OT - Patchwork Coverlet?

Nope, Bev. Easy as that. You can birth it or you can bind it. You can quilt it or tack it. Mr. Esther's mom made lots of those for her grandchildren. She used linen samples from an interior decorator. They wore like iron and were very much loved. Be sure to make it big enough so a fight doesn't break out. Polly

Hey Bev

My mama used to make those when I was a girl. She called them summer quilts. She quilted them like any other quilt.

Kate T. South Mississippi

Thanks!

So how much overhang would you recommend?

Block Size Overhang per side

Thanks for that info :-).

Many years ago, I visited a couple of elderly ladies, who lived in the high desert. They made these, and I thought they were beautiful. I knew nothing about quilting the time (and little about sewing in general, for that matter), so I did not pay any attention to the coverlets' construction. Still, it came to mind when my DH asked for a cooler "blanket".

I'm always ridiculously over-generous with the over hang part. I like 18-20 in. It also helps stop fighting over the covers.

With today's extra thick mattresses you should probably measure to be sure how much you need- enough to cover the top sheet, blanket, etc. You'd be so sad if it turned out too short! ;-)

Leslie & The Furbabies >>Be sure to make it big enough

If you bind it, you probably don't have to cut the binding as wide as if you were using binding because it will be a thinner edge to bind. Might be worth experimenting with.

Julia > My DH has decided that he would like something a bit cooler than a

My granny called them Summer Quilts, too. They were always birthed and quilted, not bound. They were terrific in the summer evenings on the screened porch at night, just the right amount of weight and security! Please post a picture! have fun with it!

Here is a picture of the proposed "summer quilt", as exported from EQ (Electric Quilt). To get it the size my DH wants it, I decreased the finished block size to 7.5" and increased the number of blocks. You can also see a picture of the fabric used in the main diagonal -- It does not show up well in the EQ picture:

I've never birthed such a large quilt before (105"x97.5").