Help please
 

Hi everyone. I am need of some advice. My 78 year old dad wants a quilt. He wants one with denim and flannel (no problem) he wants it tied (again no problem) but he wants it to have a front (top) the (stuff inside) batting in the middle, stuff jackets are made of (fleece) next to the batting and flannel on the back. Can I put all this together. I will wash the flannel and the denim before hand. I plan to do a 9 patch block because that is what he picked. He lives in the country. Thanks for your help.
Icee

This will be one serious warm quilt. :) I think it is certainly a do-able. When I try something new or different I make a sample. Keep us posted on your progress.

Has your dad said why he wants batting + fleece + flannel? If he's concerned about warmth, there is a Quilter's Dream batting that claims to be warmer than down.

Sounds heavy to me as I labored on an Heirloom quilt for myself, so heavy, can't use it let alone wash it.......calla

Something else to consider is the actual weight of the finished quilt. Denim alone, is heavy. When you add all the other layers, that quilt is going to be VERY heavy and difficult to move around. Unless your 78 year old dad is still quite strong, it may be more than he can comfortably handle.

Since it is being tied it should be fine. But sure seems like it would be heavy! A sample would be a good idea. The only sewing hurdle may be attaching the binding strips through all that, unless you have a pretty heavy duty machine--again making a sample might be a good trial. If it is an issue you could use the "birthing method" and skip the binding. (Have not done this myself but there are lots of threads on it on this board). He seems to know what he wants so I bet he will love what you make him.

I was just thinking of the weight but Calla is right! There's no way that quilt could ever be washed. :eek:

Does your dad know what he's asking? I think if I were doing this, I'd go ahead and make it as it needed to be made and tell him what he wants is inside. Is he going to take it apart a check? Sometimes dads really don't know everything they think they know and sometimes they don't know the name of the stuff they're thinking about.

How big does he want this quilt? If it's lap size it might be okay. If it's kingsize that's another matter. Is he willing to have two lighter quilts instead of that one very heavy one? Does he realize that the layer of fleece will keep the quilt from breathing? Just leaving out that one layer would make it a much nicer quilt IMHO.

Great answer!

well make large nine patch blocks, it will all be easier that way. Good luck.

I would recommend flannel for the backing. It will be heavy but do-able. Fleece required special attention as it is more stretchy than regular fabric. You might have some trouble quilting.

Thanks everyone for your insight. I said I was going to do flannel and maybe denim on the back. My dad is thin as a pin (never been very big) so I am going to do just as it has been suggested and what I had thought was best.

I made a denim quilt, I embroidered on the denim patches i the middle of my Dresden plates and had flannel patches, backed with flannel. OMG it was so heavy I almost couldn't lift it. I had to take it to the laundry mat to wash before I gave it, using the industrial washer. It was almost to much for that!! Never realized how heavy that combo was!!!

My worry is that with that heavy a quilt your dad wouldn't be able to move under the quilt.

Why not use wool or quilters dream poly? They are very worm and light. P

Just a question. I know fleece is made from synthetic material. Is flannel made from cotton or from synthetic material? I never thought about the warmth of fleece but I love the light weight of it, especially when you sleep on your back.

I made my Mom a crazy quilt top (lots of seams) she put a velcro blanket on the back and tied it. It was so heavy she could not even sleep under it.

I made a quilt out of denim, homespun and one layer of batting. It was very heavy and difficult to move under. It was a quilt as you go pattern or I would not have been able to wrestle it through my machine. I'm afraid by the time you get all those layers together you will have a quilt that will weigh so much it won't be comfortable to be under.

Flannel can be wool, cotton, or synthetic, but quilters usually use cotton flannel.

My thoughts exactly. Make it the way you know it ought to be made and let it go at that. If you make it the way he thinks he wants it, he'll never be able to use it. froggyintexas

Please don't make the quilt too heavy. My husband is 80 years old and sometimes he has trouble with just a regular quilt. There is no way that he could handle a quilt with all your father wants inside. As others have said, he will not look to see what is inside. I think he just wants a quilt that will be very warm.

I wouldn't use any batting. I made a denim rag quilt for my son, backed the denim with sheets, no batting. It was very heavy & warm. If I remember right it was probably 60" x 80" I made it for him to use at the beach when he moved to Ca, after all, who cares if denim gets faded! IMHO I wouldn't use batting or flannel, as flannel is heavy as well.

i made several with denim, poly batting, and flannel. They were so heavy it took 2 men and a boy to lug them around but the people who got them thought they were wonderful. I'm sure they didn't slide off the bed! Try a couple of small samples. I would try denim and fleece together. That should be warm and not so heavy. Maybe he would settle for that combination.

My husband brought home a denim pieced quilt front and back from a thrift store. It fit a full sized bed. I don't know what was in the middle. It was tied. Wow, was it heavy!!!! My son in Alabama (love, love Alabama in the fall) took it and used it for camping. He loved the quilt but don't know if he still has it.

You our could make a rag quilt using denim, and flannel squares on the front and the backing fleece. Denim is VERY heavy by itself. I made 2 of this type memory quilts for a lady who had her father in laws denim overhauls and a flannel shirt or two. Made them throw size and she was very pleased .

Note, saw a video Nancy Zieman where she explained that any fabric works for quilts but in a denim one must use 1/2 inch seam rather than 1/4 because it will fray. of course if it's serge finish then don't see the need. My heirloom quilts have curdoroy next to cotton next to silk all work well, but some wear out more than others, in between relatives used up their old sheets rather than batting.

My first quilt was a denim quilt made from all jeans. Squares were easy to put together but I didn't realize the weight of a full size. I backed mine with flannel and tied it. It has been years and it still goes through the wash & dryer. Quite heavy.

I also want to add my advise to the pile. LOL. A denim quilt is heavy by it self. Adding all those layers could possibly be too much. I would do as he asked for what he can see. Many don't understand how heavy fabric can be. It would be a crying shame if you made it as he asked and he couldn't use it because of weight.

You might look and find Chambray it looks like denim but is much lighter weight, then pair it with the flannel for the front pieced blocks. My sister used to use a good polar fleece then for the backing (no batting) and tied her quilts that then could with stand frequent washing and dried very quickly due to the fleece on the back. These quilts are very warm and not overly heavy then. This would be a way to provide him with the things he wants but in a way he can enjoy them. Both my parents as they got older were cold but could not tolerate heavy blankets on them. I found wool batting to be a good one to use in my quilts as it was light weight and nice and warm.

I agree with roserips, Look for skirts, shirts and other items make from clothing weight denim rather than the denim used for jeans. These are easily recycled by deconstructing and using the fabric thus gained, and the fabric is much lighter weight and easier to handle than jeans weight denim.

my friend made a denim rag quilt using warm and natural for the batting and took leftover squares and made me a quilt wth denim on one side, warm and natural batting, and a neat cowboy print regular cotton on the back. that sucker is heavy and it barely covers my full size bed. I seldom use it because it's so heavy. I pull it out in the coldest part of winter (maybe in the 20s tops) here in Houston but it's so heavy. fleece isn't too heavy but is hot. my dad was happy with cotton top quilted onto fleece - says it was warm and wasn't too heavy. my mom asked for a string quilt for them to use on their king size bed- I did just regular cottons onto muslin and used a poly batting so it wouldnt' be heavy and my dad woke up in a panic because he couldn't get it off him

also watch out with the stretchy denim - my friend said those were hard to keep square with the lycra or spandex they add

It sounds like your dad is remembering having layers of quilts to keep him warm when he was a kid. When the quilts were filled with wool blankets or heavy cotton instead of synthetic materials as they are today. A friend of a friend wanted me to make him a quilt using an old wool blanket in the middle - the colder the night the more quilts were layered on top. We had them too because my grandmother's uncle had been in the calvary and had several of the blankets. They didn't know what to do with them so my great-grandmother used them for batting in a quilt. As a child it was a secure feeling snuggling under a couple of quilts. Now I am afraid I would roast. Also, we had a very fluffy quilt when I was a kid - it was store bought but was thick and fun - no idea what was inside of it, just very puffy.

Did you ask him why he was so specific?

All input has been great. I would also suggest that you make him a fleece throw to use as he relaxes in his chair watching TV or napping. You can even make it double sided fleece if you want to. I am talking about the kind that the fringe is tied around the throw. They are very light weight and very warm.

I bet he will enjoy every thing about the fleece throw.......................of course while he is enjoying this.... you can be making the quilt (per your own knowledge) for his bed.

I would think that the quilt would be unbelievably heavy using batting, fleece and flannel backing. My SIL has made quilts from old denim jeans cut into squares, sometimes she even added the pockets from jeans, then she tied the quilt with a flannel backing. I slept under 2 such quilts once (I was really, really cold) and they were definitely warm, however, I could barely move under them. I agree with nanna-up-north - make it "your" way, certainly the denim top and flannel backing would make a nice, warm quilt, and just not tell him what you did, he'll probably never know and at 78 years old he doesn't need a quilt so heavy he cannot move under it. Just a thought.

I'd ask if he wanted two regular quilts instead. The one he wants is going to be really warm. With 2 thinner ones he could adjust how warm he wants to be easily. He'll probably notice if you don't make it the way he is requesting. I wouldn't try to fool him.
Rodney

You might try some light weight denim looking cotton and flannel put some minky or wool between layers of batting for warmth and tie it. He wants the masculine look and he wants the warmth. Heavy is not necessarily warmer. He might be happier with 2 quilts rather than just one. If he has two he can take one off if he is too warm. The second quilt could just be some denim jeans pieced etc. and then backed with something or you could make it so the other quilt fits inside the pieced jeans for just a cover for the other quilt - that way it can come apart as needed.

Hi Calla
I was browsing and have noticed your beach quilt twice, I have just put together a quilt top for my surfer son and included these very same beach ladies in it. This fabric was given to me by a quilter friend, she has the beach ladies panel quilted and framed and it hangs in her toilet in her beachside home. Love It! Vicki

I also would go with Denim look chambray with flannel for the back. Quilter's Dream wool is beautiful to work with, light weight and warm for batting.