Since its creation in 1939, Crown Royal Canadian whiskey has been sold in the distinctive crown-shaped bottle protected by a royal purple drawstring bag. The bags make convenient carry-alls for everything from sewing supplies to jewelry, but many people have no idea what to do with the little purple sacks that can pile up over the years of drinking Crown Royal. If you know someone like this, offer to make them a blanket from their Crown Royal sacks.
Instructions
1. Remove the drawstring from each bag. The simplest way to do this is the slice off the top of the bag all the way around with your scissors or rotary cutter.
2. Cut each bag in half along the sides. You now have a front piece, which contains the embroidered Crown Royal logo, and a plain purple side. Iron each half.
3. Lay one pressed bag half on the cutting mat. Measure a 4-inch square and cut with a rotary cutter.
4. Arrange your squares, some which have print on them, some which are plain, to form a pleasing design. The finished design should be a bit larger than the finished dimensions of your blanket, to allow for seam allowances.
5. Take a picture of your layout. Print the picture. This will serve as a design reference as you sew your blanket together.
6. Sew the first square in the top left-hand corner to the square to its right. Sew with a machine, using 1/4-inch seams. Sew each row of squares into a long strip.
7. Sew the strips together. Refer to your photograph as a visual reference for each square's place in the blanket.
8. Pin the strips together, lining up the seams of the squares, and sew them together using 1/4-inch seams.
9. Press the blanket. Press each seam open.
10. Cut the flannel for your backing to the same size as the pieced front of the blanket. Use purple, black, gold or another contrasting color of flannel. Lay the flannel on the floor or table with the wrong side of the fabric facing up. Lay the Crown Royal bag top on the backing, with the wrong side of the blanket top facing the wrong side of the backing. Align the edges and pin together.
11. Sew the top and backing together by sewing wavy lines a random pattern all over or by outlining each Crown Royal Square. Use purple thread that matches the top.
12. Add blanket binding in a contrasting or matching color, all the way around the blanket. Sew the unfolded blanket binding all the way around the quilt on one side, then fold over, press, and sew the second side of the binding by hand or with the sewing machine.
Tips Warnings
You may add a thin layer of batting between the backing and top layers. This makes your creation a Crown Royal quilt.
Tags: make, crown, royal, blanket, Crown Royal, wrong side, 4-inch seams, blanket binding, each half, rotary cutter, some which, strips together, using 4-inch
