Content

• To step
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

A weight blanket is used to comfort people and allow them to relax. For people with autism, people who are sensitive to touch, people with restless legs or mood swings, a weighted blanket provides extra pressure and allows the senses to relax better. It also calms down hyperactive people or people with trauma. This article shows you how to make your own weighted blanket.

To step

1. Cut the fabric. You will need two pieces of fabric that measure 1.80 m and one piece of fabric that is 0.90 m long.
2. Cut the 0.90 m piece into 10 x 10 cm squares. These will be the boxes where the filling goes.
3. Cut 10 cm pieces of Velcro, and sew the pieces with the hooks on one side of each square box.
4. Cut a piece of Velcro that is the same length as the width of the large pieces of fabric. Sew one side of the Velcro to one side of one large piece of fabric, and the other side of the Velcro to one side of the other large piece of fabric.
5. Place the 4 "x 4" squares in straight rows on the wrong side of a piece of fabric. Mark the location of each square.
6. Sew the side with the loops of the 10 cm Velcro strips to the wrong side of the blanket, so that all the square boxes can be attached to the wrong side of the blanket.
7. Sew the squares to the blanket on three sides, leaving the side with the Velcro open.
8. Sew the 3 sides of the large patches together, right sides together.
9. Put the stuffing material in small bags that you can remove when washing the blanket, and put a bag of filling in each square compartment. Make sure the bags are closed properly. Then close the square boxes.
10. Turn the blanket well so that the right side is out and the stuffed pockets are on the inside. Close the Velcro along the top edge of the weight blanket.

Tips

• You can make a weighted blanket softer by tucking soft material into the squares near the filling.
• Pick a color, texture, and pattern that you think the user will like. Soft fabric is less likely to irritate sensitive skin. Blue and purple are calming, but any color that the user likes is good.
• If you lift the weighted blanket it will probably feel very heavy. But if the weight is evenly distributed over the body, this is not too bad.
• The dimensions in this article are for a blanket for children. A larger blanket is probably better for teenagers or adults.
• As the user grows up, you can adjust the weight of the blanket and replace the original stuffing material with something heavier.
• If the blanket doesn't seem heavy enough, you can use a heavier filling. Discuss the ideal weight with the user and / or the doctor.

Warnings

• Make sure that the user can take off the blanket himself.

Necessities

• 4.60 m soft, machine washable fabric
• Material as a filling to weigh down the blanket (such as beads, dried beans or gravel), approximately 10% of the weight of the user
• Small bags that can close
• Yarn
• Sewing machine
• Velcro
• Chalk or textile marker
• Scissors