My Dad’s 78th Birthday

My dad’s 78th birthday was a while back and the gift idea for him was too good not to share. He had been in the hospital and rehab for quite a long time so I wanted to do something really special for his birthday. My dad absolutely loves John Wayne and has been a big fan for many years. He owns all of John Wayne’s movies (more than one copy of some), has coffee mugs and wall hangings among many other things. So what do you give to someone that loves John Wayne but already has everything?

The Perfect Gift

Around the time I was brainstorming on what to do for my dads upcoming birthday, Riley Blake came out with a new John Wayne fabric line. My bestie knows how much my dad loves John Wayne and surprised me with a John Wayne layer cake for Christmas. She told me she wanted me to use it to make my dad a John Wayne quilt. I thought it was a wonderful idea and knew my dad would love it.

The Perfect Pattern

Conveniently Riley Blake also had a free John Wayne quilt pattern, “The Duke” using the same fabric line. I just needed to purchase the required panel along with some border fabric.

I really enjoyed the pattern and plan to use it again in the future for a different themed quilt. The pattern instructions were very easy to follow. I couldn’t be happier with how all of my star block points lined up. The whole process of making this quilt just seemed to flow so nicely.

I was thankful for the easy construction process since I almost did not meet my deadline on this quilt. I literally almost broke a sweat on this one. For those who know me, know that I never finish a project until that last minute. I don’t intend it that way but that’s just the way it goes. Christmas gifts get finished on Christmas Eve, dresses get finished the night before needed, and birthday gifts get finished the morning of…

The morning of my dad’s birthday I still had to sew on the binding and wash and dry the quilt. The quilt was fresh out of of the dryer when I walked out the door to deliver it to my dad. I was so excited for him to open his quilt. Normally when I make a quilt, there is always something little that I am not 100% happy with, but The Duke quilt turned out perfect!

He Loved It!

My dad loved his quilt. After giving it to him, that’s all he talked about. He told everyone he knew and didn’t know, about the quilt his daughter made him. If someone stopped by to visit, he took them in his room to show off his quilt. It looked beautiful on his bed and was a pretty generous size of 77-1/4″ x 85-1/4″. I knew my dad would love his quilt, but it was so rewarding to actually see how much he loved it.

Use it, Love it

The next time I visited my dad, he didn’t have his quilt on his bed. When I asked him why, he said that he was afraid to wash it repeatedly and ruin it. I told him to use it and love it. If you receive a quilt as a gift, don’t be afraid to use it. The person who lovingly made it for you truly wants you to use it.

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