Family: you know you are well-loved ...

... when a dear friend, really part of the family, makes you a lovely quilt ....

Titled "JP Pride", this amazing quilt was made for us by one of dh's fellow teachers at the high school.  Miss Ellie isn't teaching this year (well, she is subbing) as her dh is being transferred to Georgia with the military in January ... but, an even better excuse, is that she is pregnant with her first child!  We're so happy for she and her growing family ... but will miss them terribly ... but now we have a quilt (which will be well-loved, well-used and always shown off to anyone willing to see it!) to always remember Miss Ellie!

We love you, dear and WILL keep up with you and yours ....

prayers and hugs will follow you ...

 

Crafts: sewing a duvet cover ...

... we have a lovely, spring/summer weight cotton quilt that we love.  It's nice and bright and looks and works great, that is until the temps plunge down to the 50s overnight.  That's what's been happening around here lately ... and since we leave the windows open, it gets right chilly in the house and this quilt just isn't enough.

What to do?  What to DO?

How 'bout making it into a duvet cover ... so on the warm nights we can use the light quilt, but once the temp drops, we stuff a down comforter in and it's cozy warm!  Well this project took MAYBE an hour today ... seriously!

Our bed is a queen (as are the quilt and the down comforter).  I took a flat queen sheet (happened to coordinate with the blues in the quilt cover!) and pinned it to the bottom and edges of the quilt. 

Because I didn't want to fuss ... I didn't iron the sheet nor did I cut it to fit ...   Instead, I tucked equal hems on either side and then used the extra fold at the top as an envelope to hold the down comforter in (so I wouldn't have to add ties or snaps or velco or buttonholes, all would have taken too long!).  A simple 9-st/inch straight stitch (about 1/4-inch inside the edges) attaches the quilt on three sides. 

Here, you can see the down comforter (really white) tucked into the cuff of the blue sheet while the top of the quilt is loose, but lays flat without additional attachments. 

The back of the new quilt/duvet cover looks neat and tidy (and when the down comforter isn't in, it is just a thin sheet layer added!)  The blue sheet coordinates nicely -- and we could even flip the "duvet cover" over and it would look like a completely different cover!

Doesn't the "new" winterzied duvet cover look lovely?