kathyd

My sister has one grandma made her for college (she graduated in 1979!) and it still looks good. They wear like iron.

butterflywing

when my own mom died i made these quilts out of her pants suits. they had to be tied because they were so thick i couldn't stitch through all the layers. the thread kept popping all along every seam even though i tried every thread and every needle on the market. i used the wrap-around method of binding because the edges were so think i couldn't bind any other way and not have it look like a long lump.

i had divided the colors into families, brown being my least favorite and therefore my experiments. it was so terrible that i never moved on to the better colors (although i do have a blue flying geese all cut out since that time LOL!)

they weigh a ton, especially the king. when you go to sleep, make sure you don't have to get up to go to the bathroom. you may not make it. those babies really hold you down. the smaller ones are doubles. they will last forever. and ever. and ever.

butterflywing

edit to add: i find them not so good for pets because their claws get caught in the knit and causes pulls. on the pro side they are terrific for babies and nursing homes because they can be bleached without any loss of color.

grammy of 6

After reading all this, I wish I had saved all my knits from the 60's and 70's!

mountain deb

I know from working in a nursing home that those double knits lap quilts last and hold there color for a long time. If there are different textures to them or you have different fabrics, then make booklets of fabric. These they use for tactile (feel) stimulation. Bound each page with zig zag or serge stitches. You can have any amount of pages in them. They can be sewn down one side if a few or button holes in one corner and looped into a binder ring. I have also donated them to a group to make into rugs for over seas mission work.

Judie

I had a huge pile of double knits when my sweet MIL passed away..

I made stacks of lap robes for the rehab facility she was in for a long time.. They love the quilts and they stand up to their constant washing and drying.. Those things never wear out!

I made a large, tied, double knit quilt for each one of the cars.. the quilt lives in the trunk and is perfect for a spontainous picnic, or should some one have a flat tire, or worse, it can be spread on the ground without worry to protect good clothes.. You know, those break downs never happen when you're dressed for crawling under the car! Both of our cars have one, and each of the kids cars have one.

I cut some yardage into strips and made braided rugs... They work up wonderfully and you don't have to worry about the raw edges fraying.. so they stay nice.. and can be tossed into the washer and dryer..

I made a bunch of simple mats for our animal shelter. Those poor animals have nothing but concrete or wire to rest on if someone doesn't make washable mats.. The animals don't care if your stitching isn't perfect or if the knit is an ugly one.. They are more comfortable and I'm more comfortable thinking they are resting easier.

I've made a stack of simple totes to take grocery shopping with me.. I also use those for hauling all sorts of stuff, like library books, or flower pots.. things that are heavy or dirty and I need to carry a bunch of them at a time.

I made a firewood carrier to help bring the wood into the house.. I can load as many pieces as I can carry and the fabric is stronger than I am.. and when it's dirty, into the washer it goes.

I made a teepee for one of the grand kids...

We have set up a small tent city in the back yard during the summer.. I didn't do anything for that but bring out the fabic.. you can't hurt it.. once the city came down, I washed the stuff up and it went back to the sewing room no worse for the fun.

My personal favorite is the rugs.. I love those rugs..

I don't wear it anymore.. but I love it for a simple quilt made of lots of colors.. The one I have has smaller squares on one side and large squares on the other.. no batting. . tied with black yarn.. It's warm and will probably wear forever.

Whatever you do don't throw it away just because you don't wear it anymore.. and with the price of cotton fabric going so high, who knows, polyester may make a comeback!! It's cheaper to keep it and use it a bit at a time, than to toss it and wish you had it back!

ejudy

So many ideas for the double knit. I had a hard time finding anyone who wanted 11 large boxes of it from my mother's home. I just didn't have the time or imagination to use it. Finally a lady took it to crochet rugs and will give the rest to the DAV for their quilting.

Holice

Several years ago I had some double knit. I made fabric balls out of some of it. I believe the shape of the pieces are "pentagon" I would have to search to make sure. They were great for kids as they are washable. Easy to construct even with a lot of y seams. Also good for groups who have members who don't sew and quilt. They can stuff and hand stitch them closed.

blueangel

I have two quiltsmade with double knit. One is over30 years old and just like new. They are so warm and last forever.