Ben’s Cozy Quilt

Are you guys getting fall weather yet? Because we are totally getting fall weather over here and I am loving it. It made me want to post a comfy cozy sewing project…but the problem is that I haven’t started a new sewing project in quite awhile…

So the project I’m showing you today isn’t new…in fact, I made it almost 2 years ago. But it was the first quilt I made from start to finish all by myself. Which is saying something because my mom has a quilting business and I’m pretty sure she could quilt and bind in her sleep, so I’ve always just had her finish off my quilt tops. But this one was pieced, quilted and bound all by ME!

Yes, it was 2 years ago but I’m still ridiculously proud.

Since my mom does run her own quilting business, I have learned certain ways when making quilts-especially to use thin batting so as to show off the quilting. And, let me tell you, it didn’t take long for Ben to complain about this.

“Your quilts are pretty, Kim. They really are. But they’re not warm and cozy.”

That’s what he said to me after refusing to use my homemade quilts on our bed.

I feel okay telling you guys this because apparently my dad finally said the same thing to my mom after 35 years of marriage. Ha!

So 2 years ago I decided that for Christmas, I’d make Ben the warmest and coziest quilt I could come up with. One with thick batting and minimal quilting.

I wanted to make sure it maintained it’s manliness. And I didn’t want to do a ton of piecing (mostly so I could finish it by Christmas).

I browsed online for ideas and I honestly can’t remember if I copied this particular square or if I made up something myself…but I made 4 of these just for the corners. The middle section of orange required no cutting or piecing-I just straightened out the edges of what came off the bolt. I wasn’t aiming for any quilt size in particular, and this turned out about the size of a large lap quilt. It covers Ben comfortably from his feet up to his chin…but I don’t think it could pass as a bedspread (on any size of bed).

I stacked all the layers together which created just about the thickest blanket you’ve ever seen. Because of that, I opted to hand quilt this (also a first!). I kept the quilting verrrry simple. I quilted along all the seams and then just did a giant ‘X’ in the center.

You can *kind of* see the quilting here. I also did the binding by hand. I (still) don’t have a thimble, so I ended up taping the ends of my fingers so they could handle all that needle pulling!

Ha! I’m cheesy, but one of the fun parts of making your own quilts, especially if you’re giving them away, is to personalize them.

As far as fabric went for this particular quilt, I wanted things as soft as I could get them. I chose flannel for the top. The batting is the thickest I could find. And the back is this kind of furry minky. When I started the quilt, I had intentions to just use regular minky because it’s so soft, but I’m soooo glad I found this furry version. It helped the quilt be much more manly, thank heavens. And it is still super soft and cozy.

I think I’m most proud of this quilt because Ben uses it almost every day. And if I’m using it, he’ll bring me a different blanket so that he can take what is rightfully his. That’s love (for a quilt) right there, folks.