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Quilted Lap Robe

Make a Quilted Lap Robe Using Upholstery Samples

How to Make a Quilted Lap Robe for the Wheelchair-Bound

Lap robes are usually 34 to 36 inches and 24 inches wide – just enough to cover the lap without dragging on the floor or getting caught up in the wheels. [Don’t add fringe around the edges for the same safety reason.]

Margene pretty much described how to make a wheelchair lap robe in her letter requesting directions – no pattern required!

You can cut your samples into squares to make a traditional patchwork pattern.

However, to make the robes quickly and easily, the 17 by 24-inch samples Margene has would be perfect.

Choose two coordinating pieces.

Line them up right sides facing and machine-stitch a ¼-inch seam down the length.

Unfold and press the seam flat. [With heavy fabric, you don’t want to press the hems down in one direction as is usually done. That would add discernible bulk.]

Voilà – a quilt top measuring 33 ½ by 24 inches.

Since Margene is planning on using fleece for a nice soft backing and the top is of heavy fabric, I don’t think she needs to sandwich quilt batting in between.

The two layers alone will make a nice soft lap robe with excellent insulating qualities.

Cut a piece of fleece two inches larger than the top (35 ½ by 26 inches). [I’m assuming Margene doesn’t have a quilting frame or hoop to stabilize the two layers. If you do, you know what to do from here. Here are directions for non-quilters.]

Tying off is the easiest way to hold the two layers together and avoid lumps and bumps.

Though I’ve never done it myself, I watched my Aunt Mary and her friends when I was a child. They would gather in our basement (because it was big enough).

I think this was before quilt frames had been invented – or maybe they just couldn’t afford one – and they stretched the fabric sandwich over chair backs arranged in a rectangle.

Then, starting in the center and working out, the ladies would use color-coordinated yarn to sew from the top down through the layers then back up again about ¼ inch away.

Then they would tie off and move outward to the next spot, making sure the sandwich was still tightly stretched over the chair backs.

Here is an article about Finishing a Quilt.

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Recommended Reading

These books are excellent resources for quilters, no matter the level of experience.

Quiltmaking by Hand: Simple Stitches, Exquisite Quilts By: Jinny Beyer

Machine Quilting Made Easy By:Maurine Noble

Quilter's Complete Guide By: Marianne Fons

Contemporary Machine Embroidered Quilts: Innovative Techniques and Designs By: Eileen Roche

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