Wheelchair quilts... 36" or 42" better?
 

I am making a wheelchair quilt as a surprise for my aunt. She is in a power chair due to MS pretty much paralyzing her left side, and when she goes out they often use a transfer chair just because it is easier to deal with. With the weather turning colder I want to make a quilt for her...

I finally decided to just do an offset brick quilt using a jelly roll I had. I started cutting it last night, it will be 6" finished bricks, with 3" bricks on the ends of every other row to make up for the offset.

So... if I do a row of 6 bricks it would be 36" and 7 bricks would make it 42"... not sure which way to go! I don't want it to get caught up in her wheels or drag on the floor as it drapes over, so I am kinda thinking 36" ... but does anyone out there have any actual experience to know which would be the better width?

I read that wheelchair quilts should be 36-48" wide and all sorts of opinions on lengths. So, while I have you... what length (in multiples of 2" of course) would you go with?

It varies a lot-- people are different sizes, and chairs are different sizes. I will disagree (respectfully) with the suggestion that she can just tuck it under her -- for people who have mobility issues, having a wad of quilt under them can cause pressure points or sores, in addition to being just plain uncomfortable. And quilts come untucked and drag or get caught in wheels or doors when they're too big.

So -- ask your aunt. Having it fit right and be usable trumps the fun of a surprise, if that was your intent. And if she doesn't know, either measure her while seated in her chair, or ask one of her caregivers to do so.

Failing that, measure yourself sitting in a chair. I'm not tiny, and a 36 inch wide by 42 long would cover my lap, come up a bit above my waist, and drape over my knees to my feet, but not cover my feet or get tangled when I go to stand up.

Thank You for bring this up. I need to do a wheelchair lap quilt for my DN. He has been diagnosed with MLS and needs one now. He lives near San Antonio TX so I thought that I would use a silk or s/mix batting so he would be comfortable. What are your thoughts on this? He is not too tall so Maybe 48x42 for him too?

Actually, the previous person had posted, "I WOULD GO 48x42 SHE CAN ALWAYS TUCK IT IN AROUND HER LEGS AND BODY. BUT QUILTS JUST DON'T STRECH MUCH. Oh poo just noticed I had cap lock on! LOL"
There was no mention of tucking the quilt 'under' but rather 'in around,' which I took to mean to push down toward the seat, not under the person.

I also agree that it depends upon the size of the person being covered.

When we were making them for the local nursing home they requested 36 X 36 for wheelchair quilts

I don't know about the size, but I would make the back Flannel so that it will won't be too slick and tend to slide off her, otherwise, she will be fighting trying to keep it on her lap. I am not handicapped in any way and find that I have issues sometimes keeping a quilt covering me.

edited to add: Just saw the comment about the nursing home requesting 36x36. Why not make her a whole cloth...something with a pretty printed design as a test quilt? Then you could make her a fabulous, special one later.

Some are prepared with tie strings attached to two corners so they can be tied to the chair so they don't end up on the floor.

I made several wheel chair lap quilts for our Senior Day Center and made most of them around 40" x 44".

I just found this on pinterest the other day:
Recommended sizes
Hospice bed 63" X 80"
Neo Natal 36" X 36"
Crib 34"-36" X 48"
Wheel Chair 36" X 48"
Nap Quilt 40" X 55"-60"

No idea if those are universal or not. It was on the internet, so it must be true, right?

I do recommend flannel for the backing; it's not easy for some people to pull the quilt back up if it starts to slide. And while the ties are good for some people, not everyone will want or need them.

I have done some wheelchair quilts for our church group and I tired to stay withing 36" to 42". If you can't measure her because of a surprise, talk to someone (caretaker or assistant) who can tell you what size will work best for your aunt.