Wheelchair Quilts A guide to make fitted quilts for those in a wheelchair
Table of Contents Introduction Creating a Template Fitting the Template p. 2 p. 3 p. 5 Sew Blocks or Pattern p. 8 Quilt Top Assembly Finishing p. 9 p. 11
Introduction After my third child was born, I found the hobby of quilting. While my kids slept in the afternoon, I sewed. I remember going to get my first quilting presser foot. About a month later, I'd worn out my low-end sewing machine and upgraded to one that could handle the hours I spent using it. I loved it. Finally, I had something I could do as a Mom that didn't need to be done again (like the dishes and the laundry and the cooking). After a while, I started running into a problem: I was making too many quilts. I didn't want to give them to someone who wouldn't really want it - where it might sit at the top of someone's linen closet until the end of it's life. I wanted to make quilts that the owner would love and use. I was talking to my Mom about this, and she suggested I make a quilt for her neighbor, Ali. She was in a wheelchair, and had very limited mobility. It was hard for her Mom to get her coat on and off in the winter time. And if she used a normal blanket, it could shift and Ali couldn't get it tucked back in by herself. Maybe I could make a quilt fitted to her, and her wheelchair? I contacted Ali's Mom and she was enthusiastic about the idea. However, we lived on different sides of the country. So, Ali's Mom and Dad created a template from a sheet that they cut out. They would try it on her to see how the quilt fell, then cut off the excess and try it on again until it fit her. The quilt wrapped around her, like a hair cutting cape, and could be tucked under her shoulders to stay in place. We cut two arm holes, and Ali now had a bright, beautiful, fitted winter blanket. This book attempts to share the information on how to make your own wheelchair quilt from template to finish. This book is dedicated to Ali and her family. - Lauren 2
Creating a Template To create your template, first you'll need to decide whether you're making a quilt to their feet or to their waist. This is really just the preference of the person receiving the quilt. Once the recipient has told you what they'd like, then you need a large piece of scrap fabric. I usually use a sheet for this part. Cut your scrap fabric to the dimensions listed. This will make it easier when you fit the template, so there isn't a lot of extra bulk in the way. It will probably still be too big, but you'll cut it off later. Child Sized Waist-Length Quilt Cut to 40" x 35" Child Sized Feet-Length Quilt Cut to 50" x 60" Adult Sized Waist-Length Quilt Cut to 50" x 45" Adult Sized Feet-Length Quilt Cut to 50" x 70" 3
1- Take your piece of scrap fabric and find which end will be the top. For the feet length quilts, the small end is the top. For the waist length quilts, the long end is the top. 3- Then, measure down from the top mark and make a second mark. Connect them with a line. (Child quilt: draw a 7" line. Adult quilt: draw a 10" line). 5- Line up the 2 1/2" spot on a ruler with the bottom mark. Then move the ruler into the middle of the two bottom marks. Draw a line at 0" and 5" 2- Next, fold it in half and mark the middle of the top of the quilt. 4- Then, measure down from the second mark, and make another mark. (Child quilt: draw a 7" line. Adult quilt: draw a 9" line). 6- Connect the marks to make an oval for the neck space. Cut along the line and then cut out the oval. 4
Fitting the Template Now that the template is created, it's time to fit it onto the person who will use it. There is no right or wrong way for how long it should be or where to cut off some of the excess fabric, it all depends on their preference. Things to bring to the fitting: - Your scrap piece of fabric - A fabric marker (or just a regular pen) - Sewing scissors (don't use the scissors while it's on the recipient) - A tape measure - A few safety pins - Recipient Choices Checklist (pg 8 of this book) Place your template around the neck of the recipient. If there isn't enough room for their neck, cut your hole slightly bigger. *Note, never cut the template while its on the recipient, use your pen to draw where you think you should cut, then remove the template to a cutting surface, and cut off the excess Once the neck hole is a comfortable size, ask the recipient how they want to secure the quilt behind their neck. You can add a couple straps for tying a bow, a piece of velcro, a heavy duty snap, or they can tuck the two flaps by the neck hole down their back so their weight holds it in place. If they want some kind of clasp, use the safety pins to secure the quilt behind their neck before you mark where you'll cut it later. It will look almost like a hair cutting cape. 5
Let the template hang freely and grab your marker or pen. Work with the recipient to decide where they'd like the quilt to hang and draw a line showing what shape they'd like it to be. Some may only want the corners curved. In that case, use a plate or bowl to make the curves before cutting. Continue cutting, then trying on the template until its the size and shape that will work best for the recipient. Last, ask the recipient if they would like their quilt to have arm holes or not. These are just two slits in the shape of an "L" in the quilt that will allow them to use their hands. If they do want it, pick the spot and draw lines to represent where the holes will be. They can also just leave the arm holes out and just reach out the sides of the quilt link a poncho if they'd prefer. 6
Choices Checklist This can be printed off and taken with you to the fitting of the template. It'll help you remember all the things to talk through with the recipient so it's just how they'd like it. Would you like your quilt waist length or feet length? Do you want arm holes in the front of your quilt, or would you rather reach out the sides, (more like a poncho)? How do you want to clasp the quilt? (circle one) - two ties behind your neck, or two ribbons - a piece of velcro (note: this can lose its adhesiveness in the wash over time) - a heavy duty snap - just two flaps that you sit against and your weight keeps it up How warm would you like the quilt to be? (circle one) - cotton batting with cotton backing for a light quilt - no batting with a fuzzy backing (like minky or ultra-fluffy fabric) for medium weight - cotton or polyester batting with a fluffy backing for the warmest quilt How heavily quilted would you like it? - lots of quilting for a more stiff quilt - minimal quilting for a more fluffy feel 7
Sewing the Blocks or Pattern For a foot-length Quilt: I suggest that if you're going to do a foot-length quilt, you choose a pattern that includes blocks. This creates less waste when you're buying fabric, since it's easier to adapt to the cone-shape of the template with blocks. But, if you want to do a traditional rectangle quilt you can just cut off a lot around the edges when you're fitting it to your template. To estimate how many blocks you'll need to make, cut out papers the size of the finished blocks and lay them out on the template. For child-sized quilts, I would keep it to an 8" block. For adult-sized quilts, up to 12" blocks should be fine (but I wouldn't go up to 16"). You can also keep it very simple by doing one panel of fabric and not piecing a quilt top. For a waist-length quilt: it will naturally be more of a rectangle shape, so the design of your quilt doesn't matter. Just measure your template and make your quilt top to that size. You can also keep it very simple by doing one panel of fabric and not piecing a quilt top. 8
Quilt Top Assembly Quilt tops made without blocks If you made your quilt top without blocks, lay out your quilt top, and then lay the template on top. Make sure that the quilt is a little larger than the template (or at the very least, is as big as the template) but do not cut it to size yet. Then, it's time to baste and quilt your wheelchair quilt. You can send it to a long arm quilter, hand quilt it, or machine quilt it on your home machine. I like to keep it simple by quilting it with straight lines on my home machine. Note that we're quilting the entire thing before we cut it to size or cut out the arm holes and neck holes. Take a look at your choices checklist to be sure you remember what kind of batting and backing to use. Now, move on to the Finishing section of the book (you're almost done!) 9
Quilt tops made with blocks If you made your quilt top with blocks, lay our the template and arrange the blocks on top of the template. Try a few different orientations until you like the look of it. You might have to make one or two more blocks to fill the space, or you might have some extra. Once you have it laid out the way you'd like it, grab a piece of paper, a measuring tape and a pen. Now we're going to measure any of the empty spaces, between the blocks on the quilt top (where the template shows through). I like to draw a rough picture of my quilt template with the blocks and then measure and write down the dimensions of the empty space that you need to fill. Once you've completed that, you'll need to add 1/2 an inch to each dimension, then cut the pieces from your neutral fabric. It's really nice to keep your quilt blocks and templates on a design wall, floor, or bed while you're doing this. That way, once you cut a custom piece, you can place it right where it goes and not get confused. Sew your blocks and neutral pieces into rows, and then into your quilt top. Once your quilt top is complete, press all the seams open and then lay the template on top of the quilt top. Make sure that the quilt top is at least as big as the template. Add any more fabric around the edges if needed. Now it's time to baste and quilt your wheelchair quilt. Note that we're quilting the entire thing before we cut it to size or cut out the arm holes and neck holes. Take a look at your choices checklist to be sure you remember what kind of batting and backing to use. 10
Finishing 1- Trim your quilt to match the template: You may need to pin the template in place. Note that the two flaps that tuck behind the back should be flush with each other. 2- Cut the neck hole. For this part, you can simply lay your template on the quilt, matching sides and trace the opening for the neck. Then, draw two straight lines that extend from the top of the quilt down to the neck oval. These lines need to be 1/4" apart. Now sew a zig zag stitch all along the lines you just drew. The stitch will start at the top, go down one line, follow the outline of the oval, and go up the other side. Now cut out the fabric on the inside of the zig zag stitch. Cut the top corners so they're curved 11
2- Arm Holes: To create the arm holes, draw a vertical line 8 inches long. Turn the "L" into a block letter. Draw a horizontal line 4 inches from the bottom of the vertical line. On the right side, it will look like an "L". On the left side, it will be a backwards "L". Turn the 90 degree angle of the "L" into a curve Sew a zig zag stitch around the entire outside of the curved block letter "L". Sew extra stitching at the top and bottom points of the L (where the circles are). Cut out the entire middle of the L on both sides. You can do this many ways, but I like to use my rotary cutter to start a slit in the middle of the line. Then, I insert my sewing scissors so I'll have more control and cut down to the bottom, and up to the top of the line for the arm hole. 12
Arm Holes continued: Now we're going to put binding down each side of the L. Make a biased binding, so it will stretch. Now we'll create a finished edge on the binding. Lay out the binding along the top side of the L. Cut it 1/4" about the top and 1/4" below the bottom Press the edge down at 1/4" Open the binding Fold it back over and press Sew the binding onto the front of the quilt with a 1/4" seam. Turn the binding to the back of the quilt and hand stitch it down. 13
3- A Clasp The last option is that you can add some sort of clasp around the neck. This can be anything that the recipient would like. You can sew two pieces of ribbon at the top of the neck opening. You could sew on some velcro, or install a heavy-duty snap. And now you're done! 14
- Thank You! Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this pattern! Go to brightsonwhite.com for more - patterns - - tutorials - inspiration - 15