How to make a Packable Adventure Blanket

A Packable Adventure blanket is meant to be taken along with you, it’s made to pack into its own pocket so it won’t take up much space and can even double as a pillow. This is how to make one.

adventure blanket piled up on the grass with raccoon skin cap on top

The fabric

I found this fleece print while looking for something for another project and couldn’t pass it up. The prints name is “Yellowstone” and it’s covered with camping and woodland adventure scenes, I absolutely love it. I bought a meter without knowing what to do with it. I decided that it would be a shame to cut into the pattern too much. In the end the print decided what it would be, an adventure print for an adventure blanket.

I made mine with two layers and decided to make it a square meter, the fabric was wider than a meter so there was space to cut the pocket from and scraps left over for some mitts and a neck scarf.

Equipment

For the adventure blanket

2 meters of fleece, a top piece and a lining piece could be the same or different.
Sewing machine or needle and thread
scissorcs

For the optional crochet edge

metal yarn
awl
yarn of your choice

How to make a packable adventure blanket

Cut both your layers of fleece to 1 meter by 1 meter, make sure they are the same and take your time lining them up.
Cut a rectangle of 38cm high and 29cm wide out of the remaining fabric for the upper pocket. this is what the blanket will be packed into.
Hem the top of the pocket by folding it over 2.5 cm at the top and sewing it twice, once along the edge of the seam and agan about 0.5 to 1 cm away. When hemming fleece you don’t have to fold it over twice, it will not fray but you can choose to do so anyway.
Mark the center of the pocket and place a pin at the center line on your hem.
Find the center line of the top fleece for the blanket as well. measure 12 cm down from the top of the fabric and place a pin along that center line.
Match up the pins of the pocket with the blanket fabric and pin the edges of the pocket under 1cm on all three unfinished edges.
Sew two lines along all three edges to make a nice and secure pocket. * you are only sewing the pocket onto the top piece of fabric for the blanket and not both layers.

Tip *It’s important when sewing with fleece to not pull it or stretch it at all while sewing, just gently guide it though the machine.

Finishing the adventure blanket edge

There are two options for finishing the blanket, you could sew it by machine as follows;

Placing right sides together, stitch around the whole outer edge of the blanket leaving a small space to fold it right side out. Turn it rightside out and press, top stitch around the whole outer edge to finish it and close up the hole left for turning it.

Or you could do a blanket stitch with a fun coloured yard to add some character. This is the way I chose.picked my overly bright neon yellow yarn for a really strong 90’s outerwear vibe that can’t be beat.

I folded each side down 0.75 cm as I went only pinning a foot or so at a time. I didn’t want too many pins at once. However you could opt to not fold it over at all and just stitch the two sides together.

Since fleece is quite thick I recommend using an awl to first stab the holes through the fabric before stitching. I don’t actually have an awl which would have made this process so much easier. I used a metal skewer instead (I don’t suggest doing this!).

This process took way longer than I expected. I finished it after a few late nights in front of the TV. In the end I think the extra work was worth it giving it so much more life.

A Packable Adventure Blanket

Being made out of fleece this blanket is warm and sturdy. It’s perfect for putting on the ground for a dry place to sit or snuggling up under. It’s easy to store and doesn’t take up much space, with the added perk of being a soft little pillow when it is folded into its pocket. The fold up is fast and simple but in a rush you can skip folding it altogether and just stuff it in the pocket.