Cozy Stitchery

Quilt Size Planner

Measure the bed, not the chart

Maker

Date

Quilt for

Bed and mattress

Standard quilt size charts disagree with each other by several inches, because they assume different mattress depths and different drops. The mattress you are actually covering decides the size. Measure its width, length and depth, choose how far the quilt should hang and whether it tucks under the pillows, and the finished size is simple addition.

US mattress sizes

Mattress	Width x length (in)	Your mattress measured	Depth measured
Crib	28 x 52
Twin	38 x 75
Twin XL	38 x 80
Full or double	54 x 75
Queen	60 x 80
King	76 x 80
California king	72 x 84

Mattress depth varies from about 8 in on a basic mattress to 14 in or more on a pillow-top, and a mattress topper adds more. That difference is why a chart quilt fits one bed and looks short on the next.

Finished size worksheet

Width is mattress width plus a drop on both sides. Length is mattress length plus a drop at the foot plus a pillow tuck, if you want one.

Step	Example: queen	Your quilt
Mattress width	60 in
Mattress length	80 in
Mattress depth	12 in
Drop wanted (depth plus overhang)	15 in
Pillow tuck, if any	12 in
Finished width (width + 2 x drop)	90 in
Finished length (length + drop + tuck)	107 in
Allowance for quilting take-up and shrinkage	A few percent, more for dense quilting
Target top size

Dense quilting draws a quilt in, and cotton batting shrinks on the first wash. Check the batting package for its expected shrinkage and decide whether to prewash.

Common finished quilt sizes

Quilt	Common finished size range (in)	Your planned size
Crib or baby	36 x 52 to 45 x 60
Lap or throw	50 x 60 to 60 x 72
Twin	66 to 72 x 88 to 96
Full or double	80 to 86 x 88 to 108
Queen	88 to 94 x 94 to 108
King	104 to 110 x 94 to 108
California king	100 to 106 x 100 to 112
Wall hanging or table runner	Measure the wall or table

Ranges, not rules. Sources vary with the drop and tuck they assume. The worksheet above, done with your own mattress, beats every chart.

Crib quilts and safe sleep

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises no quilts, blankets, pillows or other soft bedding in a crib for babies under 12 months. A crib quilt is a play mat, a stroller cover under supervision or a wall hanging until then. Include this note if you are gifting one.

Quilt plans

Quilt name	For	Bed	Finished size	Pattern	Started	Finished

Measuring and planning a bed quilt

A large self-healing mat and a long ruler make the finished size real on the first cut rather than on the third.

Janome Memory Craft Horizon 8200QCP Special Edition: An 11 x 4.7 in work space to the right of the needle is what lets a queen top measured on this sheet roll through without fighting the machine.
Olfa 35 x 70 Continuous Grid Connecting Rotary Mat Set: Three 23 x 35 in mats clip into a continuous 35 x 70 in grid, long enough to square a border after you add the drop to the mattress width.
Omnigrid 6 x 24 Rectangle Quilting Ruler: A 6 x 24 in ruler spans a folded width-of-fabric cut in one pass, with 30, 45 and 60 degree angle lines for the setting triangles.
Hoechstmass 60-Inch Retractable Tape Measure: A 60 in retractable tape reaches across a king mattress and around its depth, which is the measurement the size charts on this sheet cannot do for you.

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