How To Make A Weighted Blanket

Emmys 2011: It's time for term limits on perennial nominees

Disagree. Award should go to the best, period. If "Mad Men" is the best drama in its fifth season, then why shouldn't it win? Now, if you're talking about voters being too lazy/incompetent/out of touch to recognize the best, that's a different argument, but why penalize the good with the bad? It's like term limits for politicians; we already have them and they are called "voting." If people can't exercise their rights responsibly maybe they shouldn't be voters.

What an awful idea! What about great shows like Seinfeld, The West Wing, or The Sopranos? You believe that those great shows should have NOT been nominated after their 4th seasons? What about great actors like James Gandolfini, Candice Bergon, and even Brian Cranston? They shouldn't have been nominated in later seasons just because they had won before?

Just because a show is really good consistently doesn't mean it shouldn't be penalized for longevity. Yes, some repeat nominees are ridiculous, but there shouldn't be a blanket rule.

What an awful idea! What about great shows like Seinfeld, The West Wing, or The Sopranos? You believe that those great shows should have NOT been nominated after their 4th seasons? What about great actors like James Gandolfini, Candice Bergon, and even Brian Cranston? They shouldn't have been nominated in later seasons just because they had won before?

Just because a show is really good consistently doesn't mean it shouldn't be penalized for longevity. Yes, some repeat nominees are ridiculous, but there shouldn't be a blanket rule.

@Joe I think the issue here is not so much one of quality but of the impression given that some nominations and wins are being handed out automatically, rather than based on actual merit. That one year, Breaking Bad or Lost might indeed have been the better show, and there might have been other shows equally worthy that never even got nominated.

Frankly, just as the Oscars expanded the Best Picture category to 10 nominations, I think, at least for Drama, the same should be done with the Emmys. It might also fix the way the nominations have been weighted towards cable shows at the expense of shows the majority of viewers actually watch, like NCIS (which has quietly been featuring Emmy-worthy episodes and performances for years).

The Eighth Daughter: Weighted Blanket Project

I just yesterday finished a project I had been working on for a bit of time. My sister-in-law asked me to make a weighted blanket for her daughters birthday present. I had no real idea of what a weighted blanket was or what it would do. I assumed it was a blanket with some sort of weights in the edges to keep it always looking nice on a bed. So I asked started researching. Well, a weighted blanket is a Occupational Therapy tool for a variety of needs. Some of them are used for adults and elderly who have trouble keeping calm, falling asleep or who need some comfort. The weights are calming, I guess like being held. It's used for children who have ADD, autism, or just restlessness and trouble sleeping. So, I figured, hey, it's a new challenge I'll give it a shot. The beads that are used in weighted blankets are usually polystyrene beads, used in dolls or other fabric toys that need some bulk and stiffness, but also need the ability to move. I ordered ten pounds since the quilt I was making needed to be 6. Size for these blankets are varied depending on the size of the person using it. They also make weighted vests for walking around. I started to glue the sides together after sewing them proved to be disastrous. (broken needles, half filled pouches and a lot of strain and irritation.) After I filled and glued the pouches I waited for them to dry and then sewed them together. I did make a mistake when I tried to use a larger spoon to put the beads in the pouches, I put four teaspoons in the large spoon and the put it in the pouch, after  awhile I estimated how much four teaspoons would be and ended up putting in too many. The quilt became 10 pounds as opposed to 6. It was a bear to sew this thing. The weight was always pulling the quilt off my sewing machine. I sewed thru the bead breaking my needles, and beads, oh the beads ended up everywhere. My house is covered in them. My husband joked that I should have just bought another ten pounds  and just poured them on the floor, since that's what happened anyway. I don't think I will make another one of these quilts, so I really hope this one does the trick. You can also buy these quilts ready made, they can go from $100 to $400 depending on size and style. I spend about $80-$100 on materials on this one. So, it may not be cheaper if you choose to make a quilt out of nicer fabric than you can get readymade on the other quilts. Minky is expensive but oh, it is heavenly to touch.

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