Archery Season and quilts

Most of you know that my son is a competitive archer, which means we spend a lot of time with our incredible archery coach. This past spring, he celebrated a milestone—his 70th birthday—and we as parents knew we wanted to do something meaningful to honor the impact he’s had on our kids.

In true quilty‑mom fashion, I decided the perfect gift would be a custom archery quilt. Not only would it be unique, but it would also reflect the dedication, patience, and heart our coach pours into every practice and competition.

Working with a few other parents, we came up with a plan to make the quilt extra special. I created fabric arrows with the fletching colors each child uses. Then, we quietly gathered signatures and personal messages from every archer so Coach would have a keepsake filled with their gratitude.

Once all the arrows were signed, I started assembling the quilt top. My original plan was to foundation paper piece the club logo for the center block, but after a bit of trial and error, I realized my FPP skills weren’t quite ready for that challenge. Instead, I switched to traditional piecing for the lettering and added a touch of embroidery to bring the design together.

The finished quilt features:

• Personalized arrows signed by each archer

• The club name pieced across the center

• A cozy gray plaid minky backing perfect for travel and downtime

I quilted the entire quilt with an all‑over meander swirl pattern, giving it movement and softness—ideal for snuggling under during his many adventures.

❤️ A Gift Filled With Appreciation

While my middle child deeply appreciates the time and energy Coach invests in developing his skills, our youngest might be his biggest fan of all. Watching the kids present the quilt and seeing Coach’s reaction made every stitch worth it.

This project wasn’t just a quilt—it was a heartfelt coach appreciation gift that captured years of encouragement, growth, and community.