Memorial Quilt: Double Wedding Ring

The double wedding ring quilt pattern dates back to the fourth century. I have read that it has Germanic routes and came to the US sometime in the 17th century.

A very good friend of mine lost her father in law suddenly and while her husband was in Germany for the funeral he collected some clothes for a memorial quilt.

This quilt is made from mens outdoor coats, jackets and trousers.

The quilt fits perfectly on a queen sized bed. I reduced the Simpli-EZ Double Wedding Ring pattern to 6 rings x 6 rings and added a border.

I don't know if the photographs really do this quilt justice. The quilting is very traditional feathers in each center and melon. Feather swags frame the scalloped border. Overall I think it is a very traditional classic quilt. All my quilting is done freehand without stencils.  

There was a light blue cotton shirt given too but not matter how much I tried (and I tried!) I was unable to get the bright light blue to blend/work with the other fabrics so I put some of the shirt fabric on the back of the quilt.

 

Talking of backs ...

 

... I have a small obsession with the back of this quilt. 

Memory Quilt: Graduation Quilt / T-shirt Quilt

There is a lady in our village who I like and admire very much and when she asked me to make a quilt for her son from all of his sports jersey's to celebrate his graduation this May - I could not say no.

The ENTIRE quilt (top and back) is made from the t-shirts and uniforms I was given.

The silver lines are made from his football shorts. The binding is made from his lacrosse shorts.

I took a Yale logo of a very very loved (sweat stained cut off t-shirt) - added it to the quilt ...

... and then turned the remaining material from said overloved t-shirt into a pillow.

I wanted to make a quilt that wasn't a typical t-shirts quilt. I channeled my inner 22 year old male and with the help of my dear husband (who told me if my ideas were too 'patchworky' or 'that could work' or silence which meant no too) I came up with this design.

I tried to keep the quilting motives bigger than I usually do and more masculine. I achieved on bigger but somehow some swirls got in there. Think torrid manly water not pretty swirls.

I quilted flames for the first time (which was kind of liberating!)

No bubbles here - just manly rocks (pebbles). 

Imagine my horror when I presented the quilt only to learn I had missed out one important detail. Being rather English and female I am not accustomed to the difference between sport uniforms and I had unfortunately assumed (due to the material) that the lacrosse shirts and football shirts were the same team/sport. That will teach me to not quadruple check. I seriously hate getting things wrong - I can't tell you how much I check my notes and check them again before cutting, before sewing, before quilting. In fact I'm probably way too uptight about the process!!

I can not tell you how gracious the lady was about the mistake and after we talked we came up with a solution. Can you spot the difference?

I wrapped the quilt in one of his baseball uniform belts.

"If your uniform isn't dirty, you haven't been in the game." (Ben Bernanke)

I can't recycle that!

When I'm talking with the families who come to me to turn clothes into quilts we often have long conversations about what sorts of fabrics can be used for the project. My plain answer is that there is no limit to types of fabric or sorts of clothing - no maximum no minimum - send it to me and I will put every effort into turning into a beautiful quilt. I do however ask them to think about whether they want to hold on to any pieces that are more than special to them - because sometimes something can be so special that they should just be quietly kept.

I had this moment recently and it took me by surprise.

I am preparing the back to my first portrait quilt. I mentioned already in that post that I am using all Bunny #1's old pajamas - here is a sneak at the stack.

There was one pair of pajamas that I thought I wanted to include but then at the last minute couldn't. Her first pair of pajamas. 

When she was born - she wasn't super small - but certainly no where near what the doctor had estimated. Since then she has indeed grown but she is very petite compared to her peers - there was something about her first pair of pajamas that reminded me of how small she is - then and now. How delicate life is - that feeling of holding your first child in your arms - worried you might hurt them but wanting to protect them from everything - suddenly realizing that this is the sort of love that is unending and utterly unconditional. It just felt too much to cut into these particular pair of pajamas.

Memory Pillow: from Toddler Dresses

You might remember that I was given a beautiful array of toddler dresses from a mom who wanted a pillow made for her bed. A pillow isn't very big. So to make something little that showed the material from all 7 dresses in an interesting way - had me stuck for a bit.

I looked at endless pictures of cushions (I think I would now get top marks in any cushion quiz!) and finally decided to make a simple flower cushion.

Not too much or too little focus on any one material I hope. (If you remember I still need fabric left over for a kids quilt. )

I stuck all the smaller bits of fabric left over from the deconstruction of the dresses to white felt using a strong fusible. I cut out the petals and sewed them in circles - lots of circles!  The petals even show case the lace and other cute details from the dresses.

The vibrant leaves are made from the green velvet collars of one of the red tartan dresses. (I really really try to minimize any waste from any of the clothes I work with.)

Because there were two red tartan dresses I used some of the tartan to make the back. The smocking of one as the center of the back with some spiral paisley free motion patterns around it. 

Almost reversible but I think the front is much prettier.

What your parents teach you ....

Like every child there times that I found my parents embarrassing. I'm a bit mortified that already by 5 years old I'm being spoken back to and being told to stop doing what I'm doing because I'm clearly being just too silly .... (Moi? Jamais!)

After having had my own children I developed a new sense of appreciation for everything my parents have ever done for us - granted they still do stuff I don't quite understand - but I get that now because I am constantly doing things that my kids don't understand at all! It occurred to me the other day that my love of recycling fabrics and things does come from a lifetime of my parents recycling and remodeling things into beautiful toys and things for us too. They taught me to look beyond a paper roll or potato and turn it into something else.

Here are some examples.

This is a quilt that my mother made for me when I was very young. It is a twin quilt made out of recycled clothes. I think a lot of them are her old clothes - but the light blue gingham border & name is made from our old summer school uniforms from when we were very young.

I have to be honest Mummy - I'm not sure what the rat and the worm are about ;-) ...

.... I used this quilt on my bed until I was in the mid twenties and finally indulged myself to a double bed!

You can see how worn the fabrics are - and it really needs some repair. 

My mother was surprised to learn I still had this quilt. But it is something that is now very carefully wrapped up and looked after. I hope to mend/restore it in someway in the future.

And here is my sisters quilt - equally as loved, used & cherished.

My father doesn't sew (although he has done some mean splicing of rope in his time) but he does make the most amazing things out of old wooden wine cases.

I have an art box that he made me and that came to school & then onto art school with me. It is very heavy - but I lovingly lugged it around with all my paint & paint brushes in it.

And he made the most beautiful advent calendar for the kids. When we were little he made versions of this out of cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other - every day a new box with a new little goodie in it. It was fabulous and we loved it - but now I realize how hard it is to find 24 different little things that fit into small spaces every year for the advent calendar! How much you don't think about when you are little. Do much taken for granted. I want to be little again!!

And most recently he made the most beautiful 'box of secrets' for Bunny #1. We haven't actually given it to her yet as we really want her to fully appreciate how lovely it is (and have some hope of cracking the crazy homemade secret mechanism he invented for opening the box.) It is really incredible and he doesn't quite give himself enough credit for the amazing things he makes.

So when families thank me for the quilts I make them from their loved ones clothes - I should remember to thank my parents too - because there is rather a lot that they taught me about the potential of and beauty in recycled things - and they should be credited (just a little bit) for the work I do.

But how I dearly wish I had a picture to share of the giant rocking sheep they made us when we were little ... that was an epic homemade toy!!!