It’s all about the fabric.

One of my favorite aspects of blanket making is the shopping process. I love the numerous choices of all the exquisite fabrics and don’t even get me started on the colorful, plush, amazing yarns. I could spend hours in the fabric store choosing the perfect fabric and yarn. (Wait, I do spend hours in the fabric store picking out the perfect fabric and yarn.) My husband knows the day I go fabric and yarn hunting, it will be hours before he sees me again. A person could get lost in the aisles and shelves of decadent fabric. The possibilities are literally endless!

Thank heavens the fleece market has improved over the years. Although Hobby Lobby and Walmart carry a small supply of fleece in their respective stores, I purchase most of my material from Joann Fabrics and Crafts.

So many darling choices!

There are many different fleece materials to choose from that are made from a variety of different sources. Most all fleece fabric comes on a bolt in 60 inch increments (150cm) with pretty neat edges that have little to no fraying; making it ideal for a lot of projects. It’s also water resistant and extremely warm and soft. Did you know most all fleece is made from 100% recycled plastic? This is important, because it helps clean up the overabundance of plastic on the planet, hopefully before it makes it into our oceans.

Plastic pieces used to make fleece.

So what’s the preferred material for your blanket? The great news is, that’s totally up to you. The fleece fabric world is your oyster. I’ll tell you my preferred pick, but you get to decide which material fits your creation best.

Blizzard vs Anti-pill vs Anti-pill plush vs Luxe vs Pop!Anti-peel. Let’s break it down a bit.

Blizzard fleece~ This fabric is suppose to be a higher, smoother quality vs Anti-pill fleece. It’s also a bit less expensive. This fabric feels thicker to the touch and a bit stiffer, only going through the brushed stage to break up the fabric loops once. This will cause it to “ball up” or pill much easier upon use and washing.

Notice the backside of this Blizzard fabric is just a little bit blurred and the words are backwards. This fabric is also quite dense and stiff. Nice clean edges though~not much fraying.

Anti-pill fleece~Just like the name implies, this material is designed to not “pill” as much, if at all, as its sister fabric Blizzard. Although both fabrics are brushed to give them a fluffy, soft quality, anti-pill is softer to the touch and lightweight. This is due to the secondary shearing that takes place to reduce the pilling process.

This Anti-Pill Plush Fleece it is extremely soft and cuddly. You can see how the backside print is a bit lighter.

Anti-Pill Plush~Joann’s now is carrying Anti-pill plush fleece fabric. It has taken the place of their traditional anti-pill fabric. It’s incredibly soft to the touch, I mean incredibly so. It's a higher quality of anti-pill fleece and a littler bit more expensive.

Luxe Fleece~This luxurious high quality fabric is double layered and extremely soft. It is designed to not pill and is definitely heavier and warmer. The price point is quite a bit higher than the fleece fabric mentioned above. If you’er lucky enough to snag it on sale, it’s worth the price to splurge every now and then.

Luxe is so thick and dreamy! There’s also a bit of a sheen to it and it’s much heavier in weight. Notice the wrong side is lighter so it’s easy to tell right side from wrong side when putting two sides together.

Pop!Anti-Pill Fleece~Is a very lightweight 100% Polyester filament or threadlike fiber fleece fabric carried at Joann's. It is cuddly soft to the touch and carried in the fleece section at Joann's. There’s a limited supply of designs and colors due to its new arrival to fleece, but it is perfect for the spring and summer months.

Pop!Anti-Pill Fleece is so lightweight and buttery soft. It’s very thin and stretches easily. You can almost see through it but not quite. I would recommend using this for a back or front piece, not for both sides of a blanket.

Now, which fleece fabric do I prefer? (Insert Drumroll here) My ultimate choice is Anti-pill plush. It’s the right price point for me ( with coupons of course) it’s ultra soft, and due to the fact it washes up so nicely without pilling. It is my #1 pick! Honestly, I’ve worked with all of the above materials and they all make a wonderful product. I have made blankets with Anti-pill plush on one side and Luxe on the other and also have used anti-pill plush on one side and Pop!anti-pill on the other side. All have turned out fantastic. I’m not a big fan of mixing Blizzard with Anti-pill plush. It just makes the stiffer fabric of Blizzard stand out too much compared to the lovely feel of Anti-pill plush.

Don’t you just love the Flamingo sitting on top!? We’ll dive into this little beauty later…

So you can see where the sky is the limit here. Your best bet is to experience it for yourself. Take a trip to the fabric store (trust me, give yourself some extra time) to actually feel the fabric for yourself. See the patterns. Notice the weight of each material. Maybe even buy a swatch or remnant to see how you like that particular piece. Remember, this is your project and you get to decide what works best for you or the recipient of this incredible gift. No rules apply.