Purl Soho's Lap Duvet

It was cold and rainy last week when a newsletter from Purl Soho dropped into my on-line mailbox last week.  The photo on the newsletter showed a stack of puffy Lap Duvets with fabulous linen grid fabric on one side, Lana Cotta Canberra wool fabric on the reverse.  There is layer of wool quilt batting in between the two layers.  In view of the cold wet weather outside, it was JUST what I wanted. That and a lazy afternoon with a good book or movie. 

This lap duvet is the perfect project for that fabulous large print yardage you just can't bear to cut up into quilt pieces!  My stash is a bit out of control (actually a lot out of control!!) at the moment so buying new material just didn't make sense. So upstairs I went to see what I could use.

What I found was a couple yards of the "Leaf in Green" fabric from Lizzie House's The Lovely Hunt.  I'd purchased simply because I thought it was beautiful, without any plans for its use.  I auditioned a number of fabrics for the reverse side and chose a peach abstract floral which picked up the salmon color highlight in Lizzie's fabric.

I had one twin and 2 queen wool quilt batts in my closet.  With a bit of math, I figured out that the twin size batting would make 2 lap duvets with only a bit left to trim off one end.

I followed the instructions in the tutorial and used a zig-zag to tack the layers together.  It just seemed plain when I finished it.  It's supposed to be spare and modern, but I just wanted something more.  So I added some Big Stitch Quilting 1 3/4 inches in from the the outside edges of the lap duvet. I used a matching green, size 5, DMC brand perle cotton thread. Its sheen adds a subtle highlight to the duvet while maintaining its modern look.

It's a light lofty item and will be a cheerful addition to the couch through the Spring.  For a true winter lap duvet, I think using a good quality quilter's flannel on one side and a soft quilter's cotton on the other would be perfect.