Blancho - DIY Water-Resistant Blanket/Poncho

Key Words: Sewing, Poncho, Blanket, Water Resistant, DIY

Overview: Upcycle old fabrics into a multifunctional water-resistant blanket/pancho

Introduction: With the wasteful consumption habits of our society today, it is important to address that there are more ways than one to make a difference. The Blancho serves as a project that strives to create awareness and impact in two communities: the homeless and the polluted textile industry. By creating your own Blancho that transform between a blanket and a poncho, you are resisting waste and supporting individuals in need. I encourage you to use old fabrics to construct this project! It’s incredibly simple and cheap as well. The beeswax to make the garment water-resistant can be found in any local grocery store for less than $5. So overall, the only hard part about making a difference is deconstructing the systematic notions that we can’t (:

TL;DR: Create a Blancho - A poncho that turns into a blanket using recycled fabric!

Materials:

·Beeswax (1 Bar)

·Fabric (Recycling old blankets, table clothes, fabric is encouraged) (1-2 Yards)

·Scissors

NOVICE Option: Minimal Sewing Experience

Estimated Time Frame: 1-2 Hours

·Needle (1 Needle)

·Thread (1 Spool (Color of your choice))

EXPERT Option: Proficient Sewing Experience

Estimated Time Frame: 30mins - 1 hour

·Sewing Machine

·Serger/Over-lock Machine

Make sure your garment is clean and dry before construction. This will help the beeswax stick onto the surface of your fabric a lot better.

Cut out a rectangle in your fabric based on your personal sizing dimensions provided in the Sizing Template (Small, Medium, or Large). The width length should be your grain line:

(How to Find your Grain Line)

More information on what a Grain-Line is and it's importance:

http://thecuttingclass.com/post/3233126291/grainlines

1. Hold your fabric by the left and right sides.

2. Pull outwards.

3. Notice if there is any stretching or if there is none.

4. Now hold your fabric from the top and by the bottom.

5. Pull Outwards.

6. Notice again if there is any stretching or if there is none.

7. The side that does not stretch (or has little to no stretch) is your grain line.

Using the Hoodie Template, place it on the grain line of your fabric and cut out two pieces:

More information on the Right/Wrong side fabrics:

http://howtosew.com/blog/q/what-does-right-sidewrong-side-mean

·If you have fabric that does not have a wrong side or a right side, just cut out two of the same pieces

·If you have fabric with a wrong side and a right side, place the hoodie template on your fabric and cut out ONE piece. Then flip out your hoodie template over and cut out ONE piece. You should now have two pieces that are mirror opposites of each other.

(OPTIONAL): Using your Serger/Over-lock machine, over-lock the edges of all your cut pieces)

1. Fold the over-locked edges in by ½” and again by ½”

2. Pin down the folded edge to secure it in place.

3. Iron down the folded edge to crease it. This should make it easer to handle while sewing.

NOVICE:

4. Using your needle and thread, sew a straight line down the folded edge to hem it.

• TIP: Draw a straight line before you stitch to guide you.

EXPERT:

4. Use your sewing machine to sew down a straight line along the folded to hem it.

• TIP: Draw a straight line before you stitch to guide you.

Measure the front of your head, starting at the center of one ear all the way to the center of your other ear. Write this number down.

Folding your rectangle in half (lengthwise), find the approximate center on the side where your fabric folds. This is where the opening for your head will be.

With your head measurement, curve that measure lined around approximately where the center of the folded side is.

(OPTIONAL: Hem this circle using the same hemming procedures above)

NOVICE:

1. Place your two pieces together RIGHT SIDE of one piece to the RIGHT SIDE of the other piece.
2. Using your needle and thread, sew a straight line down the folded edge to sew them together.

EXPERT:

1. Place your two pieces together RIGHT SIDE of one piece to the RIGHT SIDE of the other piece.

2. Use your sewing machine to sew down a straight line along the folded to sew them together .

• TIP: Draw a straight line before you stitch to guide you.

You now have a basic Blancho!

With your garment still folded lengthwise Measure out 12” starting from the bottom of the garment. For every 4” out of the 12”, make a mark. You should have 3 marks.

Using the marks, cut out slits that are about 1”. You should have 12 slits on each flap.

Using the remains of your cut fabric that haven’t been used, cut out 6 strips of fabric depending on how long you want your ties to be. They can be any size!

Slip these through the back slits and through the front slits of one side. Tie them together. Repeat on the other side.

Take your bar of beeswax and warm it up by placing it in the microwave for 5-10 secs. You want the bar slightly flexible/malleable but NOT MELTED. This will make applying the beeswax onto your garment a lot easier.

*Please excuse my dirty microwave