Loved to Rags

I like to post pictures of pretty quilt projects that I have completed or that I'm working on, but today I'm posting some pictures that aren't pretty. It warms my heart to see things in this condition though because I know these pillow tops have truly been used and loved as I had intended them to be.

Now for the story behind these uglies. When my children were small, they were always pulling the cushions off the sofa to lay on the floor and watch their favorite tv program(they loved MacGyver because he used his brain and not a gun to get out of trouble). So I got the brilliant idea that I would make them a quilted pillow cover and give it to them as a Christmas gift along with instructions that they were to use those and leave my sofa cushions on the sofa! I would make these so that they could easily be taken off to be washed and the form could be replaced as needed. DS was in 7th grade and DD in 9th when I got this idea. I picked fabrics that I thought they would like and made the pillow tops for and 18 inch square pillow. I never dreamed how successful my idea would be. They loved the pillows and I had no more problem with my sofa cushions. The kids took these with them when we traveled, when they went on school trips, to grandmas house, etc. I am going to share pics of DS's tops as those have seen the most wear and he has brought the old ones home to me.

This was the first one I made for him.

When it got shabby, he came to me and asked if I would make him another. By that time he was in high school. running track, and placing at the state level. He asked if maybe I could do something with the foot that symbolizes track and field events. First I looked for fabric with the emblem and found only baseball, football, and soccer. I looked everywhere for a line drawing and could not find that either....so I drew my own. After all, if my high school son was asking for something I made and quilted for him, I was certainly going to try to please him. I was very pleased with my finished product.

Originally the fabrics in this were different than they appear here. What looks like pink was once a light sky blue. I think that discoloration was due to some medication he used for a while.

This one went on almost every high school bus trip he made to track meets and academic meets.









When this pillow began to get shabby, he was already in college and running track there. This time he said I didn't have to make such a complicated one, so this is what he got.







This one stayed with him through graduate engineering school and is now with him at his new apartment and job in Maryland. I expect that someday soon he will again say, "Mom, my pillow is getting a bit shabby. You think you could make me another one?" And I will again stitch another pillow top for him to love to rags!