Like many couples, I find that my husband and I never want the same amount of blankets. So, every night there’s always rolled up blankets in the middle of the bed because one person is too hot. I finally decided to do something about it since that extra blanket is taking up too much room! Enter the Happy Couple Blanket. It’s easy to make and as a bonus you can make two finished blankets to give one as a gift this Christmas!
To get started, choose a sheet and a blanket based on how hot or cold you need and purchase one of each in the size of your bed. I purchased a queen size flat sheet and queen size blanket. A few other options you could choose would be a flannel sheet, down blanket, lightweight blanket, comforter, quilt, or whatever would be the perfect temperature for each of you. In this post I’ll be referring to the sheet and the blanket since that’s what I used. I was able to find a sheet and blanket that matched exactly in color at WalMart. You’ll start with a sheet and a blanket that fit the size of the bed the final product will be used on (example: start with a queen sized sheet and a queen sized blanket for a queen sized bed).
1. First, cut both the sheet and blanket in half lengthwise. Then, with right sides (the top sides) together line up the cut edges of one sheet half and one blanket half and sew the edges together with a 3/8″ seam allowance (for a thicker blanket you may need a larger seam allowance).
2. Flip the blanket and sheet around so the wrong sides (bottom sides) are together. Sew along your center seam leaving a 5/8″ seam allowance to trap the seam you created in step 1.
3. Looking at the top of the blanket, fold the seam you created in step 2 to one side, then topstitch along the open edge. This will be much easier if you have the sheet side going under the arm of your sewing machine and the blanket side off to the side of the sewing machine. You now have a very sturdy seam and the blanket is finished! Repeat with the other blanket half and sheet half for a unique gift that lots of couples would enjoy.
Because it’s hard to see the whole project in the photos above, I’ve also created this illustration that matches the steps above. This process is known as a French seam.
Edit: My sheet and blanket were the same color so it’s a little difficult to see the difference in the “after” photo, but the sheet side is on the left and the blanket side with the quilting lines is on the right.
57 comments
Brilliant!!! I actually make my bed with separate blankets and then throw the comforter over the top to hide. This is a great solution and great tutorial and LOVE that infomercial pic!!! 😉
Love it! That’s hilarious and SO true!
ROFL, brilliant, and the photos definitely make it 😀
Umm.. you need to patent that!! GENIUS!!
Agreed, genius! We just put two blankets on our bed last night, due to this problem. I think this might be the new snuggie… It has informercial written all over it 🙂 but would be so popular with the crafting community too.
That is fantastic and so simple. One of those “Why didn’t I think of that?” ideas!
And I love your cheesy infomercial pics! Thanks for linking at “This Week”!
Loved the photos, still laughing! And what a great idea! We also use completely different blankets on each side of our bed.
Love it, great idea. We have a dual control electric blanket, he keeps his on, I keep mine off! But this idea will be great for my son and his wife!
What a clever idea! We could definitely use one!
what a brilliant idea! Love this! and great infomercial photos too!
Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a great week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/
This is great! Love the infomercial picture, so cute! 😉
Too funny! 🙂 Thanks for linking up to {Sew} Modern Monday and have a great week!
What a great idea! A solution to a problem that has haunted marriages for centuries. 🙂
LOVE it!!!! Such a simple solution!!! :o) I may just have to do this!!! But I have a feeling I would still manage to steal the whole thing at night! :o)
Jaime from crafty scrappy happy
Lol, we definitely have that same problem. This is a really fun solution.:)
This is brilliant… get a patent!!!
P.S. I’m giving away 25 free shutterfly holiday cards… come on by! http://acraftyescape.blogspot.com/2011/11/giveaway-shutterflys-2011-holiday-cards.html
I found a similar comforter on QVC years ago but it sold out immediately and I have never been able to find something similar in stores. THANK YOU so very much for sharing this. I am making this today!
Genius. You may have saved a few marriages
love this! such a cool idea. We have the same problem with our blankets. Thanks so much for linking up and sharing:>
Love this product! My husband is always too hot and I can never be too warm and comfy! Thanks for sharing this idea!
Totally awesome! I love the wrap-up photo!
Omg, this is so cute!!
Ha!!! you´re genius!!! I´d wish I had a couple… LOL
Great idea!
Great idea…just put it on my to-do list for this week! I hate having that wad of blankets between us!
I dontget it…is it two separate matching blankets? Or is it one with ann extra layer n only one side????
Hi Theresa, Basically it’s a sheet and a blanket cut in half lengthwise and sewn together. You could do a lighter blanket and heavier blanket combo also, or whatever works best for you!
LOL I’ve been sleeping with an additional Single sized wool blanket over my side in addition to the comforter for YEARS now. this is a cool idea.
I really don’t get this either….you said it is a sheet and a blanket cut in half lengthwise and sewn together……so why cut it in half? How are you sewing it together? Does it end up as two blankets or what? I really want to do this as everyone else seems to understand and are raving that it’s a great idea.
Please clarify how this works……thanks so much, JJ
Hi JJ- Yes, you will end up with two “blankets” when you are finished (each is customized as a half-and-half sheet/blanket combo). One for your bed, and one to give to a friend! The tutorial shows how you can sew them together in the middle to connect in what is called a French seam. You do not sew them completely together, top to bottom–just along one long edge, so the sheet and blanket each fold over to their respective sides of the bed. The idea is a blanket that can be half warm and half cooler, for couples that fight over what covers to use.
This is a wonderful idea. I will have to make one so I don’t have to fight with hubby over which blankets to use. Thank you for the tute. Merry Christmas!
The “after” pic is what’s confusing because unless you can find a blanket that exactly matches the sheet, it will look like 2 halves sewn together, right? The pic makes it look like the blanket has been covered or layered by the sheet to make it match – which would also work, you just wouldn’t cut the sheet in half.
The idea is to find a sheet that is the same color as your blanket. If you notice in the “after” pic, the left side is the sheet and the right side is the blanket (which has vertical quilting lines). Of course, you could use this method with any thickness of blanket, from a sheet to a throw to a comforter, depending on your wish. Hope this helps KJ!
Having the same problem I purchased a bold of fleese and had it cut into 3 pieces. I stacked the 3 pieces and sewed one edge together. Then I pulled the top and bottem pieces off the middle piece. So that now one half had 1 layer of fleece and the other half had 2 layers of fleece. I used contrasting fleece to bind the edges and we have been very happy with the results. Also solved was the issue of blankets not being wide enough for our king size beed. oanste took d ia
I also don’t get it. From the illustration, it looks like you are cutting them apart and sewing them back together the same way. Do both people have a sheet/blanket combo? Or is the sheet doubled on one side and the blanket doubled on the other side? Please, for us literal learners, be more specific?
Hi Jeanene, The numbers next to the illustration correspond with the numbered steps that give more details to the process.
To sum it up, you cut one blanket in half and one sheet in half lengthwise. The sheet and blanket should be for the same bed size of the bed they’ll be used on (example: a queen sheet and a queen blanket for a queen bed). Then, using a French seam, sew together one half of the blanket to one half of the sheet. You now have a bed covering that is one half a blanket and one half a sheet. Repeat with the other one sheet half and one blanket half and you have one for yourself and one to give away. Hope that clears things up!
I just found this pattern on your site and it is a great therapy tool for couples who “fight over the blankets” LOL. Great Idea!
This is the best idea ever!!! I will be making one of these and give the second set to my daughter. On second thought, I will need one for the camper also.
I did something similar when I found out my hubby hated the flannel sheets I loved. I happened to overhear him talking to a buddy—-Anyway, I went out and found a cottens sheet that would go with my plaid flannel sheet. I then cut each in halft lengthwise and sewed a cotten sheet and flannel sheet together. I have my flannel, he has his cool cotten.
Over the last few years, my girlfriend and I have faced the same issues…Finally, I decided to do something about it and started a small home-based business that sells a comforter called the Twovét™ (The Duvet For Two!). Once the idea came to me (and you for that matter…), I drove to my mothers house to create a prototype. Sales have been on the slow side but it has been an awesome experience learning about product design and the launch process. If you have any feedback, it would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers!
Tim
Tim Doyle – Founder
TheTwovet.com
Facebook.com/TheTwovet
Twitter.com/TheTwovet
I think I will try it but buy a king size sheet and blanket for a queen size bed. We always says our sheets are never big enough.
http://files.sharenator.com/mother_of_god_Half_Life_2_Lamp-s233x249-341301-580.jpg
MOTHER OF GOD! Why didn’t I realize this sooner! *frantically knocks over desk, kicks dogs out of the way to run for the sewing machine*
Tim…as much as your enthusiasm and ingenuity inspire me to want to buy your product the $259 price tag makes me go EEP!
Btw that was a picture of a dude going “MOTHER OF GOD!” in the link…dang thing didn’t show.
Holy Cow & a half cut… this is ingenious you are smart to come up with this one… i have found it late but that does not stop me for making one for my son & daughter – in -law, they will love it… I’m divorced now so i don’t have this problem, thank God !!! But so many couples do… thanks so much for the tute you have saved a lot of marriages I bet…
This is a brilliant idea but hubs and I have a different problem, he likes to cocoon himself in the blanket and I have to have the blanket as smooth and wrinkle free as possible. Also, he hates flat sheets and I prefer them. Needless to say we have had many kicking and pulling wars over the blanket lol. Separate blankets are the only solution for us BUT this has given me a great idea for my flat sheets!
This is a great idea, but I think I’ll make mine vertical instead of horizontal cuz our feet are always freezing! And instead of cutting the sheet, maybe I’ll just add the blanket to it.
I did something similar over 2 years ago. I’m a quilter and I designed a quilt for my hubby and I that I called our “Happy couples quilt” (great minds…) With this quilt, I added extra batting to my half because I’m always colder. I also made other adjustments to all for the ways we regulate our temperature. Such as he cools off by sticking his arms out but I like the quilt up by my chin. So I put a slit in at the top (goes down 20″) so he can fold the quilt down to be under his arms while I can pull my half up to my chin. I aslo added a flap on my side to cover my back. Similarly, there is a slit at the foot of the quilt so I can stick my feet out to cool off while he can have his side tucked in. Here’s a picture of my quilt if you’re interested: https://picasaweb.google.com/102610327408899809325/AQSShowQuilts#5758859733891337730
Thanks for sharing Kelly! I love that you added even more customizations to your quilt. I never thought of the slit at the top and bottom, that would be perfect for us too! And your quilt is absolutely beautiful. Thanks for sharing the photo!
Same problem here. I purchased a bolt of fleese and had them cut it into 3 equal pieces. At home I sewed the pieces together at one edge then pulled the bottem and top pieces over the seam and added fleece binding around the edge. He gets the side with 2 layers and I get the one with only 1 layer. We are both happy.
This is such a great idea. I know some couples that would greatly benefit.
I have another option for this. Buy a king size duvet cover and stitch straight down the center. You can either leave 1 side empty and put a twin size duvet in the other, or different weight twin size duvets in each side. Or, do what we do (since my boyfriend is from Denmark where everyone does this) and each have your own duvet instead of a top sheet & blanket. It makes it so much faster and easier to make the bed in the mornings. Even my college-age son loves it.
That’s a great (and even easier) idea, thanks for sharing!
I was able to buy these sets all made at Kmart within the last 2years—I bought 2king sets for us & 1 queen set for my son ( he’s always cold & wife is hot–just like my husband & myself). They came with fitted bottoms & they were a little bigger than normal with deep pockets so they always fit wash after wash. I am on this site cause Kmart doesn’t seem to have them anymore & I wanted to buy some more!!! I hope you started a business with this as you will get lots of customers with all the ‘baby boomers’!!!
You need to patent this girlie!!! 🙂
BRILLIANT!! Love this. Great Job!
Just to clarify, each person has a half sheet/half blanket – are the seams of both meeting at center or are they on the edge of the bed? Thx for elaborating and please reply to my email address if you would, thanks! Great idea!
Hi Annette! You’ll cut the blanket in half lengthwise and cut the sheet in half lengthwise. Take one half of the blanket and one half of the sheet and sew the raw seams together at the center with a French seam (described in the instructions). Because you’ll still have half a sheet and half a blanket, you can make a second Happy Couple Blanket! So, in the completed Happy Couple Blanket, one person (the one who is cold) will get the half blanket and one person (the one who is hot) will get the half sheet.