How to Fold Pillow Blankets

Pillows and blankets make everything seem cozier whether they're on your couch or your bed. Are you wondering how to fold a blanket into a pillow? Folding pillow blankets can require a bit of finesse, but it is fairly straightforward once you do it one time.

Depending on your style, you might have plenty of both, or you may select one or two specifically to match the feeling of a room. No matter what, there may come a time when you need another pillow, or you might want what's called a quillow – a quilt that can be converted into a pillow and then back into a blanket.

You can even turn a normal blanket into a quillow by folding it, measuring its final size and then sewing a pocket slightly larger than that size in a complementary fabric. This pocket can then be attached to the bottom of the blanket or stored nearby in case of a pillow emergency.

A quillow is designed to morph back and forth between a pillow and a blanket using an attached external pocket. The trick is to fold the blanket correctly so that it can be tucked into its pocket and used as a pillow. The folding pattern will depend on the design, but the most common pattern is a presized pillow attached to the bottom edge of the blanket at its center.

First, spread out the blanket on the floor and arrange the pocket outside the blanket flat on the ground. For most quillow blankets, you'll fold in a third of the blanket on the left so that the edges line up with the pillow pocket and then fold a third in from the right so that the folded blanket is the width of the pillow.

Flip the folded blanket around on the floor so that you're at the top and the pillow pocket is at the bottom away from you. Start folding the blanket over itself with your first fold being a bit smaller than the depth of the pillow pocket. Once you make the last fold, turn the pillow pocket right side out so that it encompasses the folded blanket. This gives you your convenient pillow. Just pull the folds out of the pillow pocket to make it back into a blanket again.

Even a normal blanket can become the stuffing for a pillow using an extra pillow case. Spread out the blanket on the floor in front of you and then fold it in half along the longer side. Fold it in half the other way and then continue folding the blanket in on itself until it's close to a size that can fit into the available pillowcase. Depending on the original size of the blanket, you may need to fold it into thirds at some point to make it fit the shape of the case. Insert the folded padding into the case and voila – instant pillow.

Even without a case, you can sometimes fold a blanket into itself as a pocket. Spread out the blanket on the floor in front of you so that you're sitting at the bottom edge. Fold the left side in one-quarter of the way and then the right side so that the edges meet in the middle of the blanket. Turn the blanket over as best you can and then fold it into itself upward and away from you. Once the blanket is all folded up, the edges you folded first might form a pocket that you can fold over the mass of the blanket. It will depend on how stiff or floppy the blanket material might be.