Comfort Quilts

Comfort quilts are not going to have an easy life. Some may go to keep wheelchair patients warm in hospitals or hospices; they are going to be machine washed often, sometimes in very hot water with harsh soaps. Others may ride around in a plastic bag in a police officer's trunk until needed to comfort a child. So think of them as "industrial quilts." They should be machine pieced, and either machine quilted or tied. They have polyester batting to minimize problems with moisture and to make them dry faster.

 INGREDIENTS FOR A COMFORT QUILT

From one of our kits: You'll find batting, a large piece of fabric for the back, and smaller pieces of fabric for the top. Sometimes, fabrics for the top have already been cut into squares; other times you cut them up yourself. You need to supply only the thread.

 On your own: Our quilts are generally about 40" x 50". You'll need a back, polyester batting, and a top. You can get some of these things from the Comfort Quilt Committee, even if you don't want a whole kit. The tops do not have to be elegantly pieced, and can be whole cloth quilts. You can use orphan blocks and add squares or strips to make a top. Please use cotton or a nice cotton/polyester blend.

• 1. Cut (or piece as desired) top and backing fabric about 37” square, or about
• 37” by full width of fabric; cut batting to that size.
• 2. Place quilt top and backing fabrics right sides together, place batting on top, and sew %“ seam around edge through all three layers, leaving an opening for turning.
• 3. Turn right side out, and close opening by hand or machine.
• 4. Topstitch about 3/8” from edge all the way around.
• 5. Quilt or lie as desired.
• 6. Prepare two fabric ties, each 12” long and ¾” to 1” wide. (Cut two strips 12W long and 2” to 2%” wide. Press under ¼” on all edges, fold each strip lengthwise, wrong sides together, and topstitch close to all edges.)
• 7. By hand or machine, sew the midpoint of each strip securely to an upper corner of lap robe so that lap robe measures about 36” across and 36” or about 42” from top to bottom.

 CONSTRUCTION

 Piecing the top: While you can piece the top however you want; we generally go for 6" blocks arranged either in a pattern or at random. Depending upon the rulers you have, cut 6" squares for 5 1/2" finished blocks, or cut 6 1/2" squares for 6" finished blocks—whatever is easiest for you. If your fabrics are not pre-cut into squares, you could strip-piece the top.

 The "quick turn": This is one way to assemble a sturdy industrial quilt. If you prefer a different technique, by all means use it.

 Press the completed top and the back. Lay them on top of each other, right sides together, press again. Smooth the batting over the wrong side of the back, and trim all to the smallest piece. Pin around the outer edge about every 8". It’s easier to make rounded corners than square ones. Use a saucer to mark the curve. With the batting on top, start about 8" before one corner, and using a 1/2" seam allowance, sew around the edge, stopping about 8" before the starting point. (Put two pins together about 16" before the corner, so you'll know where to stop.) This leaves an 8" hole to turn the quilt right side out.

Or, you can sew the top to the back without the batting, and then attach the batting to the seam allowance. After joining the top and back, smooth the batting over the wrong side of the back. Pin in place every 8" around the edge. Using a long zig zag, stitch the batting to the seam allowance, all around except at the 8" hole.

 Now pull the quilt inside out through the hole. Put your hand into the quilt through the hole and gently push the four corners out. Use a capped pen, chopstick or other dull-pointed object, if needed.

 Shake the quilt out, and pat it down smoothly so back, batting and top are all flat against each other. Finger-press the outside edge so the seam is right at the edge of the quilt. Pin the edge in place every 6" to 8". At the hole, fold down and press the seam allowances of the top and the back along the seam line. Pin the hole closed with about three pins.

 Sew around the edge of the quilt, first closing the hole by stitching right at the outer edge, then moving in from the edge about 1/2 inch and sewing around the entire quilt to produce a finished edge that resembles a binding. Use a walking foot if you have one. Use a short stitch to close the hole, and then keep going with a longer stitch to secure the entire edge. Start and stop with some backstitching, and clip the threads close to the quilt.

 QUILTING OR TYING

 You can machine quilt with a walking foot by stitching in the ditch between the blocks, or by stitching on the diagonals across the blocks. Take 3 or 4 backstitches at the start and end of each line of quilting.

 Or you can tie the quilt, using a doubled piece of thread (crochet cotton, 6 strands of embroidery floss, or pearl cotton). Take two tiny bites that make an "X" on the back, going all the way through the quilt, and tie a square knot on top. Clip the ends about 1" out from the knot.

 FABRIC DONATION SUGGESTIONS

 We can use cotton or quality cotton/poly blends, broadcloth or flannel. Please do not donate the following: pieces of fabric with holes cut out, small pieces that have been washed, dried and not ironed, dirty fabric, or 2" x 2" pieces to sew together. The committee just doesn't have time to deal with these. If you have small pieces, please make them into a top, or into 6" blocks, to donate to us. We already have a good supply of fabric, and would especially appreciate getting finished quilts, quilts ready to tie, or tops.

 Adapted from instructions by Linda A. and by Carolyn F. Thanks to them.

 Thanks to Quilter's Paradise in Clovis for giving us space to store our materials.