It’s Velvet throw blanket time of year! With winter weather fast approaching, it’s time to cozy up and stay warm.

Velvet throw blankets are one of my absolute favorite items. Throws add comfort and a cozy feel to any living space. We’ve been busy redecorating our living room in shades of gray, adding in select bohemian décor to make the room pop. Shopping around, I haven’t found the perfect throw blankets yet- the kind that says, “Take me home!,” so I decided to make some on my own.

Jo-Ann Fabrics is having some amazing sales lately on all of their Fall/Winter plush fabrics. I immediately fell in love with Jo-Ann’s Sew Lush line of fabrics. Sew Lush is by far their softest line of velvet plush fabrics and it comes in over 40 colors and prints. Sew Lush solids are around $12.99 a yard and prints are around $14.99, though they are often on sale or you can use a coupon to reduce the cost of your purchase.

For my velvet throw blanket project, I chose the Navy Geometrics pattern. I like the boho design of this fabric. The fabric comes in a 57 inch width, so I purchased 2 yards for each blanket. To start, I trimmed about one-half inch off the raw selvage edge. I used regular white Coats & Clark thread, but definitely suggest putting a medium weight ballpoint needle in your machine. Ballpoints are best used when stitching knit or other stretchy, performance fabrics.

I began by sewing the long lengths of the blankets first. You can pin ahead if you like, but I found it just as easy to create a rolled hem as I sewed. I turned under about one-quarter inch of the fabric edge, then turned the hem a second time to hide the raw edge. I used a medium width large zigzag stitch that easily caught the raw edge underneath. I noticed that my commercially made plush throws only rolled the hem under once, but I decided I liked the cleaner look of the double rolled hem and hope that it will prevent the blankets from letting off excess lint.

As with any new fabric, remember to wash your blankets after you craft them to get rid of any unhealthy chemical finishes that are on the fabric. (You can also wash them before.) Washing should also help cut down on the lint coming off the plush.

And like any project in our house, I had help. This is Squee, our newest rescue cat. Squee is our household’s quality control expert and confirmed the Sew Lush fabric was indeed super velvety soft and cozy. He was parked on the fabric before I even started sewing. I have a feeling that we are going to be arguing over whose blankets these are in the coming days!

Happy Boho Crafting!