A question on seams
 

I really didn't know what to title this but since it did have to do with the seam and it is a question:rolleyes:

OK Here goes,
I am making a saddle blanket and I'm using a canvas type fabric cut into sort of jelly roll strips. Since it will see a bit of wear and tear on the back of a horse and under a saddle I was thinking I needed wider seams. Will it work of I increase the size of each strip double the seam size? In other words if I use a 1 inch seam the strip would be cut into 4 1/2 strips. The pattern I'm using is the tube quilt pattern in red, white, and blue. OR if you have a better pattern using ONLY 3 fabrics I'm open to trying that instead.

Yep- your plan works. Cut the finished width of the fabric + a seam allowance on each side.

Thank you so much. I was thinking that was what I needed to do but wasn't quite sure.

You might want to consider a French Fell (double folded seam. Increasing the seam allowance alone may not be enough for this type of object.

I will have to look that one up to see how to do it. I've got plenty of fabric but only have 1 1/2 weeks to get it done.

For clarification is this a blanket for warmth or one that serves as a pad under a saddle? If under a saddle, I wonder if the seams would be irritating pressed down and rubbing against the horse's hide.

Its a pad for under the saddle. The seams won't cause the horse any irritation since they will be over 1 1/2" of padding and foam. The bottom of the pad is wool and the only seams it will have are at the edges. These are not quilted in the same fashion as quilts are. There are only 3 lines of quilting holding the entire thing together.

That was my thought also. Use wooly nylon thread, or some thread that does not rub the skin much.

Jelly Rolls are 2 1/2 inches wide. With the standard 1/4 inch seam, You'd be left with 2 inches showing. If you want to do the same finished width but use 1 inch seams, I believe that you need 2+1+1=4 inch strips, not 4 1/2.

I had planned on using isocord. The part with the seams will be directly under the saddle. The sandwich will be as follows pieced top, then a thick layer of batting, then a 1" thick piece of foam, then another thick layer of batting, then the wool backing. This will be a show pad only and not normally used for general riding. If there is a concern on irritation a thinner blanket can be placed under it.