I recently bought myself a weighted blanket. You guys, it’s amazing (the best way I can describe the sensation is what it looks like when you grab a cat by the scruff of the neck–immediate calming on every level). It also cost a lot of money.
I originally bought two, one for each kid, but they were too heavy. They both inherited my sleep issues, and Emmy got the added fun of my ADD. So I kept one and gave the other to our then-roommate. I looked up lighter ones, and they’re twice the price. Ugh.
Recently, I got into sewing. The kids and I have been learning from this lady in our church who refuses to accept payment. She’s wonderful. Anyway, it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been buying stuff for next to nothing at the thrift store and repurposing it into fabric. I made us all Christmas stockings out of a beautiful plush bathrobe I found. Doing this for pennies just makes it more fun.
Another recent passion has been families stuck in or recovering from domestic violence situations. It’s even more of a nightmare to escape, be free, and recover than it appears on the surface. I’ve learned a few things: trauma in children can often manifest as ADHD symptoms (including insomnia); restful sleep is essential to psychological healing; and restful sleep is one of the most difficult things to achieve for a lot of traumatized people. Enter the weighted blanket. They’re so expensive. But so so so helpful.
What if I could find a way to make them for not a billion dollars, and then give them away to the local women’s shelter? I’m thinking of using thrift store sheets, blankets, comforts, and quilts (thoroughly washed, good quality) and buying the beads in massive bags. I’m not at all fast yet, so it’ll be a while before the expenses mount. I’m still not confident enough in my work to pass it off to people who really need it, so I think I’ll start but making some for the rest of my family, just to make sure they won’t leak everywhere. We have a vacuum and a stable home life. It’ll be ok if ours are a catastrophe.
A few questions for some of you might be better informed:
-Is this a terrible idea for reasons I haven’t considered?
-I know that the glass beads especially will require fabrics of a pretty tight weave. Is there a way to check this with reclaimed fabrics? Poly pellets are an option, especially with lighter blankets, but I don’t want to skimp on quality if I don’t have to. So much donated stuff is just crap. It bugs me. I grew up on hand me downs and thrift store stuff. A lot of stuff gets donated that’s obviously only donated to make someone feel better about getting rid of junk. I always loved the anonymous people who donated the beautiful things. And we were just poor, not poor and everything else that goes with fleeing an unsafe situation.
-Is there anything I should know about sewing in general that I might not have picked up yet? I know a short stitch length will be necessary. Are particular stitches better for hold, etc?
-And finally, is there anything at all that I’m not thinking of that should be glaringly obvious?
Thanks!
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