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    Home » Quilts

    Off to College Quilt

    Updated: Jul 15, 2012 by Melissa Mortenson · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 10 Comments

    Pin It
    Last year one of my nieces headed off to college 1600 miles from home.  I was stumped trying to think of a graduation present for her.   I thought about it all summer… then it was time for her to leave for school and I finally had an idea.

    I decided to make her a quilt with her families photos on it. That way if she was homesick she could cuddle up with her quilt and be reminded of her family that loved her far away.

    I sketched out this quilt and picked out the fabrics (she had a black/pink dorm room) then sewed together the blocks…. then decided  I was not really happy with how the blocks all lined up— Hence why I haven’t shared this project with you earlier.  I should have swapped some of the fabrics, but oh well… live and learn.

    To make a quilt like this its EASY PEASY….

    First:

    Print your photos on photo fabric. Print the photo ¼″ bigger than your desired block.  Follow the manufactures directions for printing the photos.
    Cut the photo down to your block size.

    Next, just stitch the photo fabric into your block as you normally would and assemble your quilt.

    It’s easy enough to do that you can use your favorite quilt pattern and just replace a few of the blocks with photos!!

    I just machine quilted the quilt, ¼″ on each side of each seam.  The quilt is a large lap size (sorry didn’t take the measurements before I sent it off) so it was easy to quilt on my machine at home.

    She is my first niece to go off to college and there are 14 more nieces and nephews to go!! I may be making a few more of these quilts in the future 🙂

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    About Author

    Melissa Mortenson

    Melissa Mortenson is a blogger, designer, and content creator. She is the Polka Dot Chair blog founder and has been sharing fresh and creative ideas with readers since 2008. She is the author of “Project Teen, Handmade Gifts your Teen will Actually Love.” Her work and designs have been featured on HuffPost, TODAY, Pioneer Woman, HGTV, BuzzFeed, Better Homes & Gardens, and many other established publications. Her first fabric line, “Derby Style,” debuted in January 2015 through Riley Blake Designs.  Additional fabric collections have followed it in subsequent years. A mom of 3, she considers herself lucky to be living in Kentucky.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. angel says

      August 11, 2011 at 5:40 pm

      LOVE IT!!! SO CHIC IN BLACK.

      Reply
    2. Laurel @ Ducks in a Row says

      August 12, 2011 at 12:05 pm

      You are an awesome aunt! – I’m sure this will be well loved for many many years!

      Reply
    3. Connie says

      September 28, 2011 at 10:37 pm

      This is just the cutest quilt ! I would cherish something like this ! I will have to keep check your blog and maybe you can tell us how you print the pictures on it ??
      haven’t sewed in years, but want to go back and begin.
      Lovely work !

      Reply
    4. Jodie says

      August 07, 2012 at 8:30 pm

      This is such a precious quilt. I like it better than t-shirt quilts. More personal for the dorm room. Thank you for sharing! 🙂

      Reply
      • melissa says

        August 10, 2012 at 1:07 pm

        Thanks!
        I’m actually making another one right now!

        Reply
    5. Linda says

      September 09, 2015 at 8:57 pm

      Hi Melissa! I was wondering how the fabric pictures look on the quilt now. Did they fade? Was the quilt washable? Did you treat the fabric pictures with anything to prevent fading when you made the quilt?

      Reply
    6. Susan says

      April 05, 2016 at 2:17 pm

      Where can I find photo fabric and how do I transfer photos on it sorry if it’s a stupid question.

      Reply
      • Melissa Mortenson says

        April 06, 2016 at 2:31 pm

        It’s not a problem. You can get it on Amazon, I think there is a link in the post to the product i used.

        Reply
    7. Allison Schwartz says

      October 02, 2020 at 1:24 pm

      What is photo fabric and what kind of printer was used. I’ve been wanting to make a quiltsc with photos for my grandsons in memory of someone and this is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Does the photos fade after many washings?

      Reply
      • Melissa Mortenson says

        October 04, 2020 at 9:12 am

        All photo fabric will fade with washing. I like the Electric Quilt brand. I feel like it holds up the best.

        Reply

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