Bed quilts for everyday use
 

I need to replace a couple of quilts we have been using on our beds for many years. They are wearing out. I want utility quilts that are warm. I have several quilts that I have hand quilted that I use for spreads, but don't want them to be utility quilts. I need something that is easy and fast.I don't want to hand quilt these quilts and I don't want to pay to have them machine quilted. I have a small stash and am thinking of making a couple of quilts mock/faux cathedral window with circles and a square of batting in each circle, quilt as you go. It looks deceptively simple, but I am wondering if it will be as fast or easy as it appears. I would appreciate input.

i love rail fence. it works so well and sews up so fast with strip piecing. needs no fancy quilting at all.

aileen

We use flannel rag quilts as drag around utility quilts. Very warm and cosy and quick to make.

I am very fond of the basic patchwork - nothing fancy, very scrappy. You can even do them as seasonal - I have one with just Halloween fabric and another one that is all Christmas. They are fun and quick. I usually use 5 inch squares.

Another one I have done is Turning Twenty. But instead of using Fat Quarters I just bought 1/4 yard of fabric and adjusted the pattern squares from there. Then when the blocks were put together I used a sashing between them which seemed to high-light the fabric in the squares. Wish I had a picture of it, it was really fun to make and super fast.

Maybe a Fun and Done quilt.

https://www.baysidequilting.com/stor...idCategory=284

There appears to be a lot of quilts here that are quilt as you go. For utility quilts they look great!! Think I might have to put one of these on my list. Thanks.

A lady wrote that she was making the faux cathedral window was extremely tedious because she was button stitching around each petal. I wanted to do one before her review of the process. Rail fence or jelly roll race for speed and ease.

All of my beds have hand quilted quilts on top - I change them as the mood strikes, or the seasons change. all are strip pieced quilts, nothing fancy, yet warm and comfy. Animals are not permitted on the beds, so they are not torn...and every year I make at least one for us.

Here's a link to the retirement quilt I made using the quilt as you method and the ten minute block. It turned out pretty good to me. Point being, it was made with the quilt as you method.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...t-t247229.html
Serita

I don't think Cathedral window is quick at all but then I made one back in the 80s. Warm Wishes is a quick quilt and the instruction are free on the internet.

I found a copy of my quilt as you go quilt, and thought it would be easier to check it out by adding the pic directly. I was really happy with this one.

Serita

If your looking for something easy, why don't you just make a cover for each quilt. This will help keep the ware down, but also keep the warm. It makes your quilt changeable any time you want a new color. They are fast and easy.

Take a look at Evelyn Sloppy's book "Frayed Edge Fun". There may be a copy at your library, or you could get it used at Amazon. The cover photo is of the Cathedral Window.

I would make about 3 blocks with fabric from an old garment. Try sewing them together to see if the quilt is heavy enough to suit you, and if the fold over "petals" aren't too thick for topstitching.

The warmest quilt has a wool batt and is tied, not machine quilted. Tied quilts allow the wool to keep its loft to trap the air to keep you warm.

I made a king size quilt using 6" floral squares, it was fast and easy and I quilted it on my Jenome. I am making another with 6" food and vegetables squares, it's looking good but it makes me hungry every time I work on it

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This is one of the first one's I made for everyday use.
It's a snowball pattern and made from scraps. It's machine quilted and has been in the washing machine several times.

I like Disappearing 9-patch for a nice looking, easy to make quilt.

How far apart are your ties, and are they in a pattern or random? Are there special instructions for washing to keep the batting from bunching? Would this stand up to the heavy wear that Genden indicates for her quilt replacements? It seems that more and more I am hearing about tied quilts.

Jenny @ MSQC has an easy cathedral window quilt video, maybe give that a look and see what you think:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akKU0zg-qaw

I have not done a Cathedral Windows quilt, but I cannot imagine it being a quick and easy project no matter how you quilt it (as you go, etc.) I always like a Double Irish Chain for a quick and easy quilt. Then just meander it with a similar thread color.

A lady in our quilt guild makes lovely quilt as you go quilts. The Gourmet Quilter does something very similar. This is the link to her video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji8BLS2rNHA

I made a mock/faux cathedral window quilt. I did not find it fast. Sewing the circles together and turning was the easy part. Sewing them together took more time and accuracy for it to turn out right. Not sure I would ever try it again.

I like tumbler quilts. When I use a template they go together pretty quick. I have used the small template for use with charm squares. I also have a larger template that lets me make different size tumblers. When they are finished I think they are very interesting quilt

This is the first thought that came to my mind, too.

Jan in VA

We used to cover the wool batt with cheesecloth or some very light fabric. It was basted on with needle and thread. The top and back were sewn together, turned right side out and the batt slipped inside. Then that was tied, not too close together. When the top was dirty, it was taken apart, the outside washed (and repaired) and put back together and re-tied.
Wool batts do not need washing as often as you would think. As a natural fiber, they do not hang onto odors. Even with children who wet the bed, washing the outside was enough.

Sounds like when Grandma removed the feathers, washed the feather tick in the summer, then stuffed the feathers back inside along with some new ones. The only wool my family had were a few wool double blankets. I'd vote for Evelyn Sloppy's faux cathedral windows ragg quilt, and it does not require turning the circle right side out. As Woody and Jan have said, the ragg quilts are comfortable and stand up to the wear.

I love this ladies videos. I think she is Australian, anyway she taught me binding also in a very simplified way. I think I would sash w/a wider bottom strip though.

Thanks for everyone's comments. It has really helped me evaluate. I have decided that the mock cathedral windows quilt made with circles and a slit to turn it after sewing the circle wouldn't be such a time saver. It also is not a very efficient use of fabric. Perhaps a throw in this pattern would be better. For a bed quilt, I am thinking of a variation of nine patch. I am sure there are other patterns that would be fairly simple and then I will bite the bullet and have them machine quilted. Other suggestions for relatively quick but attractive quilt patterns for everyday use on the beds are welcomed.

Checkerboard is my favorite everyday use quilt. It's fast and easy, and can be stitch in the ditch or tie it.