What size is considered good for a lap quilt? I have reached the end of my squares of fabric and it looks like my lap quilt will be about 42" by 65". I'm thinking 42" isn't very wide. I may have to go see if I can find another charm pack. What do you think?

every one makes their lap- quilts different sizes= what size you like- personally i tend to make what i consider a lap-quilt quite a bit larger than most of them i read about- i guess i just like them large.
i've seen claims of lap quilts in all sizes from about 36"x45" up to 63"x80"...
guess it depends on the size of the person it's for, or maybe the size of the sofa it will be on, or if the lap is sitting in a wheel chair--lots of variables. make your lap quilt the size you think will work for it's purpose.
the last one someone asked me for they made it easy on me and said..."i would like a lap quilt about 54"x72" can you do that?"
well of course i can do that :)

I am thinking maybe 52" wide and 78" long. Let's see what everyone else say or depending on how big the person is you are making it for.

My mom requested a lap quilt but wanted it "lap" size--she wanted it about 40 x 40 so it didn't puddle on the floor when she was crocheting and her arms were free. Of course, being a good daughter, I did what I was told LOL.
I think lap quilts can be any size. Sometimes it depends on the amount of fabric I have or what size someone is, etc. I like 60 x 70 or so usually.

Normally, I look for at least 50x70" ... wider is nice too. It really depends on how much wrap around and cuddle ability you want with it.

That's about the size of the OBW I just finished. I know it's smaller than norm and of what I want. Though I decided it'll be in my living room and less apt to be a really cuddler, more a light cover ..... and more likely, more decorative than used.

Anything goes!!


If you're wanting it bigger, how about adding some borders?

I like mine to be 4/5 as wide as they are long, so my adult mimimum is 44 by 55. That's the size the church wants for prayer quilts. I have slipped in a few larger - not everyone is small or needs to travel to chemo. I still keep to my 4 to 5 ratio. Recently some for my family have turned out about 70" square. Those actually made a good looking lap quilts. The one on the wall now will be at least 68 by 85.

For some reason, mine have all wound up being square, around 60X60. Seems to be a good size, and if you want to have a lay down on the couch, you can turn it on the diagonal and cover yourself.

I think I'm going to try to see if I can make a few more blocks and get it up to 65 x 65".

children in a wheel chair, or adult in wheel chair, you have to consider them getting caught..
found this answer with google:

Lap quilts. Like wall quilts, lap quilts can be whatever size you choose to make them. A drag-around quilt for a small child could be as small as one yard square, or 36” x 36”. (You can make a super-quick whole-cloth quilt by cutting a 36” square of cute children’s fabric, adding backing and quilting it.) A 40” x 60” lap quilt will comfortably cover an adult for a nap on the sofa. You may want to make your lap quilt longer or wider to accommodate a particular set of blocks.
http://www.suite101.com/content/choo...r-quilt-a45567

Thank you all for your responses! This will be my first attempt at machine quilting, so I won't want to make it too big! I think I'll lay out the 20 blocks (42 x 65) and then decide if I should go with one more row, or a border or two. Thanks!