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Fleece Quillow

These are great gifts and quick to make. Gayfeather Fabrics, right next door to our store, has lots of high quality fleece --including some great two-sided Polar Fleece. 

If you have an embroidery machine, it is easy to embroider someone's name or initials in one corner of the quillow!

What is a Quillow? A quillow is a blanket (or quilt –hence the name) with a built in pocket. The blanket folds up into the pocket –creating a pillow. This simple quillow is made of fleece.

Any blanket or quilt can be made into a quillow by attaching a pocket with a finished width 1/3 of the width of the blanket plus 1 to 2 inches and a length of about ¼ of the blanket plus 1 to 2 inches.

Fabric

  1. For a 48" by 60" lap quilt: buy 1 7/8 yards of 60" width fleece. (This will leave you left over fleece for 2 more pillow pockets. –OR- Use an 18" square scrap of fleece for the pocket and 1 and 1/3 yards fleece for the blanket. *You can even piece your little polar fleece scraps to make a pocket the right size.
  2. Larger blankets: If you have access to wider fleece –you can make a longer blanket. For example, if your fleece is 70" wide, to make a 54" by 70" wide fleece blanket, just make your pocket 20" long.

    If your fleece is 60" wide but you want a bigger blanket, buy more yardage. For a 60"by 72" quillow, for the blanket portion buy 2 yards of fleece. Your pillow should be 21 to 22" square.

Supplies:

  1. 90/14 Universal sewing machine needle
  2. Good quality polyester thread –we like Mettler’s Metrosene.
  3. Sewing machine in good working order. (Remember, Hans’ Sewing & Vacuum can do a valuable tune-up and cleaning of your machine!)
  4. (Optional) Rotary Cutter and Mat
  5. (Optional) Wavy blade

Sewing Machine Directions for the 48" by 60" quillow:

  1. Cut the blanket to measure 48" by 60" (4’ by 5’). –For a fun treatment, use a wavy blade rotary cutter.
  2. Cut an 18" square for the pocket. –Again, use your wavy blade.
  1. Mark the center of the short side of your blanket and of your pocket. –place pocket along blanket short side (48" side) right sides together–matching center marks. If using the wavy blade just pin down and sew around 3 sides of the quillow leaving interior bottom side open. OR turn under a ½" hem and sew down from the top. To sew use a narrow zigzag or your stretch stitch (looks like a narrow zigzag.)

Serger/sewing machine Directions for the 48" by 60" quillow:

  1. Follow cutting steps 1 and 2 from sewing machine instructions. Don’t use wavy blade.
  2. Using a wide three-thread decorative overedge stitch or Serger blanket stitch, finish edges of your blanket and pocket.
  3. Mark the center of the short side of your blanket and of your pocket. –place pocket along blanket short side (48" side) right sides together–matching center marks. Pin down and sew around 3 sides of the quillow leaving interior bottom side open using your serger coverstitch. OR, with your sewing machine, turn under a ½" hem and sew down from the top. To sew use a narrow zigzag or your stretch stitch (looks like a narrow zigzag.).

Folding

Turn your quillow so the pillow is underneath the blanket. Fold in each side so blanket is in thirds. Then fold up from the bottom. (See illustration above.)–Now turn the pillow right side out tucking the blanket into the pillow.

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