I have been looking at quilts and bedding for kids lately. Yes, being a grandmother does strange things to quilters. Quilts for kids. What do they like in a quilt?
If you ask my granddaughters, they would say, “Pink!” and “Purple!” Yes, I am sure they are products of traditional socialization. That’s okay. Most kids cannot think past their favorite color, action character, or Disney princess.
If I ask my grandsons, they would say “Hot Wheels!” and “Dude Perfect!” If you don’t know what Dude Perfect is, and if you have young grandkids, look it up on YouTube. They will be amazed that you know about it. Still, they are like their siblings. They cannot imagine past the latest cartoon they have seen.
For a quilt maker, you have to act quick. This month their favorite is Elsa and Anna. Next month it’s going to be Moana. Personally, if I were looking for a terrific bed cover/quilt for a kid, I would dig deeper into a child’s interest. See what they are learning in school that holds their interest. Instead of looking for a specific character, choose a role the child might like to play such as a scientist, a princess, a chef, or an explorer. Choose themes for their quilt that celebrates the things these roles entail. For a scientist, perhaps a quilt that allows them to investigate the earth on a very rudimentary level. Something like this:
Designing and making a quilt like this is not overly complicated. Could you imagine piecing long curved strips of fabric that represent the different layers of the earth’s insides? Labelling them with their correct names using embroidery and adding appliqué embellishments of fossil figures and gemstones. Make pillows of a shovel and an volcano to add interest. For a final bit, a pillow that shows the green earth and the night sky with contellations. This is the ultimate of cool for any young boy or girls who is interested in science.
Or this:
Adventuresome boys and girls of all ages (I’m thinking about several adults) would love to sleep as if they were clothed in an astronaut’s suit. The helmet-style pillow makes the costume even more spectacular. Sure, this version is not much more than a photograph, but could you imagine making a suit and helmet of pieced fabrics layed-down as appliqué?!
Or this:
You could do the same thing for a young princess. Maybe find a used prom dress that is sitting around gathering dust. Sew it down to a quilt top. Decorate it with ribbons and bows and maybe even bits of confetti and your little one will have a ball every night they go to sleep! Don’t forget to appliqué a tiara on the pillow for maximum effect.
How about this:
I am thinking about strips cut and assembled as layers of a hamburger with all of the fixings. The sesames on the burger bun are large enough to quilt individually. Lettuce, tomato, dripping mayo and catchup will accent the burger and cheese layers. What a concept!
Or this
Boys and girls still dream about going to the stars and what they might find there. Here’s a space explorer’s dream. Rockets and robots is the name of this quilt. The pattern has many pieced blocks of different robots and rockets to take any youngster to the planets of their dreams.
As a matter of fact, this pattern is available right now in my store. Check it out.