Meet George. George is an OTTB (off-the-track-thoroughbred). You'll see him a lot around here. Because he is my horse. And a very good model. Because modeling things is one of the only things you can do when you are always lame, George is going to be modeling a LOT of stuff in the near future.
George is body clipped. He wears a number of blankets. And he can't go a night without them. So when sweet, gentle, lame George decided to rip a whole all the the way through his blanket, I had to fix it quick.
I can sew. Or, to be technical, I have a basic knowledge of sewing. I have a Wal-Mart machine and a needle and thread. My machine can't handle a horse blanket. So when a hole is too big to fix with a simple needle and thread I go to the iron-on patch.
Iron-on patches are awesome for fixing horse blankets because they seal all the loose threads so the patch doesn't fray. They are quick and easy to apply. You need no skills whatsoever.
George is body clipped. He wears a number of blankets. And he can't go a night without them. So when sweet, gentle, lame George decided to rip a whole all the the way through his blanket, I had to fix it quick.
I can sew. Or, to be technical, I have a basic knowledge of sewing. I have a Wal-Mart machine and a needle and thread. My machine can't handle a horse blanket. So when a hole is too big to fix with a simple needle and thread I go to the iron-on patch.
Iron-on patches are awesome for fixing horse blankets because they seal all the loose threads so the patch doesn't fray. They are quick and easy to apply. You need no skills whatsoever.
This is what George's blanket looked like when I started. If I had been smart I'd have held this blanket up and had someone take a picture. But I didn't. Sorry. I'm new to this blogging thing.
He ripped it straight through. I could put my arm through it. I didn't, but I could have.
He ripped it straight through. I could put my arm through it. I didn't, but I could have.
First I took a spray bottle of water and wiped the area around the cut down. You want to get off as much of the dirt as you can before you apply the patch. If there is dirt, the patch will stick to the dirt and not the fabric. I don't recommend putting the blanket through the wash because the wash will cause fraying. Fraying is the enemy.
Next take your iron-on patch and cut it to size with a pair of scissors. I don't have a picture of this step because I forgot. And it is really hard to take pictures of yourself doing stuff. Turn your iron on and let it heat up to full heat.
Next, pull the sides of the rip together and place the patch over the rip. It doesn't matter if you start with the inside or the outside of the blanket. Place the iron over the patch and hold it there for 30 seconds. Do not move the iron. The patch will move with it and smear the glue everywhere. After thirty seconds, lift up the iron and allow the patch to cool off.
Do you see the gap on the edge of the patch. That is bad. If the edges of the patch are attached, leave it alone. If not, you have to iron again. You may have to adjust the blanket. Do not leave the iron on for more than 30 seconds or iron again until the patch is completely cool. This will result in melting. Melting is very, very bad.
Next we have to address the missing batting. This is absolutely not a necessary step. Your horse will be just fine without it. Quilt batting is kind of expensive, so don't buy it just for this. If you have some laying around like I did, break it out and use it. You can also use padding from a pillow, or a stuffed animal, or anything. It's going inside a patched horse blanket. This is not the time to get fancy.
You'll also need some spray adhesive. Which is spray on glue. If you don't have any, just use regular glue. Same your money for supplements.
You'll also need some spray adhesive. Which is spray on glue. If you don't have any, just use regular glue. Same your money for supplements.
Spray the adhesive where the missing batting is.
Lay your batting in place and trim it to fit.
Then seal the other half of the blanket using the same iron-on patch method.
Then seal the other half of the blanket using the same iron-on patch method.
And here's the finished blanket! For $4 I fixed my blanket in under an hour and George's butt is once again warm and happy. Or it was until he ripped it again two days. Good thing I buy the patches in bulk.
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