Made With Love: Quilts for Men

Hello Friends! I have been sewing like a MAD woman, and wanted to share the finished goods with you! A little over a month a go I went fabric shopping with my boyfriend (no worries, we left still a couple!). :) The mission at hand was to pick "manly" fabrics for new custom pillows for his couches. I found Betz White's Stitch Organic print and used that as the base for all of the pillows. We methodically selected a handful of fabrics that coordinated with the Stitch Organic print and were soon enough on our merry way! I made a total of five pillows, with only two using the same pattern. All pillows are 18" square, and I machine quilted each pillow on my BabyLock.

I made another Tallahassee paper pieced pillow, just like I did for the Pillow Talk Swap! This time I used the same fabric for the background and flower middles, and really like how it turned out!

I used the Stitch Organic print for the backing of each pillow, and hid the zipper with a coordinating print.

For this pillow, I modified the Coming Home quilt pattern in Camille Roskelley's Simplify book, to make an 18" square pillow.

It's no secret to my family and friends that I have fallen in LOVE with triangle pillows. I made two this go around, and really thought about keeping one for myself (shhh...don't tell my boyfriend!). :)

This is the second triangle pillow. They both coordinate, yet they're so different.

Last but not least, I modified the A Bunch of Crosses pillow pattern from the Pillow Pop book, to fit an 18" pillow form. You might remember that I made him a Simply Color Cross Quilt for Christmas last year; I love that this pillow echoes the same pattern.

All of the pillows lined up, and ready for their debut on his couch!

I had some leftover fabric and a little time (more fabric than time), and opted to make a quick fat quarter friendly quilt (Fantastic-O Fat Quarter Quilt, by my friend Gina Halladay).

I also added a little hand embroidery (I couldn't pass up the opportunity!).

Its so hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone! This beauty of a quilt was a Christmas gift for a very special guy. I've always found it hard to select fabrics for a manly quilt, let alone a Christmas present for someone special...like a boyfriend!

I went to a local quilt shop one day at lunch, looking for the perfect "manly fabric" (although I was skeptical that such even existed), when I stumbled upon a selection of Simply Color by V and Co. (only green, blue, and gray - paired with Moda Bella Solids). I went home and thought about what I had seen at the quilt store, and while rummaging through my stash I found an unopened fat quarter bundle of Simply Color, that I had picked up at Sample Spree in Kansas City, MO (Spring 2012). With that, the "manly quilt" was born.

I used In Color Order's Plus Quilt Tutorial for the pattern, and most definitely recommend it. I'll be the first to admit that cutting 320 4.5" square is not something to write home about, but the end result most definitely is (wouldn't you agree?)!

I started this quilt well after Thanksgiving, with the goal of having it completed for Christmas (which I accomplished- thank.you.very.much!). The cutting took time, sewing the quilt together was quick. My sweet friend Joyce did the long arm quilting for me, and I took the time to hand stitch the binding (which I finished Christmas Eve morning).