School Spirit Quilt

I made one of these little lap quilts a few years ago for myself and love it.  Mendel knows when it comes out that he can sit in my lap for a snuggle and some pets.  And since it's fleece and cotton, it's machine washable- I wash mine almost every week.  It's large enough for me to get under while I'm reading or crafting, but small enough to take with me on a plane.  This Oregon State one is the prototype and has held up pretty well, so I decided to have another go at it for a University of Florida blanket for Laura.

Materials Needed (all yardage given for 45" fabric):
2 Colors of Fleece - 1 yard each
1 yard school spirit or any patterned fleece (optional)*
1 yard cotton fabric for blanket backing (usually you can find this is a coordinating school fabric)
1 package crib size batting in desired material and thickness
1 pack satin blanket binding in coordinating color
Cotton thread matching blanket binding
Embroidery thread in coordinating color
Scissors
Sewing machine
Rotary cutter
Self healing mat
Acrylic quilting ruler

*Depending on the pattern, you may not need this much fabric.  You will need 7 squares that are 7" a side.  Or you can leave out the school specific squares and make additional squares of solid colored fleece.  See cutting directions below.

The directions for this are kinda wordy, but it's really a very easy project and can easily be done in a weekend (in a day if you have a whole one with no distractions) but can just as easily be broken into make steps that can be done one at a time.

Cutting the Squares:
You will need 49 squares total.  I used the following quantities:
7 Patterned squares
21 Blue squares
21 Orange squares
For solid colored  fleece, using a rotary cutter, self healing mat, and quilting ruler, cut 4 strips of fabric, each 7" wide.  Cut each strip into 7" squares, not using the salvage edge.  This should give you 6 squares per strip or 24 squares in each color.
For patterned fleece, cut 7 pieces that are 7" square.  This may require some to be cut from the middle of the fabric, rather than in strips depending on the pattern of the fleece and what you want the finished project to look like (see example below).

Whole pattern of UF fleece:


After cutting usable pieces:


Next, lay out your squares in the pattern you like.  I like to use the living room floor since it's a nice big space and I have plenty of room to move things around until I get them the way I like them.  Just remember, pets love fleece!

Once you have it the way you like, pin the squares together into vertical strips.  I find just one quilting pin per join does well enough.  At this point you may want to take a quick pic with your camera or phone so you don't forge the layout when you pick up the strips to start sewing.  Or you can use a quilting pencil or fabric marking pen with disappearing ink to number them.  If you're neurotic like me, you just carefully pile the strips in their correct order and keep them that way.

Next, start sewing (yay!) the the pinned joins using a half inch seam.  I like to do a kind of running seaming.  I sew the top two squares of the first strip together then, without cutting the thread, send through the same seam on the second strip and continue like this until all the strips have their top seam sewn together.  Then I cut the tread from the machine and cut apart each strip (being careful to keep them in the correct order).

Repeat this with each set of pinned joins until you have 7 fully sewn strips of 7 squares each, like this:


The next step is to sew the strips together to make the top of the quilt.  I like to pin the stips together before I feed them through the sewing machine.  I think it just makes it easier to make sure top and bottom layer are feeding evenly and that the corners are matching up.  And because you can't iron fleece, it also helps keep the seams open as your feeding.



Once the top is finished, make a little sandwich with the cotton backing material on the bottom (right side facing down), then the batting, then the top (right side facing up).  Cut the batting and backing to the same size as the top.  Make sure you give the top layer a good tug before cutting as it will stretch in the sewing machine, but the other 2 layers won't.  Again, I like to pin everything together before cutting.  It's not required but it does make it easier and makes the next step easier as well.



Once your layers are cut, do a quick basting around the outside about 1 inch in to hold all the layer together.  This step isn't required, but I highly recommend it.

Next, pin the blanket binding in place, making sure the narrower side is facing up.  Start in the middle of a side, rather than in a corner.  When turning the corners, I like to miter them, like this.

Pinning the blanket binding:


Mitered corners:


Sew the blanket binding in place using a matching thread and sewing as close to the edge as you feel comfortable.

Last step!  Where the corners of your squares meet, pin through all 3 layers.  Then, using three strands of the embroidery thread, "stitch" at the corners and tie a knot.



When all's said and done, you should have this: