Donna’s Cherished Memory Quilt

A cherished memory quilt begins with a collection of clothing which belonged to a loved one.  With the clothing holding so many wonderful memories, it can be made into a quilt that comforts and cheers us.  Use it to decorate a bed, or the back of a sofa.  Similarly, it can be used to cuddle in and wrap yourself in and feel content.  

This special memory quilt

Donna Haycock from Utah contacted me in early March to ask me to make a memory quilt for her using her deceased husband’s shirts.  After several discussion, we discussed her had a plan for what she wanted in the quilt.  She sent me 17 of her husband’s shirts, all of which were in excellent condition and varied in colors.

Process of making the quilt

Carefully cutting the shirts apart at the seams, I saved as much of the fabric as possible.  The next step was to take photos of each fabric.  Using EQ8 to design the quilt on my computer,  I used the pictures of the actual fabrics to create a rough draft. After the rough draft was approved by Donna, I was ready to begin the actual piecing.  Once the quilt top was complete,  it was time to go to the long arm quilting machine and quilt it all together.

Final steps

Donna requested 100% bamboo batting, which I ordered from Winline Textiles. This was my introduction to bamboo batting and am glad to say I really like the quality and performance in quilting that it gave.  The red backing and binding that Donna liked accented the colors in the quilt.  This has become a cherished memory quilt.

Donna’s Response

Upon receiving the quilt, Donna called me immediately  and was in tears of joy. She had sent me pictures of her, her husband and daughter.  As I worked on the quilt, I was able to concentrate on the memories that I knew the fabrics held for Donna.  Here are pictures of the quilt in her home.