This is a very interesting subject that creates a lot of thought in all of us. Many years ago my quilting mentor passed away. She had shown me a quilt she had made using hands prints of every member of her rather large family. She had shapes of hands (or tiny feet)that she made into blocks. One member had lost a finger and the hand shape reflected that loss. The quilt was incredibly beautiful. She had always told me that she intended to be cremated wrapped up in that quilt so that her loved ones would always be a part of her. At first I thought it was a shame for that lovely quilt to burn but when I saw her wrapped in it inside her coffin at the service I knew it was the right thing to do. She had a full life making a quilt for each and every member of her family so they all had a piece of her. This way she always had a piece of them. It was a truly beautiful thing.