A quillow is both a quilt and a pillow, able to be converted between the two forms through the ingenious placement of a large square pocket on one end of the quilt. When in quilt configuration, the pocket is a warm place for the user's feet, or a utility pocket for sundries like remote controls, smartphones, or skeins of yarn for knitting, when it is used as a lap blanket. The quillow can be converted into a pillow by folding the quilt into lengthwise thirds, then turning the pocket inside-out, and rolling or neatly folding the length of the quilt into the pocket, padding it with the quilt's own mass.

Quillows are usually made of cotton with a thin layer of quilt padding between the panels of fabric, though some quilting bloggers also design "flillows" made of polyester fleece. The basic pattern of a quillow can vary a bit in overall size, but the proportions of the pocket in relation to the width and length of the quilt are important, in order to allow the entire quilt to fit inside the pocket tidily, while also not being so insubstantial a quilt that the resulting pillow is flat, for lack of padding.

The width of the pocket needs to be approximately 2 inches wider than 1/3 the width of the quillow. The extra 2 inches allow the length of the quillow to be manipulated into the pocket. The depth of the pocket needs to be the same as the width, if the pillow is to be square. The overall length of the quillow needs to be at least 3 times the length of the pocket for a lap-size quillow, but ideally is closer to 4 or 5 times the length of the pocket. A common measurement is 42 to 44 inches wide and 70 inches long, with an 18 inch square pocket. These dimensions are suited to just cover the majority of a bed with a standard American twin mattress.

The quillow's origin, as with many straightforward sewing patterns, is unclear, and it may have been independently invented by many separate individuals. My late grandaunt was especially proficient at creating quillows in large numbers, frequently giving them as gifts to family and friends. Rural churches hold can, toy, quilt, and coat drives for poorer families, before and throughout the winter holidays, and handmade quillows are frequent sites at such events, being particularly fast and easy patterns to produce, and having an attractively compact appearance due to their modular nature.


Iron Noder 2022, 17/30