Hey everyone! Today we're making a cozy lap quilt, and I'll show you how a warm ginger plaid batik can turn big, simple blocks into a quilt you'll reach for every night.
Here we go.
Meet the fabric
This is the Banyan 80557-55 BEAR PAW PLAID GINGER 45" wide fabric per yard from Fabric Fanatics.
It's a batik. It's 45" wide. It's made by Banyan. And it's sold by the yard here at Linda's.
The name tells you the story. Bear Paw Plaid is the design name. Ginger is the color. So you get a plaid design in a warm, spicy ginger tone.
That color is why I reach for it. Ginger feels warm without feeling dark. It looks friendly on a couch and across your lap.
Batiks press crisp and hold an edge well. That helps on a quilt like this. Your cuts stay clean. Your long seams stay straight. Just like that, big blocks look neat without a lot of fussing.
The project: a cozy lap quilt
We're making a lap quilt that finishes about 48" wide by 60" long. That's a good, honest size, folks. Big enough to cover your legs on the couch. Small enough to finish without clearing your whole schedule.
The plan is simple on purpose. Big 12" finished squares of this ginger plaid, set in a straight grid. Four blocks across. Five blocks down. No tiny piecing. No points to match.
Why does this fabric suit it? A plaid needs room to show. In a 12" square, the plaid reads clear. Cut it tiny and you lose it.
And here's the permission beat. It does not have to be perfect. A seam that wobbles a hair still makes a warm quilt. You're your own worst critic, I promise. Take your time. It's not a race.
Materials
- 3 yards of Banyan 80557-55 BEAR PAW PLAID GINGER for the blocks and binding
- 3 1/2 yards of a coordinating 45" wide fabric for the backing
- Batting cut about 54" by 66", so you have extra all around
- Thread to blend with the ginger
- Rotary cutter, long ruler, and mat
- Pins or clips, plus an iron
- An 80/12 needle and a walking foot if you have one
Three yards at 45" wide covers the top and binding here. Save the scraps, too.
Brief steps
One. Press your fabric first. From the ginger plaid, cut twenty squares, each 12 1/2" by 12 1/2". Check each square as you cut. Keep the plaid running the same way on every block.
Two. Lay out your squares in five rows of four. Step back and look. I like them all running the same way, but it is completely up to you.
Three. Sew each row together. Use a 1/4" seam allowance and a stitch length of about 2.5. Press one row's seams left, the next row's right, so they nest.
Four. Sew the five rows together and press again. Measure your top. You should be close to 48 1/2" by 60 1/2" before quilting. Trim only if you need to square an edge.
Five. Piece your backing to about 54" by 66". Layer backing wrong side up, batting, then top right side up. Smooth from the middle out. Baste with pins about every 4".
Six. Quilt it simply. Stitch in the ditch along the seams first. Then add echo lines about 1" inside each square, at 8 to 10 stitches per inch. Trim, cut binding at 2 1/2" wide, and sew it on. Done.
Practical tips
Press every seam as you go. I know it is tempting to skip it. But a flat top quilts flatter, and a lap quilt needs to drape soft, not stiff.
I have sewn a whole row with the plaid running sideways before. The fix was simple. I ripped that row, turned the squares, and sewed it again. Learn from my mistake, y'all. Pin a note to your first row.
Go slow when you quilt through the thick seam crossings. Slow down or the needle can snap where all those layers meet. That steady pace really really helps.
Want options? You have them. Try ruler work for a crisp feel. Or a gentle meander freehand for something softer. We're not reinventing the wheel here. All of them work.
If I can do this, y'all can do it. One warm ginger plaid and a handful of big squares. Oh my goodness, that is my favorite kind of quilt.
Thanks for sewing along with me, folks. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Banyan 80557-55 BEAR PAW PLAID GINGER 45" wide fabric per yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
