Quilts are essential for the cold at night. Having the right cover for you may not be an easy task if you think about the decoration, the level of warmth, the texture, and, above all, the measurements.
But, you will no longer have to worry about that because you can create it to your liking. Today we show you how to make a bed quilt the right size.
What Materials Do You Need?
· 2 quilt fabrics
· 3 cm thick batting
· Sewing thread the color of the fabric
· Long pins
· Sewing machine or by hand
How to Make a Bed Quilt The Right Size
Where will we use the quilt? If we want to use it for a crib, it is not the same as for a double bed because the dimensions necessarily vary.
That is why we will talk about the standard sizes and thus make it easier to make our patterns or not cut blindly or damage the material.
Knowing these standard measurements will also benefit us if, instead of using recycled fabrics, we will buy them because that way, we will know the exact amount of length and width that we need before starting our work.
Crib
If our quilt is for a crib, the ideal will be to take the size with the help of a measuring tape. If we don’t get a chance to do this because this is a gift we will make, we can stick to a small size range.
We can take as a guide that the length dimensions will usually be kept between 1.35 m (which equals 54 inches) to 1.50 m (which equals 60 inches).
This length does not vary much compared to the width. The width measurements in the crib are 90 centimeters (which equals 36 inches).
They are standard measures; this is the typical case, but it is not an absolute rule.
Twin bed
The twin bed is known in some countries as individual beds, and they are characterized by having two-size mattresses by which we are going to guide the measurements of our quilts.
The single mattress measures 97.5 cm x 1.87 m (which is 39 x 75 inches). And the extra-large mattress retains the same width measurement of 97.5 cm, but the length varies up to 2 meters (which would be 80 inches).
It can be estimated that the quilt’s standard measurement would be 1.60 m by 2.15 m, these dimensions being useful in both cases.
Double bed
The double bed has two measurements that vary according to its regular size and its extra-large size.
Standard Double Bed Dimensions: 1.35m by 1.87m (which equals 54 inches by 75 inches). Extra-large Double Bed Dimensions: 1.35m by 2m (which equates to 54 inches by 80 inches).
As we can see, there is only a small variation in the width, and it retains the height. The standard measurements of a quilt, in this case, are 2 meters by 2.15 meters.
Queen
Usually, the queen-size mattress is slightly larger than the double bed, acquiring dimensions of 1.50 m by 2 m (equivalent to 60 inches by 80 inches).
Therefore, the quilt’s ideal size that we would make would be about 2.20 meters by 2.30 meters.
King
The king-size mattress is the largest of all and deserves a bedspread that does it justice. Its approximate measurements are 1.90 m by 2 m (equivalent to 76 inches by 80 inches).
The quilt size would then be 2.50 meters by 90 centimeters.
How to Choose the Fabric
Now is the time to talk about the fabric; there are fabric designs that are more suitable for our sewing skills if we are beginners.
First, we have solid colored fabrics that, being a single color and without any pattern, facilitate patchwork construction.
Calico fabrics are those with small prints in a wide variety of colors that will give a youthful touch to the quilt.
On the other hand, large-scale prints have large designs and are not recommended for making small patchwork quilts as the design is most likely incomplete.
The best thing is that we look for simple fabrics but excellent quality to resist cuts and washing.
Steps to Make a Quilt
The most desired moment has arrived, we have already chosen the design we want, the fabric and the size, now we are going to put together our quilt!
Step 1
Before we start, we will iron our fabrics on a wide table or the floor if you don’t have one. This ironing process is essential since the fabric’s correct positioning will depend on it, and that we do not leave unnecessary folds of fabrics in our quilt.
Step 2
We will pin the fabric front facing down in our work area; for this, we can help ourselves with a little plastic tape. We place our batting on said fabric, taking care that there are no wrinkles left and everything is aligned.
Then put the front of the other layer of fabric on this, also taking care that there are no folds or wrinkles.
Step 3
Spread out the entire comforter. Secure with large pins all the way around the fabrics where you will sew. We do this to maintain the position of the three layers. You can also do the basting.
Step 4
Sew all the contour with the fabric above and the batting below, so you can see where to sew. Leave an opening of 50 centimeters, since there we will turn the fabric. We recommend doing it with a sewing machine, so it will be much easier and faster.
Step 5
Cut off any excess batting and flip it through the opening you left. Now just sew the opening.
Step 6
Your quilt is almost ready; you just need to pad it. This is always necessary because if you don’t, when you wash your quilt, the batting will spoil. The easiest way is to use straight lines. Mark the lines with chalk and a ruler.
Step 7
Start by sewing the straight line from the center, then you can continue with the others. Your quilt is now ready to use.
A Delicate Touch to Finish
If we dare, we can make the quilt edges with satin or silk fabric and another color that matches the one chosen as the base. We can also use other accessories such as ribbons, buttons, fringes, etc.
Making a quilt ourselves will be much cheaper than buying it. Besides, we will make sure that it will have the measurements we want and the quality of the fabric we are looking for. Learn how to hand quilt without hoop here.