Make it for love, hope, joy, peace and happiness.

This lovely, appliqued blanket has been christened the Peace Blanket as it's been decorated with the internationally recognised symbols of peace: the olive branch, the peace dove and hearts. The embroidered words - love, hope. joy, peace, kindness and happiness reflect the sentiment behind these motifs.

The shapes are naive and the colours softly muted, but it could be made up in any colours that suit your home.

The applique work is done on a felt square before being stitched on the blanket, so the project doesn't become too heavy and unwieldy as you work on it.

You can make the blanket from a piece of pure wool blanketing, or on an existing blanket.

Gather your supplies
1.5m of 150cm-wide cream blanketing
1.5m of 150 cm-wide backing fabric
2 packets cream bias binding
A selection of felt squares, here 25 squares in the following colours: moss green, mid green, dark green, pale blue, grey blue, denim blue, caramel, sandstone, wheat, beige and cream for a 140 x 140cm blanket
Extra felt for motifs
DMC Perle 8 in Caramel 436, Blue Grey 930, Green 469
Quilt basting spray
Size 22 chenille needle
6 tiny cream buttons (eyes)
30 green buttons and 7 brown buttons (olives)
Selection of odd buttons to stitch to the centre of the hearts
20 wooden heart-shaped buttons and 20 wooden star-shaped buttons (more or less, depending on the size of your blanket)
Fading fabric marker
1/4 in quitter's masking tape
Pins

Here's how
STEP 1
Trim the blanketing to ensure that it's square Cut twenty-five 20cm felt squares, using all the colours. Enlarge the templates using a grid or a photocopier, cut out all pattern pieces. Pin the patterns to the coloured felt and cut out the number of shapes required for 6 doves, 6 hearts and 7 olive branches

Cut 6 different coloured felt 13 x 9cm rectangles. Spray the back of each shape with quitter's basting spray.

STEP 2
To make the dove square, lay the dove shapes (B, C and E) on a 20cm square, on the diagonal. Blanket stitch each piece in place, first the body, the beak, then the wing. Sew on a small cream button for the eye. Refer to the photo and draw the legs and olive branch with a fading fabric pen, back stitch over the top in a contrasting colour to the background felt. Position the leaves (F), back stitch in place.

STEP 3
To make the olive branches refer to the photograph and use the fading fabric pen to draw the branch onto a felt square on the diagonal. Back stitch over the top in a contrasting colour to the background felt. Position the felt leaves (A) around the branch and back stitch in place. Sew buttons between the leaves as olives.

STEP 4
To make the heart, position the shape (B) in the centre of a felt square on the diagonal and blanket stitch it in place using a contrasting thread. Sew a row of running stitch around the heart using a contrasting coloured thread to the background felt and stitching about 3mm out from the edge of the heart. Sew a button in the centre of the heart, knot thread at the front of the button and cut it off, leaving a 3cm tad.

Use a fading fabric pen to write the words onto the felt rectangles and back stitch over the top using contrasting thread. Centre the embroidered rectangle on a contrasting colour felt square on the diagonal and blanket stitch it in place.

When all the squares are completed, spray the back of each with basting spray then position them on the blanketing in a diamond pattern, with every alternate square being the background blanketing fabric. Blanket stitch each square in place. Place strips of quitter's tape around the perimeter of each background blanketing square, then using the edge of the tape as a guide, sew a line of running stitch around the perimeter of each square using blue grey Perle thread.

STEP 5
Cut and pin the backing fabric to the back of the blanket and tack in place. Bind the edges of the blanket with cream bias binding. Sew a wooden button to each corner of the felt squares using Perle cotton and leaving a tail of thread at the front.

Squares

Heart

Joy

Dove

Olive

Templates

Applique tips

If you don't have the time and patience to hand stitch the appliquéd shapes, machine stitch them in place using a narrow zig zag stitch. When working the olive branches, substitute black or dark blue beads for the buttons if you wish

Source: Better Homes and Gardens July 2003.
Designed & made: Stephanie Watts, Mumruffin Cottage, PO Box 103 Nowra NSW 2541