Jack, my grandson, is 3. Chris and Lorna moved him into a regular twin bed a few weeks ago and I promised to make a bed quilt for him. Jack is all boy and needs a quilt that he (and the dogs) can play on. Probably with his shoes on. This was not the place for an applique quilt - or even for one with much piecing.
I have had a cotton tablecloth with a map of the United States printed on it in my stash for quite a while. I think Moda made it. I bought it in a kit with a coordinating stripe and some huge blue rickrack. I added some light-wieght denim for the outer borders to make it fit the bed. (FYI - the denim is not this dark in person.) It took me 2 days to set together, baste, quilt, and bind it. Lightning speed quilting!
I didn't quilt this one heavily because it just didn't need it. Let me also add that the fabric is thicker and 'shifty-er' than regular cotton. You have to becareful not to stretch it out of shape while you are working on it. I took this photo before quilting on my design wall and you can see that I didn't get it all the way straight. Here's a closer shot before quilting.
Jack LOVES his quilt! I was going to hold it until Christmas but he needed it now and I couldn't see a good reason to make him wait for it. He has firetrucks under the tree and he will love them too.
If you are interested in making a map quilt of your own, I did a google search and didn't see this exact tablecloth, but there are others.
