Hello everyone,
I am new here, and very new to quilting (as in, I have never made one yet!). In 2012, my father passed away, and I've just decided that some quilts made from his sweaters (he LOVED sweaters) would be a great way to honor and remember him. I want to make sure I do this right, because they will likely be the most important thing I ever sew!! So - I have a number of questions and greatly appreciate any and all advice! I need to make 6 quilts so that everyone who wants one can have one, so my questions are as follows:
- What dimensions do you recommend for a lap/couch sized quilt?
- Can I use both sweater material (in varying percentages of wool) and button up shirt material together in the same quilt? I feel like the different textures might be a really neat effect, but wonder how to approach lining/backing? My father had a ton of sweaters, but not enough for 6 quilts! He had matching button up shirts to go with these sweaters that would then fit nicely into the color palette so it seems right to use them also, if it's possible...
- From tutorials I have found online it doesn't look like there is usually any top stitching done on the sweater squares. Any insight/advice on this would be appreciated. If no top stitching, how do I ensure the backing (and possibly lining) stay put?
- Should I line it? Particularly if I am using multiple fabric types of varying weight?
- What type of material would you suggest for the backing? I am leaning towards flannel.
- what type of fabric would you suggest I purchase for additional quilting squares to fill in where needed amongst the shirt fabric?
Thanks in advance for listening to what probably seems like very simple questions for the experienced quilter! Any additional info you think I could benefit from is also greatly appreciated! Thank you!!
Lori.