MYO Quillow

This quillow keeps you warm and cozy, yet simple folding quickly transforms it into a compact pillow. You’ll find many uses for these quillows: as car blankets, at football games, in dorm rooms, and more! Quillows also make quick, easy to sew gifts for graduates, babysitters, newlyweds, and teachers. Sew one in 30 minutes or less!

The quillow pictured here (above) was made by my children’s Grammy “Lynn”

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Supplies:
• 1-7/8 yd. (1.75 m) of 58/60″ wide (150 cm wide) fleece
• Matching thread
• Rotary Cutter, Mat, and Ruler or Sewing Shears
• Large head long pins that can be seen in the fleece
• Size 90 Stretch Needle
• Optional: Pearl Crown Rayon Thread

Trim away fleece selvages using a rotary cutter, mat, and ruler or sewing shears

Cut out the blanket and pillow sections as follows:

Cut the blanket to measure 48″ by 60″ (122 cm by 152.5 cm).
Cut the pillow into an 18″ (46 cm) square.

You can use the remaining fleece as the pillow sections for two additional quillows. You’ll need to purchase only an additional 1-1/3 yd. (1.30 m) of fleece for each of those quillows. (Or you can use one of these as a lining for the pocket section if you will be embroidering a design onto that section to show when the quillow is folded into a pillow)

Turn under a 1/2″ (1.3 cm) hem on one of the non-stretchy cut edges of the pillow. Zigzag the hem in place.

Insert a Size 90 Stretch Needle in your sewing machine. A Stretch Needle has a rounded point which helps prevent skipped stitches.
Use a narrow width zigzag stitch.

(If you want an embroidered pillow, then embroider your design onto the pocket section and sew it and the lining piece, right sides together leaving a 6 inch opening in the middle of one of the sides or the bottom of the pocket section. Turn the pillow right side out making sure to push out the corners into a perfect square. You can either hand stitch the opening closed, or just pin it and stitch the opening closed as you sew the pocket section onto the blanket.)

Position the pillow on the blanket.

Fold the pillow in half to locate its center. Mark at the cut edge opposite the stitched hem.
Fold the 48″ (122 cm) edge of the blanket in half to locate its center. Mark.
Place and pin the pillow to the blanket, matching the centers, right sides together.

Use long pins such as Flower Head Pins. They go through the bulk of the fabric effortlessly and are easy to locate.

Stitch around three sides of the pillow with a straight stitch or a narrow zigzag stitch. (Optional finish, see Step 7)

Place the blanket pillow side down. Fold the blanket into thirds lengthwise, wrapping the blanket edges toward the wrong side.

Next, fold the blanket approximately into fourths, folding from the end opposite the pillow. Turn the pillow right side out, tucking the folded blanket inside.

Optional finish: Serge the edges of the fleece using Pearl Crown Rayon Thread in the upper and/or lower loopers. Test the stitch balance on a scrap of fleece before serging on the quillow.