Blankets By Grandma Jim

New Blankets

2010-09-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

I made two new blankets this week. One is colorful fall leaves. This is a very nice fall blanket.

And I made another Fly Fishing Blanket for a special award for a corporate fishing trip to Canada that is upcoming. This year the blanket is with a brown reverse instead of red like last years blanket.

Burke Center Fall Festival

2010-09-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

Had a very good show at the Burke Fall Festival on September 11 and 12. Saturday weather was perfect. Good turn out and a few sales. And a few orders. This is a photo of the tent and display from Saturday morning following setup.

Sunday morning did not start out well. We had a lot of rain during Saturday night and I had to do a little straightening up of the displays and the tent when I arrived at 8:00 am.

But I was pleasantly surprised when two members of the Burke Festival stopped by and gave me a certificate as an Honorable Mention for Best in Show! Now that was a great surprise. As the morning wore on it turned very nice and cleared up.

All in all it was a very good show.

Autumn Leaves Blankets

2010-08-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

I also made two Autumn Leave blankets this past week. I found this material with enough to make two nice blankets approximately 48 x 60. The material is a lovely rust and red hues with gold tints and a gold colored reverse side. These are very nice and very soft.

New Blankets Coming Now that Fall is almost here

2010-08-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

It has been over six months since I posted here.... But the spring and summer are not a good time for fleece blankets. Even though I sold a few and had a couple special orders, I just set aside the blankets for a while. But now the first fall festival is a less than a month away, so I have started up making new blankets.

Over the past couple of weeks I have finished over 18 new blankets and I have four more to finish. I have a special order for another of my fly fishing blankets. It is a very nice blanket and I will make it the same as last year. This blanket is used as a prize for a corporate fishing outing and it was a big hit with the winner last year.

I also made four children's blankets. Two are with blue teddy bears with pick bow ties, and one was just the opposite, pink teddy bears with blue bow ties. I also made a blanket with multi-colored bears with a pink reverse.

I also found some really nice Buzz Lightyear and Woody and Friends Toy Story material and I made three blankets with it. Two with a blue reverse and one with a Tangerine Reverse.

I also completed six Snoopy and Friends blankets. One large one and five smaller ones. The large one had a blue reverse. The smaller ones had three different colors of material used for the reverse. Two were the same blue as the big blanket, two were tangerine, and one was red.

Tomorrow I will post some photos of the latest creations. Five Ballerina blankets, all with pink reverse sides. Very Nice.....

New Blankets

2010-02-13T17:59:00.000-08:00

I have not been real busy making blankets lately. But with the recent snow storms (blizzard) here in the DC area I was able to finish a few between the bouts of shoveling snow!

I did finish two new doggy blankets. I made a cute blue one with a brown reverse. I have three of these available via my website and the shophandmade website.

l also was able to make four of the below pet blanket. It is covered with cartoon dogs.

I also found a real nice plaid and wanted to make a couple with it. I used a while reverse on one and a back reverse on the other. Here are pictures of each>

I also have a couple blankets made with Ravens material.

I also finished a couple others but will take their pictures later and post them tomorrow in a separate post.

Two Special Order Blankets

2010-01-25T18:23:00.000-08:00

Recently I received a request to make a blanket with Labrador Retrievers on it and also a Saint Louis Cardinals blanket. Both of these turned out very nice. Below are a couple photos.

Special Boy Scout Fleece Blanket.

2009-12-15T15:27:00.000-08:00

This blanket is the first of eight Boy Scout blankets I made. The material is suppose to be a limited edition very special design of the Boy Scouts of America logo in blue over gold. It is a striking blanket. The reverse is done with a thick piece of navy blue anti pill fleece. This is an excellent gift for that special boy scout in your family. There are two photos. One shows the blanket folded in quarters. The second photo shows a detail of the logo over the gold background.

Six of the blankets measure approximately 48" wide by 72" long. The perfect size for covering a twin bed and two measure approximately 48" square, a nice size for a chair or couch.

Quarter View

Detail of the design.

Three New Blankets....

2009-12-02T19:10:00.000-08:00

Here are three new blankets.... well two completely new and one sort of new.
This first one is special order Yankees Blanket..... It is not the material desired but it was available and it looks pretty good....

The next two are for the Wakefield Holiday Arts and Craft Festival for on Dec 5 and 6. This first one is a small panel (36" x 48") depicting Santa working on toys in his shop. There are three of these and they all have white reverse.

The last one is material I used before for the front side of a blanket. This is a nice red background with white snowflakes and a red-nosed reindeer all over the front. The back side is reindeer hide. Just kidding... it is a thick brown fleece that looks like reindeer hide. My wifes sick humor picked out this combination. I like it too.....

More Blankets and Some Sales via ShopHandMade.com

2009-11-20T13:28:00.000-08:00

Recently I have been fortunate enough to get a few sales via the shophandmade web site. Both of the customers advised me they found my blankets by doing a google search. That is very encouraging.

I have now set up my site to link to the sales site there. It is easy to use and is hassle free.

I have a few new blankets to post.....

This is a very nice holiday blanket featuring scroll work reindeer and Christmas trees inside alternating squares of red and white. The reverse is a dark red.

This blanket is a very nice plaid over a red background with small decorated Christmas trees. The reverse is a dark red.

This is a blanket I made for a friend at work. It turned out great and she loved it.

Orchard View Bazaar

2009-11-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

The bazaar at Orchard View Elementary School today in Winchester was very nice. This was their first time doing this and they did a very nice job. All are to be commended for making it a nice day and making all the vendors feel welcome.

Here is a photo of the booth for Grandma Jim.

Finished some holiday blankets for craft shows

2009-11-13T18:11:00.000-08:00

This is a very nice holiday motif blanket with a red reverse. The colors a rich and the material is so soft and thick. I really like this one.....

Everyone should recognize this one. Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and the rest of the characters from the Christmas special with all the misfit toys. This is very nice. Liked it so much I made two.

This blanket is made with two different themes. One for each side. One side is covered with white snowflakes and the other with a cartoon character Reindeer.

This is one of my favorites. It is so nice and thick and soft and the colors are so vibrant I decided to make a couple more of these.

Hope you all like the holiday blankets....

Grandma Jim

Blankets Lots of Blankets

2009-11-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I posted here. Since the Burke Center Festival I have taken part in five other shows. All of them successful and I have met a lot of very nice people at each one. I have made a lot of new blankets for special orders and for stock for the holiday shows.

I have also had my first true internet sale via Shophandmade.com.

I want to give a big thanks to Shelia Gulak who saw my blankets at the Burke Center Festival and ordered a blanket and bought another from my stock. Her word of mouth has resulted in several sales and she has even ordered another blanket. Thanks Shelia.

Here are some of the more recent blankets I have made for friends, family and for special orders.

This one is for a dear friend:

More to come soon....

Grandma Jim

Burke Fall Festival

2009-09-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

Well the Burke Fall Festival has come and gone for this year. This was the first of several festivals I plan on taking part in this fall. It was a lot of fun and we had great weather, though Sunday got a little warm. I met some very nice people and had a successful show, and got some real nice comments on my blankets. But I think the most fun was seeing the reaction of people as they looked at the signage and saw grandma with beard stubble.... And there were countless comments about "Grandma Jim". Here is a photo of "Grandma Jim" in the booth.

I have also signed up for another show, this one will be at Lake Braddock High School for October 17th. This is a holiday show....

Grandma Jim has a web site

2009-09-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

Well I finally went and did it. I have opened a web site. www.grandmajim.com
I currently have a few items there and plan on adding more. Currently the only items that can be bought through it are several of my Breast Cancer Survivor Blankets. Take a look and drop me a note with your thoughts and comments.

Grandma Jim

Schedule of Shows for this Fall

2009-08-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

I have decided to try a few festivals this year with my blankets. I will start off with the Burke Fall Festival on September 12th and 13th at the Burke Conservancy in Burke, VA. This should be fun but it may still be a little warm for people to be thinking about fleece blankets.

Then two weeks later I am taking part in a Breast Cancer Fund Raiser and Craft Show in Remington, VA. I have put together about 40 breast cancer survivor blankets for this. We also donate one of the survivor blankets for auction to help raise money.

Then October 3rd I am taking part in Art on the Avenue in Alexandria, VA. This is a big craft and art show. I am looking forward to this. I have a few friends that insist this will be a big show.

Then the following week I will be going to Front Royal, Virginia to take part in the Festival of Leaves up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. That should be a lot of fun. It is lovely little town at the North End of Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah National Park.

I am also scheduled for the Fairfax Holiday show on November 21 and 22 and the Wakefield Holiday Craft show on December 5 and 6.

So all in all it could be a very busy fall.

Hope to see you at one of these.

Tinkerbelle

2009-08-27T18:38:00.001-07:00

I had a request from a friend to make a Tinkerbelle blanket for his daughter as a surprise gift. And the next day another friend asked if I made any Tinkerbell blankets. So I found this material and made two blankets over the weekend for them. Reports are very positive. One report is that the granddaughter was mad because she could not take it outside to play with (it was 90 degrees). They turned out nice. Great for little girls.

Tinkerbelle Blanket

Two more Blankets for Co-Workers

2009-08-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

I recently completed two blankets for co-workers. They both turned out very nice.

For a Denver Fan

For a Buffalo Fan

New Breast Cancer Survivor Blanket

2009-08-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

I found a nice new fabric for another Breast Cancer Survivor Blanket. It is a nice pink material with sayings and ribbons on it in red and white. The reverse is a light pink fleece. It turned out very nice so I made two for the Breast Cancer Fund Raiser and Craft show I am taking part in on September 26th in Remington, Virginia. Should be a fun event and we should raise some awareness and money for the one of the charities here.

Here is a photo of detail of the material:

Fly Fishing Blanket

2009-08-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

I recently received an order for a blankets to be given as an award for a group going to Canada on a fishing trip. They ordered two blankets. One was an award for the best catch and a lobster blanket for the boss who says she just loves lobster! From what I am told they both loved the blankets. Here is a photo of each:

Fly Fishing Blanket

Lobster Blanket

New Pink Ribbon Blanket and Pink Ribbon Shops

2009-07-29T19:23:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of new blankets made from the Breast Cancer Plaid with Pink Ribbons. They are very soft and make a wonderful gift for those loved ones who are breast cancer survivors.

I am hoping these will be displayed in the near future on a Breast Cancer Awareness online store. One I am trying too work isthe Pink Ribbon Shop and another is The Breast Cancer Site Store..

www.pinkribbonshop.com

www.shop.thebreastcancersite.com/store

Until such time as this happens these blankets and my others can be purchased via the Shop Hand Made web site.
www.shophandmade.com/store/grandmajims

Two new blankets

2009-06-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted an entry to this site. But been busy with life and the grandsons. We went on vacation with the entire family and had a great time. This first new blanket is an ice hockey pattern and intended to Hockey Moms for warmth while watching their son and/or daughter practice ice hockey at the ice skating rinks in the area. A similar blanket can be made for the mothers of those aspiring figure skaters. This blanket is a smaller version of earlier blankets. Measuring about 48 inches wide by about 60 inches long. It has a solid white reverse, but can be made with any solid color. Will Cost around $50.00.

Length wise view of Hockey Blanket.

Width wise view
Quarter fold view with corner turned back to reveal reverse.

The second new blanket is a new Breast Cancer Survivor Blanket. Material for earlier blankets made with the embroidered roses and ribbons is not available at this time so I found another pattern of fleece to use. This one is hearts and ribbons on a pink background and the reverse is a solid light pink. It too is small like most of the other Breast Cancer Survivor blankets I have made. Measures about 48 inches wide by about 69 inches long. Perfect size for wrapping up in and watching television or reading a great book.

Grandma Jim Out!

These blankets and my others can be purchased via the Shop Hand Made web site.
www.shophandmade.com/store/grandmajims

New Look Logo

2009-05-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

I did forget to introduce you to the new look to the Grandma Jim logo

I also have a couple with text.....

and of course,

Front Royal Show!

2009-05-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

Well the first large show I ventured to take part in was good for Grandma Jim. It was a good learning experience and I got to practice in erecting the tent with its sides and setting up the displays of my blankets.

I sold a few blankets and gave one of the Breast Cancer Survivor Blankets to the Susan G Komen display to raffle off.... so that went well. I did get a lot of interest in my blankets and a lot of people commented on the quality of the blankets and asked who made them. It was always funny watching their reactions when I explained to them that I made them and not my wife.

Here are a couple photos from the festival.

My lovely wife behind the table:

Grandma Jim Behind the table:

Tent and displays

I know it looks like a corn dog, but it is fried Snickers! She said it was good....

Grandma Jim out.

Ready for Front Royal Festival

2009-05-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

The Front Royal festival is this weekend and I finally am out of material to make blankets. And I was told to stop until after some of them are gone from our basement!! I have a total of 64 blankets to take to the show. Up 8 from my earlier post. The reason for the increase is, I made 8 more (of course). I added four children's blankets. Two baby Mother Goose blankets and two Carnival blankets. I have also added four small throws made from Thomas Kinkade prints. One is double sides with the panel and the other three have the print panel on one side and a solid color fleece on the reverse side. One ivy color and the other two a doe color.

Children's Blankets

This gives me over 10 good blankets for children for the show.

The Kinkade blanket with the doe colored reverse is pictured below.

This is the blanket folded in half length wise to show the chapel.

This is full view of blanket.

No new blankets until after the Front Royal Festival, unless it is a special order.

Grandma Jim Out

Hello Kitty

2009-05-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

A friend at work asked me to do a Hello Kitty blanket in pink for a friend's daughter. I found a couple samples and she selected the material and asked me to try and match the reverse side to the background color of the Hello Kitty design. A daunting task since it is pink. I had tried earlier with a couple of my Breast Cancer Survivor blankets and got close but not close enough. So I was shocked when I was able to find the perfect pink top match. The result is below. This turned out purrrr fect (could not resist) and the young lady loves it, or so I am told.

North Carolina Tar Heels

2009-05-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

Last week a friend that had gotten a VA Tech blanket for one son asked me if I could do a North Carolina blanket for her other son. The answer was, of course. I really like the way this one turned out. The reverse matched perfectly, which is often hard to do with blues. Her son loved the blanket. The Tar Heel blanket or most any NCAA Division I school blanket can be special ordered by email at blanketsbygrandmajim@verizon.net

Nursery Rhyme Children's Blanket and the Front Royal WIne Festival and Craft Show

2009-05-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

In preparation for the upcoming Front Royal Wine Festival and Craft show I have added a children's nursery rhyme blanket to my inventory. This blanket is a very soft light blue with characters from a couple nursery rhymes depicted on the fabric. Each of the blankets is approximately 48 inches wide by about 56 inches long. Two photos are shown below: A quarter fold view and a closeup detail.

I have started getting ready for my first big craft show. I will have a booth at the Front Royal Wine Festival and Craft Show on May 16th. This is a new experience for me and I am trying to get things ready well ahead of time. This weekend I start pricing all of the blankets in my stock and creating an accurate inventory. To my surprise I have over 50 completed blankets. 56 to be exact. Below is a photo of half of the blankets stacked on the coffee table that is on the couch in the basement. Do not ask. Just go with the fact it was not on the floor!

Thank goodness, I got them all packed away before my wife saw them! But she did see the photo and just sort of shook her head and laughed.

Please stop by Front Royal and see me on May 16th. And buy a blanket. Please!

Grandma Jim Out!

Two New Designs Totals Six For Breast Cancer Survivor Blankets

2009-05-03T19:36:00.001-07:00

I have been working on some new blankets the last couple of weeks. Two of the new blankets are Breast Cancer Survivor blankets. Each of these takes new meaning for my family, as my wife's sister was recently diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. She under went a lumpectomy this week and got great results. My family now has three survivors. My Aunt Marjorie, my sister Julie and my sister-in-law Kathy. Here are the two new blankets for Breast Cancer Survivors.

This brings the different designs for Breast Cancer Survivor Blankets that I make to six. My favorite so far is the embroidered Rose and Ribbon blanket on light pink. The material is difficult to get but it is worth it.

The other four are show below again.

Grandma Jim Out

More Blankets and A Shout Out to a Supplier

2009-04-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

This past week has been really hectic. I made a few new blankets and completed extra copies of others I have show here before. I did complete three Redskins blankets, two Marine Corps blankets, two soccer blankets that have been detailed previously. But I also completed two cat blankets. These were requested by someone at the first craft show I attended...... these are pretty neat because the reverse side is the matching plaid that is the background the cats are on.

I also made two more Breast Cancer Awareness Blankets. Each one is with different material. I have also received two other types of Breast Cancer Awareness material I will be using to make several more blankets this coming weekend. But here are the news one that have been completed.

I also have two completed two very nice green and grey plaid blankets. These two are just like the one I made for our use back in December. My wife uses ours like this almost every day. They are soft and warm.

This week I have put together fourteen blankets to work on. There are six for Breast Cancer Awareness using two different materials. There are five baby blankets, each with the same nursery rhymes pattern on the material. And three very colorful hot air balloon blankets. Pictures of these will come when finished.

Oh, this week I had an issue with a shipment of material from PicoTextiles. They sent me a piece of material with a large hole in it. I contacted them via email and the responded quickly and precisely the way you want a supplier to respond. They sent me a replacement piece of fabric at no cost. Way to go Pico Textiles. Check them out and purchase with confidence they will get it right,

Grandma Jim out.

Breast Cancer Survivor Blankets

2009-04-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

I finished a total of four of the Breast Cancer Survivor Blankets from my last post and they were gone in a couple of days. So I have ordered material to make five more and may end up repeating that order again. These blankets are very popular and are very nice.

The quality of the material is outstanding.

Grandma Jim out.

Busy Weekend with Results

2009-04-06T06:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a very busy weekend. I setup 10 blankets to work on over the next week or so on Friday night and Saturday after I got in a round of golf. I started working on blankets Saturday afternoon and just sort of continued until after the NCAA semifinal games were done. And then again yesterday.

I finished a couple blankets that have already been shown on here and three new ones that I will show here. The first one is a print of wild horses. A couple people have asked about blankets featuring horses, So I made one. The two views that follow are a standard quarter view folded and a quarter view with the reverse revealed by turning up the corner. This blanket is a standard twin bed size (48" x 74").

Quarter View

Quarter view corner view

I recently saw some really nice Breast Cancer Awareness (Survivor) material with embroidered roses and ribbons on a pink background, so I ordered enough to make several blankets. I had just finished making two Breast Cancer Survivor blankets (for relatives) and wanted to make a few more. These all turned out very nice. Each blankets is done with a matching light pink reverse side. I completed four of these this weekend and have one left to complete. One is already spoken for by a friend where I work. These are a little smaller than my normal size blanket. Each of these is around 66" long by about 48" wide. A nice size for most ladies. Below are two photos of one of the four finished this weekend.

Quarter view corner view

Quarter view

Two weeks ago I found some cute material for toddlers with embroidered teddy bears on it. I have three of these. I have only completed one and will finish the other two this week. These blankets are more for the baby and or toddler. I am trying a new material for the reverse side on these. This material is called whisper fleece. It is a thick long napped material that is very soft. These may be the softest blankets I have made to date. When done, I will have a blanket with a baby blue reverse, a mint green reverse, and a white reverse. The two photos below show the quarter view and a closeup of on of the embroidered teddy bears.

Quarter View

Closeup of Embroidered Teddy Bear

Until the next time.

Grandma Jim out.

Breast Cancer Survivor Blankets

2009-04-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I made a couple blankets that I mailed as gifts and would post pictures of them after they were received. Well, my aunt and sister got their blankets yesterday.

I made my Aunt Marjorie and Sister Julie these blankets. Both are survivors and I wanted them both to know how much we all love them and respect them. Here are a couple pictures of those blankets.

Grandma Jim Out

New Blankets

2009-03-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been busy making more blankets. I finished a nice blanket that was ordered with Lighthouses on it. It turned out nice, and after it was finished a friend saw it and ordered one for herself.

I also finished a new Virginia Tech blanket. I made it to show since no one had ordered it and now I have orders for two more.

I also completed two of the Thomas Kinkade print blankets and another of the sports motif on green background. Those were all done this week while I was in Winchester.

I completed five more this weekend.... three for a special order. The order was for two fashion blankets (purses and high heels on it) and one with lips on it. For the fashion purse and heels I made one with a heather grey back and the other with a white one.

These two are with the Grey back.

These two are with the white back.

I also made a couple as gifts but will show them later so the people they are intended for do not see them on here before they receive them.

Grandma Jim Out

Busy Week......

2009-03-28T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well, this has been one busy week for me. I finished a total of 9 blankets this week. Five during the week while in Winchester and I completed four today. I have three more I want to finish tomorrow if possible. And play a little golf in the afternoon if it is nice enough.

Will post photos of the new blankets tomorrow and tell you all about the really awesome stuff I got (or ordered) this week.

Grandma Jim out

Front Royal Wine and Craft Festival

2009-03-25T04:50:00.000-07:00

Well, after the great experience of this past weekend I have decided to try it again. I applied to be in the Front Royal (VA) Wine and Craft Festival in May. I went by the Chamber of Commerce yesterday to drop off my application and photos of some of the blankets to be juried. The person responsible looked at the photos and accepted me in the show then and there. Which made me feel great. The festival is on Saturday May 16th. Now I need to build up a better selection for this show. As I make blankets for the show I shall post photos here.

Garfield Elementary School Craft Show

2009-03-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

I did in fact attend the craft show and I learned a lot of things from my first venture into showing my blankets at a craft fair. All in all it was a good experience and I sold four blankets and several people talked to me about ordering blankets and took my brochures and business cards. So we will just have to wait and see if I get any orders.

I thought the PTA did a nice job of running the show. The PTA had plenty of volunteers and they actually would come around to make sure you were doing okay and to check and see if you needed a break or anything to eat or drink. It was a nice experience.

Here are two pictures of the event my daughter took.

Craft Show

2009-03-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

Several people have been telling me for weeks now that I need to go to a craft show with my blankets. I noticed a couple weeks ago there was to be a craft show at a local elementary school, so I sent an email to the PTA (they run it) President. I was told they have been filled up since January. The show is at the Garfield Elementary School in Springfield, VA on Old Keene Mill. It runs from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm

Last evening I got a call from them asking me to be in the show! The lady that called was very nice and made me feel so at ease I am truly looking forward to this. They had a cancellation and asked me to attend since they had viewed this blog and liked the blankets. So I have hurried around last night and today to get together everything I might need to be in the show.

This will be my first experience like this so we will see how it goes tomorrow. But I have over 30 blankets to show and try to sell. Wish me luck!

I will update this on Sunday when I have time...

Grandma Jim Out

Nice Day Today

2009-03-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Wow. Today I got orders for three blankets from one person. The order is for some cute material for girls. Once they are done I will post photos. And I received a request to locate an Army print with helicopters for a friend. Got lucky and found this nice print for her....

So she has a choice of material now for her Army friend. Above or below:

Hot Peppers, Thomas Kinkade and repeats

2009-03-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I stopped by to update this blog on my progress with the blankets so I figured I better do an update this evening. Over the past couple of days I have received a couple of orders for blankets from the past. I have a request for another of the elephant walk blankets. So that material was ordered and surprisingly it arrived late this morning. I was able to take advantage of my Monday off and laid it out, put it together and completed it. So I can deliver it tomorrow. It is just as nice as the first one I did. I also had a request for a Thomas Kinkade blanket like one I made for my mother for Christmas. I was able to find the material over the weekend and I finished it this morning. It is two identical panels together so each side is the same. It is pictured here:

I also completed the Hot Pepper Blanket. This is a nice large soft blanket. The front is covered with red, green, yellow, orange peppers over a black background. I used a thick piece of black fleece for the reverse side. It turned out quite nice. Below are three views. First is the quarter view, second is a close up detail of peppers and the third image is a quarter view with the flap opened to reveal the black reverse side.

Up Up and Away

2009-03-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

I finished what I think is a very colorful and pretty blanket this evening. I started last night and got three of the four sides done and was to tired to finish it, so I finished it tonight when I got home from work. It is a blue background with colorful Hot Air Balloons all over it. I think it is quite catching. And it is a soft warm fleece. I think this will make a wonderful gift for someone.

Here are a few photos of the blanket and a couple detail closeups.

Doggie Blankets Too

2009-03-07T09:46:00.000-08:00

I have also completed two of five doggie blankets I am working on. These five blankets are made of of two different cartoon drawings of different types of dogs. The first two are made with on type of print and a brown reverse side. They are about 46 inches wide by about 40 inches long. Nice little blanket for your dog to sleep on or to use to protect the furniture if you let your dogs up on the furniture. The second print is a very cute cartoon of different dogs with a blue background and I have used an electric blue reverse. This is the second set with this material and color scheme. I previously produced two of these and both sold early on. Here are photos of the two type of prints and doggie blankets.

Grandma Jim out.

Another Day Another Blanket

2009-03-06T07:01:00.000-08:00

Well, actually another couple of days and I have finished five more and am working on a sixth. Three of these are special orders. Two ladies I work with asked me to come up with something with an African motif for them. I searched the internet fabric sites for several days until I found a couple prints they liked. I then set out to produce a couple blankets they would be proud to display in their homes. The first one is called Elephant Walk print. It is a soft fleece material that looks very nice. I have teamed it with a solid color piece of fleece from Hancock Fabrics called Oak. The three views below are a full view of the fabric before it was cut and added to the reverse and tied. Then there is a quarter fold view and a quarter fold view with the corner turned back to reveal the reverse material.

The othe material is called African Safari and I also teamed it with the Oak material from Hancock Fabrics.

These two blankets are approximately 48 inches wide by 74 inches long.

I also completed a spexcial order for a baby blanket that is about 48 inches square. It was made with a pretty brown and pink plaid with a light pink reverse. The plaid will match the color scheme of the baby's room. Below are a couple photos of the blanket.

Grandma Jim Out.

Continuation On Blankets

2009-03-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

Last night I mentioned I would explain the "Grandma Jim". It seems when I first started making blankets back before Christmas my son would give me a hard time about it. At one point after Christmas he made a comment that my two grandsons were really lucky. They had three Grandmothers. Grandma Jane (our son-in-laws mother), Grandma Mary (my wife) and Grandma Jim (meaning me). He kept calling me Grandma Jim when he would come in and I was working on a blanket. We all thought it was kind of funny and did not think much about it at first since all my blankets were gifts. Then when people started to buy them, I thought! Why Not! Grandma Jim. That is different! So Blankets by Grandma Jim sprang from a smart ass son. Thanks!

What other creations have I come up with since the start of this endeavor? Well, as I mentioned most of the stuff has been special orders. But I have several that I need to display and attempt to sell in one way or another. Two of the more colorful blankets I have made are displayed here. One we call Colorful Monsters and the other one is gumballs. My wife saw the monster material and had me get it and the tangerine reverse for it. It turned out very nice and is a nice warm blanket with some vibrant color. The gumballs blanket was fun to make too.

Gumballs with yellow reverse and Monsters with tangerine reverse. Both are available for purchase. I was so glad my wife wanted me to get the monsters material. I really like that one.

I have several plaids that I have done. Two of this really nice looking red plaid, one with a red reverse and the other with a navy reverse. And then two of a Blackwatch Plaid. These two are the softest material, and I made one with a navy reverse and one with a white reverse. Just the Navy reverse is show here along with the two nice red plaids.Another of my favorites is a different red plaid with a denim colored reverse. This is a really nice blanket and I am not sure I want to sell it, but I will of course

Red on Red Blackwatch on Navy

Red on Navy Red on Denim

One of my favorites so far is a brown plaid with a bronze reverse. It is a very warm rich feeling fleece and I really like the color of the reverse side. It is such a rich looking color.

All of the blankets I make are hand made by me in a smoke-free and pet-free environment. I work on them as I get the time in the evenings and on weekends. I use the time as a therapeutic way to relieve stress and tension after work. I does relax me, at least the cutting and tying part. Setup is a little hard on the knees, from crawling around on the floor sizing them and getting them straight and aligned. But once that is done it is all stress free and helps me relax and unwind. Plus it is fun to see them come together and like the results. I have some I really like and am quite proud of so far. .

Another colorful blanket that is perfect for young boys is a blanket made with multiple sports icons on a green background. The fleece material is called Multi Sports on Green. It is quite a striking colorful blanket for a boy room. I have actually already sold two of these and have two more to sell. They are very nice. Here are two views of these blankets. One is a full quarter fold view, and the other is a quarter fold view with the corner turned back to reveal the reverse material.

What others have I done.... well you will have to check back tomorrow or the next day after I have time to come up with another installment of, Blankets by Grandma Jim.

Grandma Jim out.

Blankets Created By Grandma Jim

2009-03-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

Recently I have taken to making double fleece tie blankets. First as gifts for friends and family. Then some of my co-workers told me they would buy blankets like that. So.... I decided to give it a go. I made a few blankets at first to practice and see if people liked them where I worked. I mean they liked the ones I showed them that I had made as gifts for friends and family. But would they like them enough to buy them.

I started off making some easy ones. Mostly plaids that are easy to layout and work with. Then I branched out to try some nice patterns. The first one I made was for my son. He is a die hard Chicago Cubs fan. It was a Christmas gift and he loved it. He actually uses it on his bed. So that went well.

Next I made a couple of blankets for my two grandsons.
The boyd got identical Disney Cars motif blankets with black reverse sides. They like them and Mom uses them all the time for outdoor use and for in the car. They also got a couple of Cars Roadway blankets for their beds. I even made one of those for someone where I work for her son. This is a colorful and fun piece of fleece and the little guys really like it.

I have made NFL (Redskins and Steelers) blankets. Those are a little more expensive because generally speaking the material costs alot more. But they are really nice and the blankets turned out great. Sold three of the Redskins so far. No takers yet for the Steelers blankets, but they are now on Ebay in my first forray into that jungle. Here are the two NFL blankets:

Redskins Steelers

I have even tackled the four services. I have made an Army blanket, a Navy Blanket, one for the USAF and two for the Marine Corps. Those four follow. And though I was in the Army for 20 years, the USMC blanket is pretty awesome looking.

These are pretty nice and they are very warm. Besides they look great. Show your colors guys and gals.

Now we are into the collegiate series also. So far VA Tech, Penn State and two different types for Pitt have been ordered and produced.

I have many more to show you and talk about. But that will have to wait until tomorrow.

For now take time to look this over and let me know your thoughts. Grandma Jim's fleece blankets are available. Just contact me.

More tomorrow and I will tell you where the name came from.

Grandma Jim out.