but I was very thankful on this Christmas Eve that my local Wal-Mart store was open for procrastinators like me. Although I've never seen our local Wal-Mart so busy as it was on this Christmas Eve. Thankfully, they had sewing machine needles. I bought 3 more packages. And toothpaste. We were out of toothpaste.






All the rows are then sewn together, making another lovely pattern different from whence we started...but, a lovely pattern all the same!





I chose to put a few random blocks of the backing material on the front of the blanket, as well.










Next step was to carefully cut all those seam allowances sticking out on the front and sides of
the blanket to allow them to fringe and get fluffy.

Cowboy Cody even got in on the fringe cutting! What a great Papa!

After all the fringe was cut, I then threw the blanket in the wash to fluff up the fringe and make it super soft.

And, voila! A Wrangler Pocket Patch blanket.

You won't find one of these anywhere else. You won't find any of Cowboy Cody's Wranglers anywhere else.

Oooh--those Wrangler patches!

Here's the blanket washed and wrapped and ready for gift giving.

And here's one happy Baby Charlie on his new Papa's Pockets blanket!

Who could resist?! Is that precious, or what?