Question about my son's quilt
 

I'm making a quilt for my son.

He wants it in his truck in case he gets stranded somewhere.

I'm thinking of making a pillow to go with it and maybe a stuff sack for both?

Denim......leftover jeans...it will last a l.o.n.g. time and be warm.

Go to thrift store -- buy jeans and plaid shirts, make a simple quilt with 6 inch squares and flannel on the back. Boom, excellent warm emergency quilt! And, yes, make a pillow and sack to go with. Have fun.

Denim or flannel sound great, and the pillow and sack sound like a nice addition too.

I probably should make him something manlier than the blue calico in progress.

Maybe I'll make him some kind of lumberjack thingy later.

Old jeans might make a good, durable stuff sack though.

Corduroy works, too.

Denim is nice because it seems to sort of repel dirt. Or at least it takes a while for it to show.

As long as we're on the topic of heavyweight fabrics, I saw one quilt many years back that was made with different colors of cotton twill from old cut up chinos. The thing was heavy as all get out, but my friend kept it in the back of his pick-up for spur of the moment hiking trips. Wish I had a picture. It was raw edge & frayed, but so cool. I'm not sure what it was quilted with, if anything, but I'd guess likely an old wool blanket from the Army/Navy Surplus Store. I seem to remember it had a flannel back.

Personally, for the best chance of surviving several hours on the side of the road (I have AAA & it's happened but fortunately I just had a flat tire so the heat still worked), I'd want a lightweight cotton quilt plus 1-2 solar emergency blankets. Quilts are cozy, but have no moisture barrier. In addition, while heavier quilts can start out warmer, as they trap perspiration against the body, he will get chilled.

Also, I know it's a HUGE no-no, but maybe consider some sort of vinyl/plastic sack for the quilt unless he's going to store it inside of some waterproof case because otherwise the quilt will get wet in the rain & be useless for keeping him warm.

It's one of those deals with tiny fold out backseats in the back of the cab so plenty of room for it inside.

I'd slap him silly if he put it in the bed with no campershell! :)

I am going to try to use strapping material on the denim quilt I have almost finished for my son. I may try and put together some wrap to roll it in. I want it to be super strong. I love everybody's ideas too. The solar blanket would take up zero room!

It could be a quillow. A quilt with a pocket that the quilt folds up into.

You could make a bag to put the quilt in and he can still use it as a cushion.

Years ago when DH was in the TV repair business his pants would wear through the knees. I cut off the bottom pant legs of his Dickies and made a quilt with flannel backing and an old blanket for batting. It was very heavy and we used it for our drag around to picnics quilt. Somewhere along the line it must have gotten left behind. I often wonder where it ended up. This was long before I'd ever heard of labeling quilts.

Instead of backing the blanket/quilt with flannel or other cotton, use polar fleece.

The first time I made this way, my mom told me I was crazy to use stretch fabric without a stabilizer. Since I finished that blanket, we both swear by it for anything small enough that we don't have to piece the back.

Pros:

1) It's REALLY warm, even if you don't put any batting in. Want it even warmer? Use batting or a second layer of fleece.

2) Unlike cotton, fleece retains most of its insulation value when wet. I haven't field tested too rigorously, but what experience I do have with these in the rain says that if it's damp and you wrap up with the fleece side towards your body, it will keep you warm even if the other side is cotton.

3) It's soft and washable.

Cons:

1) It is stretchy fabric. I recommend that you pin it really good before quilting or tying, quilt or tie at a maximum of 14" intervals, and if you're quilting, be aware so you don't accidentally stretch or warp the fleece.

I bought a wool quilt once at a farm auction in Kansas. That sure helped me out keeping me warm when I was stranded in a few snowstorms back east.

I have a denim rag quilt in the trunk of my car. Very heavy, use it at picnics and when my grandkids like to play outside. Don't know how warm it would be if I was stranded in the car. It's so heavy, it's stiff.

a polar fleece blanket is nice too. trim the border and emb. an initial or something relevant to him.