Little Guy's Cowboy Quilt

Last month, I finished the twin quilt I’d been working on for a while. Technically, if you count fabric selection…it’s been in the works for almost three years. When LG was just a tiny baby I started to buy bits of cowboy themed fabric wherever I ran across it - with the goal of an eventual twin bed size quilt in mind.

This cowboy quilt has been a really fun project for me. I didn’t use a pattern, but chose a basic four-patch design which I knew I could handle. I used a low loft batting and a solid navy blue fabric for backing. I went with blues and reds to accent the cowboy fabrics because they seemed like colors that could withstand whatever wear and tear our Little Guy might put them through.

Someday I’ll do some more hand quilting, but this project was done 100% on my sewing machine. I also tied off the centers of each four-square block. The ties weren’t necessary, but reminded me of the first twin size quilt I ever had (and still have now) which was made by my Grandma.

Luckily for me, I also found some cowboy themed sheets at a garage sale last summer, making the overall look really come together (I think). The day these pictures were taken, was the day Little Guy’s new bunk beds were delivered (giving us time to set his toddler bed back up as a crib before the baby is born).



Look closely... Little Guy is peeking out from behind his stuffed dinosaurs.



I’m never going to win any quilting contests, but I do love the process: from picking out fabrics to finishing the final stitches…it’s like putting together a puzzle that you don’t have a picture or box for. Pure fun, if you ask me.

This is the second twin size quilt I’ve made (my first was a Superman themed one for my little brother back in 2001). I’ve made a number of baby quilts and a lap quilt or two. I’ve never taken a class or had any formal training. What I have done instead, is read a lot of books on the topic, and carefully examined the family quilts which I love the most. Those quilts I have which are most dear to me are what I consider true patchwork. They were assembled with squares cut from old dresses, work shirts and feed sacks. They are not perfectly color coordinated, but they were clearly made with love.

When Little Guy outgrows this quilt, or decides he needs something else, it will be carefully stored away. Maybe someday one of his children or grandchildren will be able to use it too. One of the many things I love about quilts is how they can be handed down from generation to generation, and loved by each.

My quilting focus has now moved to the crib quilt I’m working on for Baby Boy. Then it will be time to start collecting fabric for HIS first twin quilt. Right now…I’m thinking maybe his will have a space theme (planets, rocket ships etc.) but time will tell.