As much as I’m game for a sewing room challenge, sometimes it’s nice to just keep things easy. For these Pure + Simple Wool Blankets I put the fancy seams and complicated piecing aside and allowed the pure beauty of the materials do all the work!

Pure + Simple Wool Blankets | Purl Soho

The Single Layer Blanket is one continuous piece of Lanecardate’s sumptuous Lana Cotta Canberra felted wool, while the Double Layer Blanket combines the same gorgeous wool with Liberty of London’s incomparable Tana Lawn in a straightforward stack-and-sew construction. I edged both versions with Purl Soho’s Liberty Bias Tape, a much-welcome recent addition to our company sewing basket!.

Pure + Simple Wool Blankets | Purl Soho

Unadulterated and pared-down, both Blankets celebrate the beauty of their fine materials, pure and simple. –Corinne

Pure + Simple Wool Blankets | Purl Soho

Materials

Single Layer Blanket

Pure + Simple Wool Blankets | Purl Soho

  • 1 ¾ yard Lanecardate’s Lana Cotta Canberra. We used Grigio 3 (Medium Gray).
  • Two 5-yard packages of Purl Soho’s Liberty Bias Tape. We used Strawberry Thief, Brown.
  • A 110-yard spool of Gutermann’s 100% Cotton Thread. We used color 9430.
  • A Pure + Simple Blanket Template available as a free PDF download

Double Layer Blanket

Pure + Simple Wool Blankets | Purl Soho

  • Fabric A: 1 ¾ yard Lanecardate’s Lana Cotta Canberra. We used Grigio 0 (Light Gray).
  • Fabric B: 1 ¾ yard Liberty of London’s Tana Lawn. We used Strawberry Thief, Brown.
  • Two 5-yard packages of Purl Soho’s Liberty Bias Tape. We used Strawberry Thief, Brown.
  • Two 110-yard spools of Gutermann’s 100% cotton thread. We used color 9240.
  • A Pure + Simple Wool Blanket Template available as a free PDF download

NOTE: Although you need two bundles of Liberty Bias Tape for one blanket, three bundles are enough for both blankets.

Recommended tools . . .

Size

Finished Dimensions:

  •  Single Layer Blanket: 55 by 60 inches
  • Double Layer Blanket: 53 by 60 inches

Note

The recommended care of Lanecardate’s Lana Cotta Canberra is dry clean only.

Patterns

Single Layer Blanket

Cut

NOTE: If you’re new to rotary cutting, please check out our Rotary Cutting Tutorial before you start.

Using the rotary cutter with the quilting ruler on a self-healing cutting mat, square up the fabric on both cut sides. The finished piece should measure approximately 55 by 60 inches.

Trim the Corners

Pure + Simple Wool Blankets | Purl Soho

Lay one corner of the fabric out flat. Place the Template on top of the fabric piece as close to the corner as you can while keeping the straight edges of the Template flush with the cut sides of the fabric. Cut the fabric around the curve of the Template.

Repeat with the remaining 3 corners.

Prepare the Bias Tape

Each package of Liberty Bias Tape comes with 5 yards of prepared single-fold bias tape. Since you will need approximately 6 ½ yards to go all the way around the Blanket, you must sew the bias tape from the two packages together before you start. To learn how to piece bias tape, please visit our Making Bias Tape Binding Tutorial.

Attach the Bias Tape Binding

Bind the Blanket’s edges with the prepared bias tape.

For detailed instructions on how to bind a blanket with bias tape binding, please refer to our Sewing on Single Fold Binding tutorial. Keep in mind that because this Blanket does not have right corners, you will not need to miter the corners. Instead, simply follow the curve of the corner with the binding, making sure not to stretch the bias tape as you sew.

Double Layer Blanket

Cut Fabric B

NOTE: If you’re new to rotary cutting, please check out our Rotary Cutting Tutorial before you start.

Using the rotary cutter with the quilting ruler on a self-healing cutting mat, square up Fabric B on both cut sides.

Mark

Press the Fabric B piece and then, with the right side facing up, lay it down on a clean, hard surface, like the kitchen floor.

Using masking tape, tape the fabric down to the floor around all four sides, pulling it taut as you tape. First tack down the centers of the opposite sides and then tape along each side from the center out.

You will now mark the fabric piece with a 6-inch grid, oriented on the diagonal. Here’s how . . .

Pure + Simple Wool Blankets | Purl Soho

Using a long ruler so that your lines are very straight and starting in one corner, use the fabric marker to mark a short line (shown above in bold) that runs at a 45-degree angle from the straight edges of the fabric piece

Now, mark a line 6 inches above and parallel to that line. Then mark a line 6 inches above and parallel to this line. Repeat until you reach the opposite corner and the diagonal lines run every 6 inches across the entirety of the fabric.

Pure + Simple Wool Blankets | Purl Soho

Now, draw a line perpendicular to any previously drawn line.

Draw lines parallel to this line at 6-inch intervals.

The fabric is now marked with a 6-inch grid oriented diagonally on the fabric.

Baste

Remove the tape around the perimeter of Fabric B and carefully set the fabric aside.

Now, press Fabric A, and with the wrong side facing up, lay it down flat and use the masking tape to tape it down as you did with Fabric B, pulling it taut without stretching it.

With wrong sides together, lay Fabric B on top of Fabric A. In this case, the Lana Cotta (Fabric A) is slightly wider than the Liberty (Fabric B), and because you have not yet trimmed Fabric A, it is also slightly longer than Fabric B.

Center Fabric B so that Fabric A sticks out on all sides and the selvages of the two fabrics run parallel to each other.

Pin-baste the two fabrics together with curved arm safety pins. Place the first pin at the center of the Blanket, making sure to pick up both layers. Then, pin outward in concentric circles 3 to 5 inches apart, making sure to avoid pinning on the marked lines. Pin all the way to the corners and edges.

Remove the masking tape from Fabric A.

Quilt

You will now quilt the two pieces together along the marked lines, first sewing all the lines slanting in one direction and then the lines slanting in the other direction. Use your machine’s walking foot to do all of the sewing.

Pure + Simple Wool Blankets | Purl Soho

Starting with a line that runs through the center of the blanket (or close to it), sew along this line from one edge of the fabric to the other.

To sew the next line, rotate the Blanket 180 degrees and sew along the line running next to the line you just stitched.

Continue to sew along the remaining parallel lines in this same manner: When you have finished sewing one line, rotate the Blanket and sew along the line next to it.

Sew all of the parallel lines on one side of the center line and then sew all of the lines on the other side of the center line in the same manner.

Pure + Simple Wool Blankets | Purl Soho

Next, quilt all of the diagonal lines slanting in the other direction in the same manner: Start sewing with the center line and alternate directions as you sew along all parallel lines running to the right and left of this center line.

Trim off all the threads and remove the safety pins.

Spray water all over the Blanket to erase the marked lines.

Trim Fabric A

Using the cut lines and selvages of Fabric B as a guide, trim Fabric A along all four sides so that it is the same size as Fabric B.

Finish

Repeat the steps for the Single Layer Blanket, from the Trim the Corners section to the end.

Pure + Simple Wool Blankets | Purl Soho