A lap quilt is a blanket of about 120 × 150 cm. They are called lap quilt because they are the perfect size to use sitting down. However, they are too small for a regular sized bed. On the other hand, they are perfect for a children’s bed.
Example of a lap quilt made from scraps
Common uses of the lap quilt:
- Keeping an adult or child warm in the seating position during:
- Cold evenings
- Outside on a porch
- For wheelchair users
- Keeping the elderly or sick warm
- A snuggle blanket for children
- A baby blanket and feeding blanket to keep the baby and mother warm
- First quilt for a newborn baby! And later the quilt can be used on bed
The beauty is that a lap quilt made with love and intention makes the user feel special. The patterns and colour used can be tailored to the preference of the user. It is much better than a store-bought blanket!
Conclusion: a smaller sized-quilt to keep you warm
A lap quilt is a bit smaller than quilts commonly used as bed covers. This makes the quilt more portable and also suitable for younger children.
A quilt has insular qualities, keeping the wearer warm for a long time at evenings or in the outdoors. Also, it can be used as a picknick blanket during the day or as a soft spot to lay on.
Also, quilting through the three layers creates little pillows which offers tactile distraction in times of stress.
Lastly, a lap quilt made from old clothes creates a unique item to be treasured for a lifetime. Think about it! You can even use clothes that hold good memories for the person the quilt is meant for! In this way, the lap quilt gives a new life to treasured old garments.
Using clothes and fabrics you have prevents it from going to landfills, and also gives a new life to treasured old garments.
How to sew your own lap quilt
Do you want to create your own ‘ Lap Quilt Sampler to Save the World?’ Our intermediate quilt class is all about making your own lap quilt! The style of this lapquilt is a sampler quilt. A sampler quilt is used in quilt tradition to teach quilting, so it’s nice to honour that tradition on this platform as well!
The lap quilt sampler teaches you:
- 5 basic quilt blocks
- Colour and fabric choices, with a focus on using old clothes and upcycled fabric
- Basic techniques to integrate quilt blocks into a bigger design
- How to finish a big quilt to make it warm and comfortable
We call it the ‘ Lap Quilt Sampler to Save the World’ at Kick Ass Quilts because by re-purposing and giving a new life to discarded textiles you are saving the world a tiny bit. Check out the class here.
Drawing examples for the ‘Lap Quilt Sampler to Save the World’
Do you have a lap quilt to show?
Do you have made a lap quilt made from scraps, discarded fabric or old clothes? Or do you own a lap quilt made by someone else? I’d love to feature your quilt in this article. Email your photo and story to rianne@kickassquilts.org
