Weighted Vests

by Cecilia Lee
(Vancouver, WA USA)

Is anyone out there making their own weighted vests and/or blankets? What I need to know is how to align the "BB's" in a blanket to get the weight distributed? I can not afford, at $100, to buy one. Thank you.









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starstarstarstarstar 		Making Blankets (Vest next)
by: Anonymous

It's great to see you made a vest, I'm about to make one and am reading everything I can find.

Two excellent blanket making resources are here:

thesquishypickles.blogspot.com/2011/04/weighted-blanket-tutorial.html

and

craftnectar.com/2009/09/03/calming-the-senses-with-weighted-blankets/

particularly the second one.

I was able to make a 22lb blanket for an adult and an 8lb child's blanket with these instructions. I'm thinking the same filler, polypropylene beads, will work for the vest. It will be for an adult.
Someone's comment suggested taking a vest and refilling it with weighted material- this is the way I'm going to go.

Great website, I've learnt a lot here. Many thanks~
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starstarstarstarstar 		blanket
by: Anonymous

I just made my own for my classroom. I took fabric and measured it 9" by 20" (so finished is 8" by 19" with the half inch seam allowance.) I then sewed two seams each a third of the way across, dividing it into three sections. I filled each section with rice and then sewed it shut. I also created a "pillowcase" type cover for each so that it could be washed. The three sections help keep it distributed properly. If you are doing more than 2.5 lbs, you will need to increase the width, I would do a 12" by 20", I broke a couple of sewing machine needles doing this! Keep in mind that most OTs recommend no more than 5% of the total body weight.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Ziplock Baggies
by: McPhystal

If you have an old vest or jacket that is stuffed with cotton, you can open up a section of the seam and fill it with weight. More specifically, put some sand into a ziplock baggie (or make as many as possible) and place it in the vest/jacket. If you have one of those vacuum sealer devices, it would be even better.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Weighted Blanket
by: Anonymous

I am not a seamstress by any means but I was able to make a small, weighted lap blanket using Jasmine Rice as a filler. I measured out a grid on the blanket and filled each section with 1/4 cup of rice. It is wonderfully soothing and can even be heated in the microwave.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Weighted vest/blanket
by: Anonymous

You can make bean bags and distribute equal weight between them, then sew them into the blanket or place them into pockets in the blanket or vest.

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