KenmoreGal2

I'd like to make a king sized quilt, but I'd like to NOT make a king sized quilt if you know what I mean. (I'd be much happier making 2 twin quilts!)

I did this once before but it didn't turn out exactly as I'd like, so any advice will be appreciated.

I'm thinking of making 2 identical twin quilts (maybe 9 patch with borders/sashing to disguise where I join them...). These will not have batting, they will be summer quilts or coverlets for the purists out there.

I'd prefer to fold the back to the front as the binding but I would consider pillowcase style too.

The previous one turned out ok but I was not able to join the twins in the middle smoothly. The quilt does not lay totally flat in spots.

Would an entirely separate piece of fabric work down the middle as the "joiner"?? How??

Here's a picture of my last one.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]522185[/ATTACH]

Thanks!!

Barb in Louisiana

I find I have some pieced tops that don't quite lay flat. This all gets worked out when the pieced top turns into a quilt. Adding the batting and backing and then washing lets everything play nicely together. Plus any imperfections in the piecing gets worked out as you quilt.

If you look at coverlets or bedspreads, one of the key things is that there aren't very many seams. The other thing is that a lot of them have in common, is a webbing on the back of the top fabric. Technically they aren't quilted, but give the appearance of being a quilted top.

This is just my opinion....If I were doing what you are, I would buy "thin" flannel, wash it to make it go ahead and shrink and quilt the top with the flannel in the middle. That way there isn't a lot of bulk, it is lighter weight, and you will actually have a quilt rather than a pieced coverlet.

Good luck with your project, I will love seeing some pictures as you work on it.

LoriEl

Maybe if you omit the borders in the middle, at least one of them. In your picture it looks like there are two sashing pieces where you joined the separate quilts. I you omitted one, it would look just like the sashing in the actual quilts.

KenmoreGal2

Thanks Barb. To clarify, my photo is the finished product, in use. That is how I lays after I was totally done with it. We use it but the lumpiness bothers me when I look at it.

I made 2 matching pieced tops and used 2 matching cotton sheets as backings. It gets hot as "you know what" here in the summer so I want the lightest covering possible. I love the weight of just these 2 layers, I would not want flannel in the middle too. Just my personal preference (hubby's too...)

(I notice you are in "Cajun" Country, I think if I lived there I would not be able to tolerate any coverings in the summer!! I really do not like the heat at all, same with hubby.)

So I'd like to recreate this basic theme but make it a better finished product. I think my whole problem boils down to how I connected the two twins. Perhaps there is a better way? I made these quilts in pillowcase style. I left the sides where the 2 twins would meet up unfinished. I folded the two twins (front to front) and sewed the top sides together so the seam was hidden. Then I flipped it over and made a regular exposed seam on the underside since I didn't care how that looked. This quilt was just for me. Is there a better method?

KenmoreGal2

That's an interesting suggestion Lori. Thanks!!

GingerK

There are several tutorials on how to join quilt as you go blocks and I think you could quite easily use that technique to join the two halves of your project. I also agree with Barb, that your coverlet would probably lie and drape better if it is more than just two big pieces of fabric sewn into what I would call a duvet cover. Thin, well shrunk flannelette is an excellent substitute for batting.

Dina

Maybe if you could avoid the seam down the middle, that might do the trick. Meaning, have that middle white sash/border be one piece of fabric instead of a border/sash hooked to each twin quilt. Does that make any sense?

Any maybe use one large king sheet as the backing, thus avoiding a seam between two twin sheets?

Dina

KenmoreGal2

Thanks Dina and Ginger. Great suggestions. I'm taking it all in!!

PaperPrincess

I would invest in Marti Michell's book, Machine Quilting in Sections. She covers several techniques and has some innovative ways of dividing large quilts so the end result doesn't look patched together.
http://www.amazon.com/Marti-Michell-...ng+in+sections

dunster

I was also going to recommend Marti Michell's book. I also think that quilting the two layers (without batting) would help them to stay together, lay flat, and add some visual interest. With the book you can find a number of ways to do that.