A throw quilt is the piece that makes a room look lived in on purpose. This one comes in Trudie's Constance Chocolate, a warm brown that sits happily with wood furniture, cream upholstery, and the leather chair nobody wants to redecorate around, which is more than most colorful throws can claim.
Quilting is what separates it from a blanket. The stitched layers give it weight and body, so it folds cleanly at the foot of a bed, holds its shape over the arm of a sofa, and does not slide off a lap the moment somebody stands up to answer the door. Keep it out through fall and winter and it earns its place; fold it into a basket come spring and it still looks like something rather than like clutter. It also travels well as a gift, because a quilt is one of the few presents that gets used the same week it is opened.
What is a quilt?
A quilt is a three-layer textile: a decorative top, a middle layer of batting, and a backing, held together by stitching that passes through all three layers. That stitching is what distinguishes a quilt from a plain blanket, and it is what lets a quilt hold its loft and its shape through years of use.
