Quilt Sizing

When I first started quilting, I always wondered, what size quilt do I need to make for a (fill in the blank) size bed? Or lap quilt?

Well, after looking at many books and blogs, I have complied what each size should be around.

First off, I would like to list some basic quilt sizes:

• A nice baby size quilt is around 42"x52".  Between 36"x36" and 52"x52" is the range for a baby size quilt. The size can depend on whether the quilt will be use in a crib.
• For  square baby quilt, anywhere from 36"to 42" works well
• Toddler- 46"x70" for a quilt. A toddler bed most often uses a crib mattress, however, not always, so it is best to measure first.
• A crib quilt measures between 30"x46" and 36"x50". If you are making this sized quilt as a gift, see if you can get the measurement- each manufacturer has their own sizes and crib mattresses are different sizes too.
• Wheelchair lap quilt- 36"x36" to 38"x47"
• A nice size lap quilt is between 52"-68" wide and the length can be from abut 52"-78"- although a lap quilt can be any size. A quilt that a child will want to bring along could be as small as 36"x36". A lap quilt that is 42"x60" is great for cuddling up on the couch with.
• Twin- between 64"-72" wide and the length can be from about 86"-96".
• Full is typically between 70"-88" wide and 88"-100" in length
• Queen- between 88"-99" wide and the length usually measures 94"-108"
• King- between 94"-108" in width and 94"-108" in length

If you are making a quilt that will go on a bed, use the following guide

          U.S. Mattress    Comforter    Bedspread
Crib     27"x52"              36"x60"
Twin    39"x75"             65"x88"     81"x110"
Full      54"x75"             80"x88"     96"x110"
Queen  60"x80"             86"x93"     102"x115"
King     76"x80"             104"x93"   120"x115"

Comforter- (at other than crib size) includes a 13" drop on 3 sides and no pillow tuck
Bedspread- includes a 21" drop (a typical bed height) on 3 sides, and a 14" pillow tuck

For a custom size quilt for a specific bed, use the following guide:

• measure the mattress, length and width, and depth (most mattresses measure 8-12", but the newer deeper ones can measure up to 20")
• add to each measurement the amount of drop you would like down the side of the bed (to the floor, to the bottom of the top mattress? to the bottom of the box spring?)
• remember to add a pillow tuck (this may depend on the depth of the pillows and how much of a pillow tuck you want), if you want a portion of the quilt to tuck under the pillows, and then carry on over top of the pillows.

An easy way to add a drop (depending on the quilt pattern you are using), your borders could be the drop.  For example, if you want an 8" drop, add an 8" border to your quilt top.

Hope this helps.  Just remember- give the quilt some personality!

Quilting and Sewing Product Review

Rotary Cutter:
The best rotary cutter I have found is by Gingher (you can buy it at Joann's Fabric Store)- they have it for both right and left handed people!

Rotary Cutting Mats:
The brand that I have found to be the best is Olfa.  It is "self-healing", 1.5mm thick, has contrasting clearly marked yellow cutting lines with a green background.  I have tried other brands of cutting mats and this brand is the only one that has not snagged some of my silk fabrics from old cut lines with the rotary cutter.
Sizes available:
5.5"x7.5"
12"x18"
18"x24"
24"x36"

I have  one of each of the sizes, depending on what my current project is.  The 12"x18" is great for classes and the 24"x36" is great for large craft projects and garments.

Rotary Rulers:
I like the brand, Omnigrid the best for a ruler when using my rotary cutter because it is clear with bright yellow and black measuring lines to easily be seen on both light and dark fabrics.  The rulers allow for an extra 1/2" seam allowance and diagonal angle lines.
Sizes:
The four pack comes with squares of 4-1/2", 6-1/2", 9-1/2", 12-1/2". You can buy it at Joann's.
6-1/2"x24" is great for cutting strips and has both a left and right handed numbering system with diagonal lines.

To hold all of my rulers, I have a wooden ruler rack that works perfect to keep everything organize.

Quilt Batting:
The batting by Warm Company, specifically the Warm and Natural line works really well for quilts.  This batting is:
- 100% cotton, unbleached
- does not separate or bunch
- you can quilt up to 10" apart and it will still keep its shape
- the fabric clings to the batting, so once placed, it stays in place easier
- keeps its shape wash after wash
- does not give the "puffy" look to quilts
- comes in all different sizes including 34", 45", 90" and 124" by the yard and by the bolt
- soft and gentle for children and babies

Quilting Pins:
Curved safety pins- 1-1/2" length.  These are a good length for all thickness of a quilt.  The fork pins always seemed to poke me and the shorter curved safety pins were too hard to get all layers of a thicker quilt.

Quilting apps for the iPhone

Someone told me about a few apps for the phone that are made just for quilters. They have already been very helpful to me when figuring out crazy quilt designs (such as my crazy ragged quilt) so that I know how much fabric I need for these projects. I put the link to iTunes if you want to check them out.

If you have a great sewing or quilting app, I would love to hear about it!

For iPhone and iPad:

QuiltingCalc by Robert Kaufman
Price: Free

QuiltFab by Mary Kay Podlecki

Price: Free



BlockFab by Mary Kay Podlecki

Price: Free



Flannel rag quilt

I love this quilt because it is easy for a first time quilter and it is about as warm as it needs to be for Texas winters.

Each of the squares are 8"x8". I sewed an "X" in the middle of each square for the quilting part. It measures 8x10 squares with a 5" boarder for a total of 61"x75".

Ragged and solid sides of the quilt

Ragged side of the quilt

Baby Monkey Gift Set

I love being able to make custom gift sets for people!  I get to personalize them and make exactly what they want.

This gift set includes an 8-inch plush ball, 1 applique burp cloth, 1 water resistant bib with vinyl catch, 1 diaper and wipe strap (holds up to 5 diapers), and 1 pacifier clip that can really be used to clip lots of things to the little ones. 

Purchase here

Matching quilt pieces

The last couple of weeks I worked on matching all of the pieces of fabric.  It was easiest for me to put all of the colors in order and then pull in order for each block.  For example, I used the following order for my blocks so that I did not ave any two colors touch.

Color #1- Green
Color #2- Flowers
Color #3- Yellow
Color #4- Dots
Color #5- Orange
Color #6- Circles
Color #7- Red

Time to match all of the blocks.  The way I set it up is that that I have 7 unique blocks.  I have started with the first of seven.  Take care when matching the triangles.  You want to make sure that when each half of the triangles are put together, they match as a single square.

Block one cosists of the following triangles:
Large green, medium flower, small yellow, small dots, medium orange, large circles

Block two:
Large red, medium green, small flower, small yellow, medium dots, large orange

Block three:
Large circles, medium red, small green, small flower, medium yellow, large dots

Block four:
Large Orange, medium circles, small red, small green, medium flower, large yellow

Block five:
Large dots, medium orange, small cirlces, small red, medium green, large flower

Block six:
Large yellow, medium dots, small orange, small circles, medium red, large green

Block seven:
Large flower, medium yellow, small dots, small orange, medium circles, large red


Again, this is just how I matched my triangles.  You can of course match however you want.  By doing it this way, the same blocks will line up diagonally for a pattern.