How to make a chenille denim blanket

How to Make Fabric Rosebuds and Flowers

Things You’ll Need

• 100 percent cotton fabric
• Ruler or tape measure
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Pins
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Chenille or rotary cutter (optional)
• Toothbrush

Chenille is a soft, fuzzy fabric or trim used for clothing, accessories and home decor. You can create chenille fabric or strips from layers of cotton material. Use chenille strips to outline and emphasize shapes, such a butterflies or flowers, on a homemade or store-bought bedspread. Make potholders or a tote bag from chenille fabric. Add a touch of whimsy to a dress or blouse. Chenille is a versatile enhancement to many of sewing, quilting and craft projects.

Chenille Fabric

Cut eight pieces of fabric to the same size. Layer the fabric right side down on a flat surface.

Fold the top piece of fabric in half at one corner to find the bias. Bring the bottom left corner up toward the top so that the bottom and top edges are even, and a crease extends from the top left corner. Crease the fold line.

Unfold the fabric and draw along the creased line. Pin the layers together. Draw additional lines 3/8 inch apart on each side of the first drawn line, from the drawn line to the corner.

Stitch along each of the drawn lines. Stitch the lines in alternating directions to prevent puckering. Back-stitch at the ends to prevent the stitches from coming lose.

Turn the sewn fabric right side up. Place the scissor tip or chenille cutter between the sixth and seventh fabric layers, centered between a pair of stitched lines, and cut the top six layers from one end to the other. Cut between each pair of stitched lines.

Use the chenille fabric, cut side up, in a project.

Machine-wash and tumble-dry the completed project. Fluff the chenille with a toothbrush.

Chenille Strips

Cut three squares of fabric to the same size. Layer the fabric right side down on a flat surface. Pin the layers together.

Draw a line diagonally across the back of the top piece of fabric, from one corner to the other. Draw additional lines every 3/8 inch on each side of the center line.

Stitch along each of the drawn lines, starting in the center and working toward the edges. Remove the pins as you go.

Cut through all layers in the center between the drawn lines with scissors or a rotary cutter.

Sew the chenille strips into place through the stitched line. Wash the completed project and fluff the chenille with a tooth brush.

Use basting spray instead of pins to hold the fabric layers together. Position the brightest fabric as the top layer when using more than one color.

About the Author

Crystal Marie launched her freelance writing career in July 2009 after working for nearly 20 years in public health. She writes for various websites and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business and human resources management from Simpson University.

Last Updated: July 2, 2020

This article was co-authored by Lois Wade. Lois Wade has 45 years of experience in crafts including sewing, crochet, needlepoint, cross-stitch, drawing, and paper crafts. She has been contributing to craft articles on wikiHow since 2007.

This article has been viewed 43,572 times.

Do you have unused, worn out jeans? Got an old flannel sheet hanging around that you never use? Here’s a recycling idea for you––make a warm, comfy blanket! It’s cute, easy to do, and it recycles your old jeans and sheets.

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Quilter and Quilt Instructor in Omaha, Nebraska

Following are the very basic instructions on how to make your own Chenille using the Olfa Chenille Cutter . Are there other options for making your own chenille? Yes, but I much prefer the Olfa cutter for it’s simplicity and ease of use.

If you would like more detail on the Olfa Chenille Cutter , please check out this post.

Fabrics – I find that homespun cottons, flannels, and denim all work very well when making chenille. These fabrics are loosely woven and tend to “bloom” very nicely. I also use challis (rayon) and cotton calicos, for these fabrics I make my channel stitching closer together because it doesn’t “bloom” quite as thick as the other fabrics. Another fabric that is fun to chenille is fleece – when you are working

with fleece you only use two layers of fabric, the channels are cut only into the top fabric.

Layers of Fabric — the number of layers used to make the chenille depends on the final project. If both sides of the project will be visible when finished, I leave two fabrics not cut through. The number of layers that I cut through varies based on use of the project, and the fabrics thickness. Some examples are:

• Flannel Baby Blanket – 5 layers, cut through 3
• Homespun fabric if rug, hot pads, place mats, etc – 6 layers, cut through 4.
• Homespun pillow – 5 layers, cut through 4 (because the back of the chenille would be inside the pillow and no one would see)
• You will need to make variations depending on your projects.

Suggestion – If working with different colors of fabrics, or a patterned fabric to make your chenille, I suggest taking some 6” squares of the fabric you are planning to use. Stitch your channels, cut the top layers, wash, and dry completely – this will give you a test sample of what the finished fabric will look like. It’s always nicer to make adjustments in the test sample then to spend time making a full project and then be disappointed in the final look.

Layering – When layering fabrics, you lay the first fabric facing down and the rest facing up. If the fabric has a pattern you want to be able to notice when the project is chenilled that you will have to layer the fabrics you will cut through so that pattern in the fabric lay exactly on top of each other. If you don’t care about that than you can layer the fabrics at random (but then the sample piece suggested above is almost a must bef

ore creating chenille for the entire project).

Stitiching – Channels are stitched on the bias. It doesn’t need to be a true bias but it should be close (see image on the right – channels are shown with dotted lines). What I do is draw a line from one corner to the opposite corner and stitch that line. From that point, I usually move my needle on my machine all the way to the left and just use my right edge of my presser foot as a guide to sew the next ch

annel. Continue all the way across the whole project till the whole thing is channel stitched.

Cutting – Find the foot on the Chenille cutter that fits the best (tightest) in the channels you have sewn. Put the foot over the one or two bottom layers you don’t want to cut through. Slide the Chenille cutter through the channel cutting the fabrics above the foot. Continue across your whole project.

Note: Sometimes I find it helpful to take a scissor and snip in 1” through the top layers I will chenille – then when I use the Chenille tool it is easy to get the foot between the right layers. Better safe than sorry!

Squaring the Project – After I cut through the layers to chenille I usually squ are up or trim up the edges. If the project is going to be cut to a shape such as a oval or a jacket front, this is the time to do that.

Binding – If the project is going to have binding I add that at this point. It is much easier to add when the project is still flat. If I am making a jacket, I would now sew it together, again it is easier to work with before you wash and dry to “bloom” the chenille.

“Blooming” – This is where your project comes to life! If you have sewn your channels on the bias you should simply just need to wash and dry your project. I hav

e found that some fabrics need you to do this step twice depending on how tight the weave of the fabric is. When it come out of the dryer your project is ready to enjoy!

You will have so much fun sewing your own chenille. Here are more posts in this series to enjoy:

• DYK Olfa Chenille Cutter – all you need to know about this great tool
• Chenille Baby Blanket – a free pattern, and so very cute!
• Chenille Rug – need something for a country kitchen?
• Chenille Placemats – another free pattern
• Chenille Jackets – not a pattern this time, but a great idea!
• Chenille Heart Table Toppers – you’ll “love” making this sweet project

Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila

What is a Chenille Quilt?

Making chenille looks complicated, but with a walking foot and one special tool called a chenille cutter, it’s actually an easier way to make a quilt. It’s simply stacking multiple layers of fabric, usually whole cloth identical print and a backing fabric, then sewing parallel lines an equal distance across the entire piece. This step can take quite a bit of time, a lot of thread and many bobbins. Next is the cutting of each channel down the center, leaving the bottom layer uncut, then finishing with a toss in the washer and dryer to fluff the raw edges into a soft and cuddly layer.

Chenille Panel Quilt Closeup

Here’s What We Did For Our Quilt

Our sample quilt was made with 3 panels and backing fabric. The pattern doesn’t call for any batting, however we chose to add a layer of standard weight cotton batting for extra warmth and a more quilty feel.

Supplies

• Chenille Panel Quilt Pattern
• 3 – 1 Yard Panels
• 1 1/4 Yard Backing Fabric
• 1/2 Yard Binding Fabric
• Batting (optional)
• Olfa Chenille Cutter
• 505 Basting Spray

We Prefer The Olfa Chenille Cutter

Although the Olfa Chenille Cutter is not required for this project, it really does make the process much easier and faster to complete. It’s designed for both right and left handed use. The chenille cutter cuts through multiple layers of fabric like butter. It features 4-channel guide sizes for narrow to wide widths, and 24 new exposed blade edges, all with one click. The ultra sharp black, double-honed blade is never exposed for extra safety during cutting. No scissors needed! Foot protects cutting surface from damage.

Please share your comments or tips on chenille quilt making. We appreciate your feedback.

Mayfair Panel Paul & Sheldon Playmat

Stitch and Slash technique is a beautiful fabric embellishment technique that produces a faux chenille effect on fabric surface. It involves stitching together two or more layers of fabric one on top of the other in parallel diagonal lines (bias) and then cutting through the top layers leaving the base layer intact. A fluffy effect similar to the pile of velvet or chenille is created .

This technique is very much used by textile artists to give great texture and interesting effects to their work. It is also used in quilting and in making home decor accessories. You can use decorative stitches and other embellishments like bead embroidery, metallic embroidery, crystals to further decorate the surface of the work

The stitch and slash technique is used in the following way in embellishing garments. Almost like a reverse applique effect. Fabric is cut out from the top fabric to expose the underlayer . You can use sequinned or beaded fabric layer underneath for a subtle but ornate look.

The back of the fabric will look like this

The second layer is baste stitched to the fabric and then stitched on marked surfaces. Then the top layer is cut out to expose the base layer in attractive patterns.

Faux Chenille fabric

The Slashing technique is used to make a fabric that looks very much like Chenille fabric. When the top layers are cut , after fabric layers are sewn together, the cut edges of the fabric layers on top are exposed . They are then made to look frayed by machine washing or hand washing or agitation so that the thread ends of all the layers are exposed . They will look very similar to the piles of chenille fabric ( so the name faux chenille) when used with appropriate fabrics

Basically the stitch & slash work involves this process – Layer many layers of fabric one on top of the other, make several stitches on the bias grain making channels and then cut through the top layers (leaving a one or two layers uncut as base). When agitated ( with brushes or by washing in a washing machine) the cut edges will fray and create a fluffy texture.

How to to make the Faux chenille fabric (by Stitch & Slash)

Step 1

Select the fabric for the layers

You can layer two fabric for a very subtle effect. Three layers works fine with most fabrics. More than three will give you a more rich and fluffier look. Remember you have to stitch all of them together, so do not go overboard.

The base fabric should be a medium weight fabric- nothing flimsy. You can choose any fabric as the base, so long as it will support the layers you mean to keep on top. A Muslin cotton fabric is a safe and stable choice

The layers also can be any fabric which you know will fray well. You can select a medium weight loosely woven fabric.

You should select fabrics which work well together – For example select dryclean only fabric with machine wash fabric for the same layers at your own risk.

You can test the effect by cutting a small piece diagonally from the fabric you mean to use and then agitate the cut edges to know how they will behave. You can also wash them to know for sure . Does it fluff the way you want it to? If yes, use it. Some fabrics like Polyester or fabrics with spandex may not .

Depending on the fabric layers used ,their colour, texture etc the stitch and slash effect can be very varied. It can be made to look very subtle as well as very dramatic. A variegated look can be made by using appropriate patterns and colours.

Step 2

Prewash your fabric if you suspect that the fabric may bleed. For fabrics that you know will not bleed you do not have to prewash . Press to remove wrinkles.

Step 3

Baste stitch along the edges so that the fabric layers would not shift.

Mark diagonal lines parallel to each other 1/2 inch apart. You may have to mark Closer lines for thin fabrics like say 1/4 inch apart . I mark on the back of the fabric on the base layer and stitch there.

Stitch with a very short straight or narrow zig zag stitch all along the lines.

Step 4

Slash through the layers, using very sharp pointed fabric

Insert the scissors blade inside the layers above the base layer and Cut throught the channels in between the stitching lines you have made carefully, leaving the base layer of fabric intact.You need really sharp scissors for this part. Ensure that you are not touching or slashing the base layer at any point in time

You can agitate the cut edges by rubbing them against a fabric with rough texture like Denim or use a tooth brush or wire brush to agitate the fibers. You can wash them in the washing machine one or more times along with a fabric with texture and dry them.All of these actions or anyone of them will make the cut edges fluffy enough and fill the channels you have cut through. The result is a beautiful luxurious piled fabric

Another idea is to Use sewing Machine pressure foot to make the chenille effect

This method uses the Fringe pressure foot to make fabric with the fuzzy look of a chenille fabric. Create fabric loops with the help of this foot and then cut the loops to resemble fringes or you can use couching stitches and thick fluffy yarn to make beautiful chenille effect fabric.