# What size for lap quilt?



## featherbottoms

My dad died in 2001 and I have a box full of his western shirts and one denim jacket (with an imitation sheepskin lining).

I would like to take this clothing and make a lap quilt for my mom for Christmas. I've never made a quilt, have tried a couple of times, but I'm pretty sure I can make one of these. 

I don't have enough material to make a full size quilt, and that would probably take me a very long time. I think a lap quilt would be a good size for her and something that I could probably finish by Christmas - this year. So what I need to know is the average size for a lap quilt.

Thanks everyone.

Deb.


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## Garnet

I make 2 kinds of quilts- lap and nap. A lap quilt is to put over your lap and legs. A nap quilt is big enough to cover up when you nap in front of the tv. 

These are just my names. I make a lap quilt 36 x 44. I use a yard of each of 2 fabrics - one for top and one for backing. The fabrics are called 45" wide, but are often a little less. If I piece the top, I make it the size to fit a yard of 45" fabric for backing. This is the size I made for my mother when she was in a nursing home and sitting most of the day. It kept her legs warm. She also liked pockets on the quilt to stick her hands in.

The lap quilt is also the size I use for a baby quilt.

I make a nap quilt 60 x 44. That is the size I made for my dad for his 90th birthday. He could use it when he watched tv in his recliner chair. It was long enough if he wanted to cover up for a nap. If I am piecing the top, I buy 1 2/3 yds of 45" fabric for the backing. That is 60". I would probably buy a little extra to allow for shrinkage when I prelaunder.

A nap quilt can be folded across the foot of a twin bed and is just about right for an extra layer.

BTW, I made camper quilts for DH and me. Mine was 72 x 44 and his was about 6" longer. I used a print for the top and a solid that I had in my stash for the backing. I bought an inexpensive economy acrylic blanket for the batt. I got a size that could be cut in half and double layered to fit the size I was making. I tied/tacked them to stabilize.

One improvement I would make on on the camper quilt would be an 18" pocket like a quillow. That would provide a foot pocket. 

Let us know what you decide to do.


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## Maura

If you are making a denim rag quilt (denim on one side, other fabrics on the other) you can just keep adding until you run out of fabric.


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## Sabre3of4

I usually make mine 60" X 60" so there is room for tucking the quilt under me and a kid as we both snuggle under it. It seems to work for us.

Sabrina


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## crazygardener

I was going to suggest a denim rag quilt. You can make 8" x 8" squares, the western shirt material on top, batting in the middle, denim on the back side, sew/quilt one big "X" through the square, when you have all the squares you want to make, you sew them together, leaving about an 1" to 2" seam, facing the front, when you get all the squares sewen together, you clip all the seams, wash it so the seams will fray, "walla...denim rag quilt with all the top pieces out of the western shirts, what a memory quilt.
:dance:

Sheryl


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## featherbottoms

Thanks everyone. I think I'll take the clothes and lay them out on the bed to see how much I have. I would guess that will determine the size. I also don't know about batting and backing. I may try to make the back and front out of the clothes and buy the batting. 

I'm pretty sure I don't have enough to make anything very large, and may not have the patience for something bigger either. I don't have a sewing machine, and I will be doing this by hand, so I may use slightly larger squares to maybe get finished before Christmas.

To embroider something on the corner (was thinking of putting his name and dates) I was thinking to just draw it out in pencil and then take a heavy yarn and sew over. Any other way to get something on there or a particular type of yarn/thread and needle?

Deb.


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## Garnet

Labels for quilts. A friend of mine liked to put a large label on the back of her quilts. She wrote in fairly large script and then embroidered using a running stitch. I don't remember what she used for thread.


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## Lynn Bodoni

I'd suggest doing a very simple quilt, maybe just squares out of the shirt backs. Of course, if you're doing hand sewing, you can make curved seams much easier than with a machine! But simple squares, when they are all of different materials, have their own charm, plus of course these squares will have memories attached to them. Or you could do simple hexagons, which I think are more attractive than squares, and they're a pain to do by machine.

If you CAN borrow a machine, though, your quilting will go a lot quicker.

For documenting, you need to put YOUR NAME and date on the quilt. Plus you can put additional information such as the title, "Memories of Deb's Dad" and his name and dates. Some fabric stores sell fabrics that can be put through a computer printer, though I've never tried this. Usually I use a quilting marker that will vanish with water, which is also sold at fabric and craft stores. Then I embroider over it, using embroidery floss and a stem stitch. Sometimes I cross stitch the info, using waste canvas.

You might not want to quilt this coverlet at all. There is a method called "tying" which some people use. You simply thread an embroidery needle with embroidery floss (all six strands), leave a long tail, take two stitches through all the layers, and tie off the floss, and cut it a few inches away.


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## Maura

If you are using denim on one side you don't really need batting. And, if you are not using batting you don't have to quilt. You lay a piece of denim down, then shirt, right side up. Then, shirt right side down. Then, another piece of denim. Sew along one edge (sewing all four pieces together). Open up. You will have two shirt pieces side by side, and on the other side, two denim pieces side by side. Repeat over and over again until you run out of pieces. Then, you start sewing these pieces together. You can take some fabric to a store that does embroider on jackets and they can quickly embroider whatever you want onto the fabric, as long as it's large enough to fit into a hoop.


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## featherbottoms

Maura said:


> If you are using denim on one side you don't really need batting. And, if you are not using batting you don't have to quilt. You lay a piece of denim down, then shirt, right side up. Then, shirt right side down. Then, another piece of denim. Sew along one edge (sewing all four pieces together). Open up. You will have two shirt pieces side by side, and on the other side, two denim pieces side by side. Repeat over and over again until you run out of pieces. Then, you start sewing these pieces together. You can take some fabric to a store that does embroider on jackets and they can quickly embroider whatever you want onto the fabric, as long as it's large enough to fit into a hoop.



I'm not a crafty person at all but this sounds easy if I could just wrap my head around a visual!

I also like the idea of tying instead of quilting. Somewhere it seems I've done that before. I have this vague idea that I made, or started to make, a quilt when my child was small. That was many, many, MANY years ago and I really don't remember. 

And before I get started with this, and go buy things I'm not sure what they are, is embroidery floss and embroidery thread (I'm picturing the stuff my MIL crochets with) the same thing? She also does crossstitch so I know that's a different type of thread, seems it's in small packs and not those skeins. And is there a certain type of needle to sew this coverlet/quilt together with or can I just use the needles in the sewing box? They look like "regular" needles for sewing buttons and making minor repairs. And do I sew the stitches with "regular" thread?

I'm asking so many questions because it's a long ways to the craft store and I can't make a special trip for this so I want to take a good list when I go back next weekend.

Thank you all.

Deb.


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