How to Make No-Sew Fleece Blankets with a Braided Edge

My church women’s group got together to do another service project.  This one involved making fleece lap blankets for hospice patients.  We had a great time making these blankets from fleece scraps before, but a lot of the women don’t know how to sew.  For that reason, we decided to make no-sew fleece blankets instead.  I’m not a huge fan of the tied-edge blankets, so I figured out how to make them with a braided edge instead.  They turned out really nice, so I thought I’d show you how to make them.  Be sure to watch the video at the top of this post to see step-by-step instructions to make the blanket.  (If you are using an ad blocker, you might need to turn it off to see the video.)  If you like this post, also check out my other easy homemade blanket tutorials: how to make a tie blanket from fleece, no-sew fleece mermaid tail blanket pattern, and things to make with fleece scraps.  I also have a post that shows you how to make a no-sew baby blanket with minky fabric.

I wanted to make the no-sew fleece blankets as easy as possible, so we had people bring one yard pieces.  We used two, one yard pieces for each blanket.  You can make yours bigger, but I don’t suggest going smaller.  This is a good size for a lap blanket or baby blanket.

So the blankets don’t end up too long and skinny, I cut each piece to be about 48 inches x 36 inches.  Lay both pieces that you are using on top of each other, wrong sides together, and make sure they line up.  Next cut a 2 x 2 inch inch square out of each corner.

Now you want to cut two inch long slits that are one inch apart, like the photo below.  It helps to have a long yardstick for this part.  Do this on all four sides of the blanket.

Fold each of the fringe pieces in half, and cut a small slit in the middle.  If you want your blanket to lay flatter and/or have a little bit of a tidier edge, you can also make your slit closer to the end of the tab.  Not too close, or it might rip through.  I recommend experimenting with the look of the “braid” on some scraps first.

Now for the “braiding” part.  It’s not really braiding, more like crocheting, and it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it.  Basically you want to take the fringe piece to the left and put it through the hole on the fringe piece to the right.  Pull it though, and that becomes the next hole that you use.  Make sure you grab both layers of the blanket and treat them as one.  If this is confusing at all, watch the video at the top of this post.  It will show you the entire process. (If you are using an ad blocker, you might need to turn it off to see the video.)

When you get to the end, separate the two layers of the last piece of fringe.  Put one of the layers through the starting hole.

Use the two layers of fringe to tie a double knot and then tuck it into the inside of the blanket.

That’s it!  A completely no-sew fleece blanket with a braided edge!

Take a look at these other posts:

How to make a Fleece Blanket from Scraps

20 Things to Make with Fleece Scraps

How to Make a Blanket for a Baby

How to Make a Tie Blanket from Fleece

No-Sew Fleece Mermaid Tail Blanket

How to Make a No-Sew Blanket with Minky Fabric

How to Make a Weighted Blanket