No marking, no piecing, no binding and minimal measuring - so minimal that I'm not even sure it counts. Not a great deal of thinking either. You're more than welcome to do these things, but you certainly don't have to for this quick lap quilt. I repurposed 2 fitted sheets leftover from old sets, from which we had used the flat sheets to make dog beds for our two beasties, Scout and George.
*You can make this quilt in half the time it took me to prep this post. Oy.
The final size of this lap quilt is 47" x 66". Just the right size to get snuggy!
I opted to be very loose with my cutting and matching b/c I refused to give myself more than an hour and a half to complete this entire quilt. I also knew any wonkiness wouldn't detract from its warmth-giving ability. However, if you desire a more precise end-product or you'd like to piece fabrics, the quick-n-dirty techniques I used could easily be amped up and transferred to your project to suit your preferences.
Since I knew I wasn't marking, I was careful to cut as straight as possible. I also used my cutting mat and rotary blade to ensure semi-even cuts in certain places (noted below).
To make this quick quilt, you'll need:
- 2 fitted sheets or 2 large pieces of fabric - please consider repurposing older sheets, vintage linens or using organic cotton fabric.
- batting of your choice to fit the size of your quilt. Recommendation: organic cotton batting from Airtech, Hobbs, Fairfield or Dream Green (made from recycled plastic bottles)
Step 1: Cut corners.
With the underside of the fitted sheet facing you, cut all 4 corners as shown. Use the diagonal corner seam as your cutting guide, and stop when it stops. Repeat for the second sheet.
Step 2a: Cut flaps.
Open the sheet, so it lays completely flat. Cut from inside corner to inside corner, so you're removing the 'flaps' on each side. Repeat for the second sheet. You'll now have 2 large, flat, rectangular pieces of fabric.
Step 2b (not shown): Trim & even out.
Fold one fabric piece in half widthwise and in half again the same direction. Trim to even out on each side. With same piece, unfold previous folds; now fold in half lengthwise and in half again that same direction. Trim to even out on each side. I cut these on my cutting mat with my rotary cutter.
You don't have to repeat these steps with the second piece of fabric, but you may if you like.
Step 3: Make a 2" perimeter.
This is where your eyeballing skills will come in handy! Lay your freshly trimmed & evened out fabric piece flat, with the wrong side up (this will be the bottom of your quilt). Lay your batting AND the second piece of fabric on top, with the right side up (this will be your quilt top). Trim the batting and top piece around all 4 edges so that they're 2" smaller than the bottom piece around the entire perimeter.
For more precision, do this:
Measure the trimmed/evened out piece of fabric from step 2b, now subtract 4" from the length and width. Cut your batting and second piece of fabric to that size. For example, say your trimmed piece is 44" wide by 60" long; you will cut your batting and second piece of fabric 40" wide by 56" long.
Step 4: Pin & quilt.
Pin your quilt sandwich. Quilt however you like, being mindful to start and stop where your top piece of fabric begins and ends. Do not go beyond that edge. I stitched crazy undulating lines as shown.
Steps 5 & 6: Finishing edges with double fold.
Starting with one edge and working with the 2" perimeter of the bottom fabric that extends beyond the quilt top, fold bottom fabric in toward the top fabric so the edge of the bottom fabric just meets the edge of the quilt top (about 1"). Press. Then, fold over that same pressed edge again so the edge of the quilt top is now tucked into the crease made by folding the bottom fabric over (about 1"). Press. Repeat on the parallel edge. Then repeat on the last 2 edges.
Debulk corners as shown below:
Step 7: Topstitch double-fold edges.
With all double-fold edges pressed in place, topstitch around perimeter of quilt. I opted to do 3 rows of stitching as shown in Step 7 above.
Mitered-corner option:
You can also miter the corners as you would if you were making a cloth napkin. I found a wonderful tutorial from Skip to my Lou that shows each step in the mitering process. View here. If you're not sure how to do this, experiment on scrap fabric first. (She also shows the same method for debulking the corners in images 3 & 4.)
