highlandtaylor

Hello! Sorry if this is posted elsewhere or otherwise answered, new member looking for an answer. I am making a denim quilt from old jeans for my daughter's first year at college. Have blocks cut that are 3" in size. Looking to make a twin XL quilt, dimensions I have found are 70X95". Can anyone tell me how many blocks I will need for this quilt. Or if you have any other suggestions, they would be much appreciated! Thank you, have a great day!

ckcowl

Wow, 3” squares will finish at 2 1/2”.....
if you plan to just sew your 3” squares together it takes 28 to get 70” & 38 to get 95” so 1,064 squares.
You might want to add fabric - even more denim to make those squares bigger
8” squares (8 1/2” before sewing into strips) 9 squares would make it 72” by 12 squares would give you a quilt 72” x 96” you would need 108 squares

Tartan

Denim quilts are usually done in bigger squares due to the thickness of the seam allowances. Might I suggest that you use 1 inch strips between your 3 inch squares so the seam allowances can be pressed into the sashing? You will end up with 1/2 inch sashing between the denim and it looks nice.( Unless you are using larger then 1/4 inch seams, in which case increase the size of your sashing. )You can also do your quilting down the middle of the sashing and it won’t be as thick to quilt through.

SuziSew

Welcome highland! Glad to have you on the Quilt Board! I'm sure you will get a lot of help and suggestions from the marvelous people here.

If you haven't cut all of your blocks I would really recommend cutting bigger blocks. Because of the thickness, denim has it's own set of challenges to work with, a few I can think of: you'll need a denim needle for one, maybe a heavier thread, a wider seam allowance because of fraying, and the weight of the quilt will be much heavier than your normal quilt.

If you have already cut your blocks and your cut size is three inches, then you can figure 2.5 for a finished block (seems small for a denim block), so 70" (width) divided by 2.5" = 28 and 95" length divided by 2.5" = 38 ....28 x 38 = 1064 blocks. However...because it's denim some would recommend using a wider seam allowance in which case the blocks would be smaller and you would need more to get your finished size. Something else to consider, rather than all denim, mix it with quilting cottons or flannel.

These are just some of my thoughts and I'm sure you will get many more from others more experienced than I.

Jennifer23

Welcome to the board!

SuziSew and ckowl's calculations are correct. I would be inclined to make the quilt smaller than the dimensions you found, though; most college dorm beds are against a wall, so you don't need a big overhang on both sides (if the quilt is too wide, it's hard to make the bed). A long drape is also awkward if you're using the under-bed area for storage (a bedskirt is better if you want to hide stuff). I went to college with a quilt about this size, and it was just too wide to be convenient.

A twin XL mattress is 39 x 80". Dorm mattresses are usually 6-8" thick, so an overhang of 12" on each side is usually sufficient. This makes your quilt 63x92", which would require 25 x 37 = 925 squares. You could even make it a row or two smaller in each direction, without any harm.

As other people have said, this will be a very heavy quilt. There's nothing wrong with this, as long as your daughter knows what she's getting. If you want it lighter and haven't cut your squares yet, I would cut them bigger than you're planning, so that you have less weight in the seam allowances. Also consider adding sashing or alternate blocks of other fabric to reduce the overall weight.

Good luck with your project!

Mitty

In addition to all of the above ... if you've cut some 3" squares but not all of them, you could do something like alternating large blocks with 16-patches (with 2.5" finished size squares, the blocks will be 10" finished).

QuiltingNinaSue

A rag denim quilt would be the quickest quilt to make. It is a quilt as you go, and when you are done...you are really done. Just cut out each black the size you want, put a quick batting in the square or shape you have chosen and backing on it. The sew an inch in all the way around, raw seams out on top with the next square. She can use it on the floor, bed or as a throw quilt around her shoulders. Throw it the washer, dry it and use it again real quick. The last step in the quilt is to cut each seam so it has a fringe around it. We helped our three through college some years ago, but think it might be the same as now in college. Quick and easy and handy seems to hold through to present day. Quilting design is all up to you and whatever she likes.

Jordan

Welcomel to the board. You will find everyone on this board is so kind and full of ideas and advice. I too am making a denim quilt out of my Dad's jeans and I am cutting 9 1/2", 6 1/2" and 3 1/2" squares. I cut the bigger squares whenever I can and then when I come to a smaller area I try and get the next smallest size. They will all fit together since they are in increments of 3's. Good luck to you

highlandtaylor

Thank you all so much for helping this new quilter out! So many great suggestions. Guess now I will have to decide what I am going to do, as I have already cut most of my blocks. And thank you for the dorm sizing information also! I'm afraid I do not know much about that, and I have mostly been getting information from the internet. I will be sure to let you all know how it turns out! Thanks again!!

Gerbie

Personally I would not use any batting with a denim quilt. I have made 3 and did not use batting in any, because of the weight of the denim. I used light weight chambray for the backing on the pineapple pattern one and also on the jelly roll pattern quilt cut 2 1/2 " strips and made it like a jelly roll quilt and I used flannel on the raggedy square one. Advise make sure your denim is all the same don't try and mix stretch denim with regular denim, it doesn't work, I know because I tried and had to redo blocks. The raggedy square would be great for a dorm quilt, but see if you can find the special scissors for cutting raggedy squares, the cutting would be much easier to do ad easier on your hands. Good luck. Welcome to the board.