Fleece Travel Blanket and Pillow

I will be stuck on an airplane for many, many hours on Thursday.  I’m hoping that most of that time I will be sleeping, wrapped up in my new fleece blanket and resting my head, not on the dirty airline pillow with the weird dryer sheet-like pillow case, but on my new, soft fleece pillow.  Both tuck into a pocket in the blanket for easy storage. 

This project was ridiculously simple and much cheaper than buying similar items at the store (or in desperation at the airport).  It took only about 30 minutes. 

You will need:

About 1 1/2 yards of fleece depending on how big you want your blanket to be.

1 travel size pillow form (mine is 12” x 16”, which I think is a little too big)

Cut your fleece to the size of the blanket you want.  Mine is 54” x 45”.  Measure the pillow form and add an inch to the height and width for seam allowances.  Cut three rectangles in this size, two to cover the pillow and one for the pocket that everything tucks into.  Use a rotary cutter if you have one.

Pin and sew two of the small rectangles, right sides together.  Leave an opening in the middle of one end to stuff the pillow form through. Trim the seams and turn the pillow right side out.  Squeeze the pillow form into the pillow.  Tuck the open edges under and pin.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sew the opening shut, staying as close to the edge as possible.  You can hand stitch this and it will look nicer, but I’m lazy, so I used my machine.

Now for the blanket.  Pin the remaining rectangle to the middle of one of the short edges of the blanket.  This will be the pocket.

Sew the pocket to the blanket, leaving the outside edge open.  Sew two rows of stitches, one with an 1/8” seam allowance and one with 1/4”.  You will be shoving a lot of fleece into the pocket and you want it to be strong.

That’s it! Fold it up and you are done.  With the pocket facing down, fold each side long side of the blanket towards the middle, just to the edge of the pocket.  Fold the non-pocket end over twice.  Fold the end with the pocket over to meet the other side. 

Tuck the blanket into the pocket.

Stuff the pillow into the pocket and you’re ready to travel.