Memory QuiltsQuilts are all about memories in my family. Each of my sisters and I have quilts made by our great grandmother. These are family heirlooms that we will pass on to our children. Since I began quilting, many of my creations have been made to memorialize or mark a special occasion for a family member. Maybe their great grandchildren will be sleeping under a quilt I made some day? In my professional quilting business, memory quilts are the ones I get the most orders for. It is a great honor for me to help a family as they are grieving the lost of a loved one or commemorating a special event. If you have an idea for a memory quilt that you'd like me to design and make for you, please contact me. Green quilting lends itself very nicely to making memory quilts. Below you can see some of my favorite occasions and techniques for making memory quilts. Memorial QuiltsThis is one of three quilts made for a client whose brother passed away in a motorcycle accident. We used his jeans, button down shirts, polo work-shirts and khaki shorts to made the squares for the patchwork borders and put photos, individually selected for each recipient, in the middle.
100 Good Wishes QuiltsTo celebrate the arrival of a new baby, it is traditional in some parts of China for family and townspeople to donate a scrap of fabric which is then incorporated into a blanket and given to the baby on his 100th day of life. I adapted this tradition and used scraps given by family and friends to make a quilt for each of my daughters when we adopted her. My children’s quilts are filled with love and good wishes from our closest friends and family members. The 100 Good Wishes Quilt tradition is now used by many adopting families.
T-shirt QuiltA very popular memory quilt is the T-Shirt quilt. You can use old T-shirts to make an entire quilt or as a part of a quilt. Below you can see the letter “C” from an uncle’s little league coaching shirt which I incorporated into a 100 Good Wishes Quilt.There are some special techniques used to stabilize the stretchy t-shirt fabric. You can purchase a pattern or find one for free online.
Photo QuiltIf you have a ink jet printer, you can easily incorporate photos into your quilts. First you treat the fabric with a special chemical that helps to transfer the ink to the fabric. Then iron 8 1/2 X 11 pieces of fabric onto freezer paper and print your photographs on the fabric with your ink jet printer. Unfortunately, this is not the greenest technique because of the chemicals used, but it can make for a very special quilt.For example, for my niece's bat mizvah I made her a memory quilt featuring photos of her dog, whom she loves dearly.
Wedding QuiltsWeddings are another great occasion for memory quilts. A wedding quilt could have photos, signatures, or just mark the occasion with a special memory. This is one of my earliest quilts, made for my dad and his wife’s wedding. They met and fell in love in the fall and so a fall landscape quilt was a perfect gift for them.
Kid's Crayon QuiltHow about getting some children to help you create a memory quilt? It is really easy. Just iron squares of fabric onto freezer paper and have the children color on them with regular crayons. When the drawings are done, set the crayon into the fabric by ironing it with a hot iron. Then you can use the drawings in a quilt.This is my “Moon Festival” quilt which some great kids helped me make as a gift to thank a friend for her years of non-profit service. She founded a local organization to provide cultural education and opportunities to Chinese American adoptees. This quilt is a tangible memory of all of the children she supported with her volunteer work.
Quilt-pictures.com has more photo examples of memory quilts. You can see them at http://www.quilt-pictures.com/memory.html. Return from Memory Quilts to Forever Green Quilts
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