I don't want this to sound silly or judgemental. I have made several lap quilts and don't know what to do with them. They are generally too small to cover the body, not warm or soft enough to snuggle under.Full sized quilts that I have made are still UFO's because the thought of quilting them boggles my mind ( and I am too cheap to send them out) So... what do people do with these beautiful lap quilts I see?

There are a lot of organizations that take lap quilts for children. Project Linus, and Quilts for Kids are both great. Also check with your local hospital or child services office to see if they take them. Many police carry quilts and/or stuffed animals in their cars to help comfort children who are victims of accidents/violence. They don't have to be large or perfect to give a child comfort. If you have any tops you wish to donate, I will gladly quilt them and send them to an organization for kids.

I have made a couple for my mother who is in a wheel chair, if you don't know of anyone in a wheel chair maybe you could donate them to a nursing home.

My husband and I each have a lap quilt on our respective sides of the bed. It allows us to cover our feet and legs, but have separate temperature controls, so to speak. They're on top of two other quilts that cover the entire bed. Sometimes I add an extra lap quilt on my side as well, since I tend to get colder than my husband. I also keep a couple in my car for trips to the park and picnics.

Is there a quilt guild in your area? You could donate those tops to them to finish and they will donate them to local churchs, etc.

I donate many tops to my own guild, love to make some quick scrappy tops but don't want to spend the time or money finishing them. Guild has a group that meets once a month to add batting and backing and they usually tie to quilts and they are all ready to pass along to others in need.

I have never made a lap quilt or any other quilt for that matter that was not large enough for its recipient to snuggle up in! I guess maybe I should stop calling them lap quilts and start calling them cuddle quilts. The smallest I have made is 48x60 for my kids and the biggest is my husbands which is 65x87!

Lap sizes is all I make. I have made one twin size. I dont have the storage for large quilts.
I give alot of my lap quilts to family. They put them on the sofa back to use as a coverup when it is cold.
Baby quilts are popular since I have a lot of new babies in the family.
Smaller quilts give you a faster learning curve because of the variety of blocks made and much more practice at free motion and binding. Above all they are much more fun to make.
Big quilts are just to much hassle with the added bulk and I get bored with them.
Christmas quilts are great for gifts also.
I also make mine larger than lap size but not as big as a bed.

thanks for the comments. Guess I will make some more lap size

I make my lap quilts large enough to snuggle under while I'm watching TV. Smaller ones can be used by children.

If you're having a hard time quilting your tops, and don't want to send them out, try quilting in sections. I did this before I bought a longarm. I bought the book "Machine Quilting in Sections", by Marti Michell. She explains several techniques, and when each would be used. Excellent book!

http://www.amazon.com/Machine-Quilti...8072288&sr=8-1

I donated my lap quilts to meals on wheels and they gave them to the people that they deliver to. I got some wonderful thank yous from the one who recieved tham. I too think a larger than lap qult size is better can snuggle under it better.
JeanneZ