Warm & Fuzzy - & Weighted
When I was a little girl, my favorite comforting toy to take to bed with me was a small, triangular shaped “kitten” whose coat was actually made of rabbit fur (similar to those shown in the picture above – although these little guys look angrier than I remember). I know, I’m as disturbed by this now as you are, and NO, I would not condone this in the least. However, if you haven’t ever gotten to pet a real live rabbit, it should be on your personal bucket list. Anyway, over the years of my childhood I wore out several of these beloved toys. Like the Velveteen Rabbit (if you don’t know this story, that’s another “to do” item I’m assigning you), through the process of being loved these kittens lost eyes, stuffing and fur and became very real to me. I think this is where my obsession with the tactile sensation of anything soft and furry came from.
My grandmother would think the current interest in weighted blankets was very funny...
In fact, I think she’d find a lot about our current world weird, fascinating, concerning and hysterical. But that’s a subject for another post on another day! “Weighted blankets” in Grandma’s day meant that it had gotten cold and more blankets, quilts and comforters had been layered onto the bed. It might take you a while to get warm, but once achieved, those layers wouldn’t give up your body heat easily to the frosty air around you. What a comfort! I love the feeling of being pressed into the mattress by a heavy comforter or throw.
A few years ago I started making lap throws out of blue jean scrap squares and fake fur. They have become a hit with my family. The texture and weight of these blankets/throws are a great combination of the two sensations I have described above as being desirable to me, and I think they are desirable to many others as well!
I was recently “commissioned” by my sister-in-law to make one of these throws out of off-white denim twill fabric and an off-white fake fur. I thought you might be interested in following along with the process of creating one of these warm, fuzzy, soft, heavy throws.