Quilty McQuilftace

 Quilty McQuiltface

Version 1

Quilters will make quilts to cover almost anything.  Barbecues and pets are frequent victims, but this is the only quilted car cover I've ever seen.  I've had so much fun with it.

The first version of the car cover was made by my quilt guild in St. Petersburg, Florida, and, since we didn’t cover the windows, it was actually drivable, if somewhat billowy.  When she was finally finished, we decided to show her off.   I say "we" since Quilty is universal.

 Everyone waved and honked when we took Quilty on her maiden (and only) voyage.  Teenagers, especially, seemed to get a kick out of the grandma rebels, but not the police.  When they stopped us, they said they would overlook this one lap, but no more.

At my shop in Marietta, Georgia, we cannibalized the first cover, made for a car, and enlarged it for a van. The second version was not drivable, but certainly more graphic than the first. The people who made Quilty are featured on the black fabric windows, along with our rescue poodle, Cookie.  I love it and I still put it on sometimes on special occasions, like displaying it at Marietta’s Chalk-tober Fest.

Instructions for Quilty

Of course, everyone wants a Quilty of their own.  I used to park it in front of Red Hen and a couple of times guys driving big rigs asked me if I could make a cover for a semi tractor cab!  So, for those who would like their own car cover, here’s how we did it.

First, we divided the car into about 10 sections.  Everybody took a couple of sections to cover.  In most cases we used up our extra blocks and scraps.  We laid them in rows and cut them out to match a fabric template for that section.  Later, we sewed all the sections together. Two people would manage the quilt, while one sewed.   

It took a bunch of us to trim and fit Quilty so she’d look her best.  The wonderful Shannon Baker drew and colored the portraits, including one of Cookie In the front seat.

If you want to get some attention for your quilt show, I guarantee this project will do it. Happy quilting!