When my youngest was is high school, she would make lap quilts for her friends to take to outside competitions to keep warm. Simple quilts with flannel instead of batting so they could roll them up and stick them in backpacks. She usually used a basic pattern of 6 inch blocks with sashing and cornerstones. The blocks were of things that the person enjoyed or made her think of them. They always worked! Her best buddy got one of pirates, musical notes, the beach and eyeglasses! She used a common color to each fabric (navy blue) for sashing and a variety of colors for the cornerstones. He is now 30 and still has it on his couch.