Memory Quilts

A big part of my sewing/quilting business is creating commissioned quilt pieces. I've done my share of t-shirt quilts and have a found a pattern that I really like for those, but I really enjoy the memory quilts.  Someone hands me a box of fabric that means something to them.  A collection of crazy ties from the salesman job they're retired from.  Vintage tablecloths and curtains. Uniforms or clothes from a loved one who has passed away.  It is my job to create something with these things.  Something that reminds them.   Something they can hang on the wall and see daily or a quilt to snuggle up with.  It's really an honor to be trusted with someone's memories, but can be intimidating, hoping you do the right thing with them. So far, I've not disappointed any clients.  That I know of, anyway.

This tie quilt was fun.  He had a dedicated wall space where he wanted to hang it, so I had to create a finished piece that fit that space.  He also was insistent that all the ties be used. I put all the really bright designs in the middle and then used the stripes, dots and solids on the corners to reign in the movement of the center ties.  I tried the red border up against the ties, but I didn't care for the effect, so I put in a skinny border so the ties float a little.  I quilted each tie individually around the edges and then did a small stipple to fill in the white space. 

This quilt was made from a collection of tablecloths, curtains and fabric samples from the 1950s - 1970s.  It was interesting coming up with an idea of how to handle them.  They were all different weights of fabrics.  Some were textured. Some were smooth. Big chunks.  Little chunks. The colors may or may not all "go" together. I settled on the Big Hexagon (9") pattern so I could showcase the fabric, because, let's face it, the fabric is amazing.  For the back and binding, I picked out the gold color from a lot of the fabrics and chose a tone on tone gold to tie it all together, and quilted it with the same gold color thread. I used a quilting design that had sort of a retro feel to it.  

These three quilts were made out of US Marine uniforms.  My client wanted a bed quilt, a lap quilt and a baby quilt. I searched all over the internet for ideas and spent a month or two brainstorming and sketching to get the right feel for these quilts.  I didn't want the baby quilt to feel too grown up, while still honoring the fabric from the uniforms, and I like color progression in it as well.  From a distance, it just looks like a baby quilt, and that's what I was going for.  The larger quilts needed a border, but I couldn't manage it with the fabric I had, so I scoured the internet looking for yardage of the actual material used in fatigues and got lucky with it.  I purchased a US Marine cotton print for the backs of the quilts, and matched a dark brown grunge to both the backing and colors in the uniforms.  I quilted the baby quilt on my domestic machine, but I didn't have my long arm at this point, and so I asked a friend to quilt the larger ones.  She used a light tan thread to complement the fabric.

Here is one of the t-shirt quilts that I've made.  I use the BQ3 pattern for the majority of the t-shirt quilts I make.  I think it frames the shirts well and also gives it a bit more "quilty" feel.  When making these for clients, I ask what colors they like and pick the sashing from that.  If there is a theme amongst the shirts, I try to find fabrics that goes along with it.  I happened to know the person this one was commissioned for, so it made it easy to pick fabrics and themes.

Memory quilts are a great way to use up those shirts or baby clothes sitting in a box in the attic. They give you a tactile reminder of events or people and it's always a pleasure to be able to create these things for others.  

What do you have sitting around that could be made into a quilt or a wall hanging?

D