Purple Quillow...A First

I went to a sewing class where people were making quillows and as I had no idea what they were I decided to do some research.  They are a quilt inside a pillow and are ideal when you have unexpected guests overnight or for a lap quilt.  I was intrigued to see how it was made and decided to have a go at making one.  I used a quilt cover from a charity shop in purple and lavender which cost me £1.99 for a single quilt and 2 pillow cases.  A real bargain as the material was in excellent condition.

Firstly I made the pillow part of the quillow using a somerset pattern, which is also called a folded star pattern.  I started with 4 purple triangles, added 8 lilac triangles, then 8 purple, all in size 21/2" x 11/2".  I followed this with 2 rows of lilac in 5" x 21/2".  I then cut 2 51/2" squares in lilac, in half diagonally and attached a 1" strip of purple material to the longest end.  

Using a ruler, I measured 31/2" from the center 4 times and squared the pattern off.  The 1" strip and triangle were sewn to the straight lines just drawn.  To border the star I cut 2 11" and 2 14 1/2" strips of purple fabric and sewed it to the squared up edges of the lilac triangles.  I then backed the pillow with the same material I was going to use for the back of the quilt, in this case lilac.

 This is the reverse side of the quillow where the pillow is attached.  It is sewn back side facing so the pattern is inside.

This is the front of the qwillow.  I. cheated a little by doing diagonal lines, with a square in the centre

And here is the finished article folded up.  To fold the quillow you lay it face up and fold the edges into the centre using the pillow lines as a guide.  At this point you pull the pillow through so that the pattern side is showing, fold the quilt from the bottom in thirds and fold it into the pillow, straightening the corners as you go along.  I enjoyed this so much that I have started my next one.  These are going to be Christmas and birthday presents for family and friends but this next one is for me.