Skip to main content

A Horse Quillow

A quillow is a lap-sized quilt which folds in on itself to become a cushion or a pillow.  This is the one I made for my eldest who is seen modelling it below. Well, her fingers and elbows can be seen.  She hates cameras. She loves horses though and as I had some horse related fabric, I thought I'd put it to good use.

This is the front cover when it is folded up into a pillow.



And this is what it looks like when it is opened out to a quilt.  My eldest is behind there somewhere.
The beige looking squares don't show up too well on the photo but they are covered in little horse shoes.

Quillows are easy-ish to make.  Its two quilts in one really. The front cover panel is made up into a mini-quilt, with its own wadding (batting) and backing fabic.  Its then stitched to the back of the completed main quilt on three of its sides.  It needs to be right at the very top of the main quilt and in the middle.  On mine above, its behind the top middle beige panel. Make sure that the picture on the mini-quilt is placed face down before you stitch! (Right side facing the back of the main quilt.) Stitching it on three sides forms a pocket which the rest of the quilt can be folded up into.  The wadding needs to be kept fairly light to make folding easier.   

Everything I make needs to be usable.  I'd hate to put this much effort into something and then have it end up in a box to stop it from being spoilt.  That's why I'm tickled pink that this one is as creased as it is.  It shows that someone has been sitting on it!  
 

Bye for now

Olly

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How To Keep The Original Hem When Turning Up Jeans

Hi all, You’ve found the perfect pair of jeans but as always, they are 3 miles too long. I’m going to show you how to fix them so they fit your leg length perfectly.  Better still, I’ll show you how this technique will work with any pants or trousers with an original jean-like hem. Like these 511 trousers. You will need : Pair of jeans or trousers that need turning up Sewing machine Zipper foot Thread to match your jeans/trousers Tape measure or ruler Safety pins or plastic clips Iron and ironing board Pressing cloth Step 1 Stand up and try on your jeans. With the shoes you usually wear or the pair you intend to wear with them. This is important as the shoes you wear will make a difference to the size of the turn up you need. Turn up the bottom of each leg so the wrong side of the hem is showing. Then move it up or down until you are happy with how they sit on the tops of your shoes. Fiddle with them, turning them up a bit more or do

The Charity Shop Find & the Headache from Hell!

 Hi all I've always been a fan of charity shops. Even before they became a fashionable way to reuse or  repurpose other people's unwanted clutter.  To me, they have always been a gateway for feeding my addiction to vintage and antique sewing machines.  Like this one.  Isn't she a beauty? According to the markings, She is a New Home machine made in West Germany so I'm guessing she's a post war... maybe 1950s... electric sewing machine.    She has a bolt-on motor and the shortest electric cable I have ever seen on a sewing machine! Look at it! It's tiny! That's never going to reach any of my electrical outlets. I'm thinking that this vintage sewing machine was made to be in a cabinet... or a previous owner cut the cable for some reason.  Maybe their outlets were mounted on a desk and they didn't want long cables cluttering the workspace?  Who knows? One thing I do know, is this sewing machine is going to give me a little bit of a headache!    Why? Beca

A soft spot or OSMC

Hi there,  I was having a bit of a nose around a local second hand shop over the weekend and came across this: It was tucked down the side of some furniture, looking a bit sorry for itself, just sitting there all alone. Well, I couldn't leave it there.  Poor thing looks like its had a bit of a hard life. It's a Mundlos machine, originally designed to go on a treadle table judging by the lack of a tool compartment, little holes in the base just under the hand crank and the small groove just behind the wheel. The little holes and groove would have been for the belt attaching the machine to the pedal.  The tools would probably have been kept in the table. The golden badge is the Mundlos company's trade mark and the portrait is of Heinrich Mundlos, one of the company's founders.  The little switch to the side is a handy little gadget that pops the shuttle out of the bobbin compartment. Originally, this machine would have been decorated with dec