Holiday Crafting, part 4 - the Snugglers

So, how are those holiday crafts coming along?

This was initially just going to be my holiday crafting suggestion for the four-legged members of the family. My dog has a weird thing for fleece. She drags her little pink blanket all around the house like Linus from the Peanuts cartoons.

See?

Since she not only snuggles on top of her blanket, but kind of gnaws on it like a furry pacifier, the original model has gotten a little worn. But since fleece is cheap, washable, dryable and reasonably durable it meets all of my criteria for doggie indulgences. Maddie is crated during the day, so a little something soft and cuddly assuages my guilt about her sitting on a plastic tray all day. Anyway, I planned to make Maddie a new blanket for Christmas.

When I got to the fabric store, I discovered they were having a sale for Veteran's Day. I love sales. Since my cheap crafting project just got cheaper, I bought some extra fleece for the holiday toy and blanket drive on getcrafty to benefit Project Night Night. Project Night Night is a San Francisco based non-profit that provides security blankets, books and stuffed animals to homeless children staying in shelters across the country.

I was a security blanket kid. I fancy myself a pretty mature and independent adult, but my baby blanket still lives on the shelf in my closet. Although I haven't slept with it in years, I still can't bring myself to pack it away in a box or (God forbid) throw it out, so it stays on the shelf.

Anyway, I like security blankets. I think every kid should have one. And I really like the idea of giving kids something soft and snuggly to make staying in a strange bed in a strange place a bit less scary. So the mission of Project Night Night really appeals to me. Sending them a couple of blankets seems like the least I can do. (It looks like the sale at Hancock Fabrics is still going on, in case you were thinking the same thing)

I finished Maddie's blanket last night. She's a dog, so I went the quick and dirty no-sew route. I think I'll try to sew the ones for Project Night Night, but my sewing machine is about a million years old and may not be up to the task of thicker fabric. They may end up being no-sew blankets too.