Time to find a project

As the State of Emergency in Tokyo continues (it was extended this week until March 7), I remain at home. Since the beginning of January, I have spent my days reading and cooking delicious meals for my family and doing little else. While I have loved this quiet time, I know I need more to stimulate my mind and hands. So, I pulled out my fabric box and decided I had ample fabric to make a quilt.

Instead of a regular quilt with a top, batting, and backing, I decided I would make a comforter cover using a pieced together quilt top. This would appease my aesthetics as well as my husband’s desire to sleep under a comforter.

The most common bed covering in Japan is the comforter. Many people (40% of people in Japan according to one study I saw) still sleep on a futon mattress, placed out on the floor at night, but tucked away into a closet during the day. These mattresses are thick and dense. But on top is a fluffy comforter that really traps the heat into the cocoon of bedding. We typically sleep on futons when we stay at small hotels.

Regardless if they sleep with a futon or a western style bed underneath them, the comforter is typically on top. Even in the hot summer months, there are “cool” comforters that help people not overheat during the night.

Over the past 16.5 years of marriage, my husband and I have had more than a few debates over bedding. While I prefer quilts, he prefers comforters. At some point I gave up trying to lure him to my side and relinquished myself to sleeping under a comforter - with my feet sticking out to not overheat.

Similar to most people who sew, I have collected fabrics from all over the place. I have a special fondness for fabrics with Japanese themes or traditional patterns. Over the past three and a half years, I have acquired a pretty nice collection.

After looking at everything in my fabric box, I went online and found a pattern that would show off the various fabrics. I had to alter the pattern just a bit to fit the queen sized comforter, but it wasn't too much hassle.

The next few days were spent cutting and sewing pieces together. It was a nice change of pace, as my hands found the rhythm of piecing together the pattern of squares and rectangles. I found myself smiling often as I was able to use several fabrics that I squirreled away a long time ago, knowing someday I would find the perfect project to use it in.

Since I wasn’t actually quilting this project, I decided to secure the top with some interfacing.

I still need to attach the backing. It should be a quick step since I am only attaching the two pieces of fabric along the edges in order to make a pocket for the comforter to slide into. I will also secure snaps on short tabs in the corners to hold the comforter securely in place, just like the store bought ones have.

For me, the hardest part about making a quilt is when I am all done. I find myself wanting to make more and more quilts, as I love the process as well as the joy the finished project brings. I wonder if any of my friends are in need of a quilt...