Willowbend Quilts

I found a really cool company where you can order precision cut designs for wall hangings. The directions said they can also be used as quilts, but every part of the design much be top-stitched. Because I have a lot of “outdoors” men in my family, I decided to use the precision-cut designs into quilts – As you will see some of the areas were miniscule in size and it took many hours to stitch all of these areas, most of which I hand-turned the machine wheel to keep control .

 Believe me when I say I am not accepting any orders on these – the company I purchased them from stopped sending the border print with the design and I feel it really lacks something as a finished product and sometimes matching it is particularly difficult. The other think I learned is do not make these as soft-edge quilts. The patterns harden and sometimes split during washing so it isn’t a very practical quilt. Oh well, you live and you learn as they say.

Soft Edge Quilts

These quilts are also known as “rag quilts”, but every time I called them that people snarled their noses like they smelled an old dish rag. That’s an injustice, of course, because these quilts are delightful. They’re fun, uncomplicated, and can be made rather quickly. I usually make a soft-edge quilt between other projects, just to give my mind a rest. I’ve started calling them “soft-edge” because the seams are sewn out not in, are sandwiched with flannel , and when they’re clipped and washed several times, it makes the seams soft and comfy. Soft-edge quilts are user-friendly. They’re like a warm hug whenever you need one. They’re great to take with you to the football games when the weather is cold. Use them as flags to show support for your team. It would make a great fundraiser for schools or a gift for the sports fan in your life.

Most of the quilts pictured in this category were Christmas gifts. My favorite is the citrus quilt (yellow, orange, green) – I used different colors of flannel to sandwich the blocks and I really love the way it turned out. Notice the diagonal pattern in these quilts. This is my preferred design and is the easiest pattern to do. Even when I attempt a random design it usually comes out looking like a pattern. Someone suggested throwing all the squares into a bag, clothes basket, or whatever. Close your eyes and whatever comes out gets sewn – Maybe I’ll try that next time.