You are a great niece. You might want to add a bag to put the quilt and book in. Large enough so he doesn't have to fight the quilt to get it in but small enough to be easy to carry. Add a couple pockets so he can put tissue, glasses, etc. in it.

Mary Kay, Though I've never used it, Baen books posts quite a few free ebooks on their website -- http://www.baen.com/library/ -- if your uncle likes science fiction or fantasy. I don't know if it will work the one you have or not, but it's worth a try. I would like to know what size quilt you actually end up with. It's a great idea for anyone facing this challenging difficulty.

mknavy90 wrote:
What a thoughtful and generous idea. He'll be so cozy and distracted by explaining his techno book to everybody hopefully the time will pass quickly for him. I hope his treatment is successful.
Karen

Thank you, All, for your thoughts and ideas! I am going to go with the narrow quilt that was suggested.

I spoke with my uncle this afternoon, and found out that he is 5 inches shorter than ~6 months ago.... with the cancer that he has, his vertebrae are breaking (so far 5 vertebrae). So a quilt long enough to cover him, but narrow enough to allow the chemo equipment to easily reach him sounds like the right combo!

I am also sending him an Amazon Kindle (it's a 10.3 ounce wireless "book"); can hold up to 200 titles/newspapers/etc, downloads books wirelessly through Amazon.com. I thought it would be a great handy "book" for my Uncle to carry around and have during treatments, or trips to the doctor. Nice and light!....

and a quilt to keep him warm!

I dug out one of my quillow patterns to see the dimensions. Open, it is 40" by 70" and folded into a pillow it is 20" by 20". It is a great pattern if you have theme fabrid.

Wow Florence your mom's been through alot. Will be praying.

I would add a bit of length, for me at 60" tall 54" would be perfect. Adjust the length to be 6 to 10" shorter than you're uncle. I like the idea of the narrower width as well, it won't be quite so heavy when your uncle carries the quilt.
Will keep your uncle in prayer, cancer isn't any fun to deal with at all.

Teri

Florence, hope your Mom does well.

As for the Quillow, another good feature with them is that the owner can tuck his/her feet into the pocket part for extra warmth.

Pat in Rockport, TX, getting ready to go to quilt guild meeting.

florence wrote:
Thanks for the idea, Florence! You and your mom are in my thoughts and prayers as she goes through the transplant! Mary Kay

Just to throw in a different opinion, my Mom has been in Chemo all spring (as she was also 4 years ago) and the center had fleece throws for all the patients, and my Mom really liked the size they used, and asked me to make one for her at home (nevermind that I made her a BEAUTIFUL quilt the last time, but I think she likes to keep that one on display )
Anyway, they are long enough to cover her from chest to feet (she's not tall) but NARROW enough that they don't get hung up in the mechanism of the recliners... really just barely over the width of the seat of the chair. There's not so much width or bulk that it's easy when they need to get up to go to the rest room or see the doc, which can be a challenge w/ all of the tubing and IV pole, etc. (note: many times a fleece throw will be made w/ fringe... DON'T go there...)
so, my 2 cents (or my Mom's!!)
Any FYI, in 8 days she will have a Bone-Marrow Transplant. Please think good thoughts for her/us over the next several weeks/months! Hugs,
Florence

MaryKay, a twin is 63x87, according to Quilter's Newsletter info. I would just adjust it according to his height and how much he needs to cover his arms. He will reallly appreciate the love you're putting into this quilt. Judy in Torrance

Another thought might be to make him a quillow so that it is easy to transport and can also be used as a pillow. Just a thought...I'm on a quillow kick right now and am aiming to make one for each of my five grandchildren before Christmas.
Good luck on whatever you do. I'm sure it will be appreciated and well loved.

Mary Kay,
You might want to think about using wool batting for your uncle's quilt. I just quilted one for a lady who's always cold and her husband's a furnace. This is the only batt that will work for both without weighing a ton.
eileenkny

Thanks, Ann and Carla! Some good advice! Since I am going for a warm quilt, what batting would you recommend? Thanks again! MK