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Off to School: A College Quilt to Launch My Daughter into Adulthood

a college quilt
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I started quilting when I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, in 1998. I made a Christmas tree skirt that year (which I never finished — that’s another story), as well as a Jewel Box baby quilt that I finished shortly before she was born. And eventually, one fall, that baby left for college! Of course I had to make her a college quilt first….

The Beginnings of a College Quilt

My daughter and I scoured the Internet, looking for a quilt pattern that wasn’t too “scrappy” or “random” looking (her words) and that would lend itself to her favorite blue/green/purple color combination. We easily settled on Diane Tomlinson’s Crossing Paths quilt.

Preparations!
Our fat quarter haul.

Since it was already June, I quickly ordered the pattern. I also purchased an Album Cross template, which I knew would be crucial for making precise blocks. And I bought the Olfa 12″ spinning mat and a new rotary cutter to make the task even easier.

I wanted to make a full-size quilt rather than the throw size in the pattern, so I also had some math to do before buying fabric. My daughter and I headed to our local fabric store and had a blast selecting fat quarters in a variety of blues and greens.

a college quilt

We also chose a nice purple print for the sashing and binding and a white floral print for the background. Then we found a blue and green flowered print for the back that coordinated well with all the other fabrics. I soon realized how much cutting I had ahead of me, and how useful my new tools would be!

Next Steps

The rotary cutter made the task of cutting all those strips go much more smoothly. And the spinning mat made it a breeze to cut all my fat quarter squares into quick triangles. Of course I was anxious to start piecing, so I skipped the step of cutting the background fabric into rectangles.

a college quilt

Instead, I started strip-piecing and was happy to see some fast progress on my quilt blocks. Before I trimmed my blocks, I laid them out to determine the best arrangement for the quilt top. Naturally, I took a couple of photos and then stacked the blocks into rows for easy assembly.

I trimmed the blocks in groups, as I pieced each row of the quilt. The Album Cross template and the spinning mat made this job a piece of cake! As I pieced the quilt top, I consulted my layout photo plenty of times to make sure I was assembling everything correctly. I ended up remaking the quilt corners, because I didn’t want to trim the top before quilting.

a college quilt
Top: Alison’s quilt on her dorm bed; Bottom: Alison’s baby quilt and college quilt

I pieced a cute row of blocks to give the back of the quilt some interest. This also helped avoid the problem of having an obvious seam on the quilt back. I had the quilting done locally, by Sheryl Highsmith of Hedgehog Quilting. Sheryl helped my daughter and I select a quilting pattern with nice loops and curves that helped offset the angular design of the quilt blocks.

A College Quilt for the Books

The quilt turned out beautifully, and I couldn’t be happier with it! It adds such a nice touch to my daughter’s dorm room, and it made the idea of sending my “baby” off to college a little easier to handle. Have you created a college quilt for a child or loved one? Be sure to share with us on Instagram, Facebook, or the comments below. Happy quilting!

Lavon Peters,
Former Managing Editor of Beadwork Magazine

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Join the Conversation!

  1. Such a lovely quilt, and great that your daughter was able to work with you on choosing colors. I made a quilt for my Granddaughter, so send her off to college. I had wanted to make a T-shirt quilt for her, but she had no T-shirts. . . . not into sports or music. So, I decided to ask her to use some of her artwork to add to the quilt, and she loved the idea. She chose the same color scheme as did your daughter. I added a border to the quilt that reflected the neck ruff of one of her characters. That tied it all together and made the colors just pop. I also made pillows for the bed from left-over fabric.

  2. Absolutely beautiful! I’m actually in the process of making a quilt in the same colors, albeit in more muted shades of similar blues, greens and purples. I’m sure Allison will treasure this as she moves forward in her life.