I am a mid-fifty, single, childless, unemployed felmale, taking a break from college this semester. I lack 2 semesters of student teaching for an Elementary Teacher Degree. I live in South Texas. I have 3 dachshunds. 2 shorthaired male "tweenies", 1 sable 10 years old, 1 black and tan 9 years old, and 1 red, longhaired full sized 6 year old female.

I recently lost my 81 year old father. I have three sisters, 1 older and 2 younger and a 80 year old mother. I have 1 niece, 1 nephew, 2 step nephews and soon 1 great niece.

My nephew, TJH, will be graduating from college this May, and I would like to make him a memory quilt of his beloved grandpa. My father, my nephew, and I are avid Pittsburgh Steeler fans. Dad was born and raised in Pitcairn, PA.

I have never sewn a quilt before.

Don't know how to do a photo memory quilt, but someone will help you! Welcome from Kentucky!

Hello and welcome from Ontario. If you do a search on photo quilts I think you will find lots of helpful information.

Hello, and welcome from Idaho!

Hello and welcome from California. There is quite a few topics on photo memory quilts. On top of this page there is a menu - go to search - type: Memory Quilt and enter. You should find some pretty good advice and tutorials, links and resources. Sorry about your loss, I think it is beautiful that you want to do this for your nephew.

Hello and welcome to quilting!!!!
I have found that my family/friends appreciate ANYTHING I make for them. Homemade is synonomous with "lots of love".Now I am learning the right way to quilt and looking back my projects look primitive, but my people thought they were awesome quilts.
Sounds like a great idea (the memory quilt). I have a package of material for photos that a friend gave me. It is the size of a sheet of paper. You choose a photo or image and print it on the material with your computer and printer. I have never used it , but have seen some awesome photos others have printed.
Wishing you the best.
sister new to quilting with rules,
Chris

You can purchase the photo ready fabric at you Local Quilt Shop. Just follow the direction and it will come out fine. I've done several memory quilts and used pictures on some. Since you are just starting out, you may want to do a beginner pattern. You could do something like a square in a square and put pictures in some of them.
I hope it works out for you. The board is always here to help with any questions you might have.

Welcome to the board from Southern California!

welcome!

Greetings and welcome from New Hampshire
Have fun, you'll no doubt become as addicted to quilting as the rest of us.

Welcome from Ohio!

you can purchase printer fabric sheets made specifically to print pictures on ... usually available at stores like Joanne fabrics or Michaels. or a local quilt shop. you said you have not made a quilt before...good time to start :thumbup: have you sewn though? it does make it a little easier if you have the sewing machine figured out. i would start with choosing the pictures you want to use and finding the fabric sheets. there are tips and inspiring pics on the package too....oh, and there is a difference between transfer printing and the fabric sheets...one you print the design on the iron this too the fabric, so it's like those (rubbery) iron on transfers on t=shirts...the other is cotton fabric, the ink is set on the fabric and the fabric is used. it does not feel rubbery or different than other fabric. there are plenty of easy patterns to use for your memory quilt. stop by here with questions as you go along :thumbup:

I have done several "Memory Quilts"...go to Joanns and buy the cotton printing fabric 10 sheets per package 10.99...I wait for a coupon of 40-50 off. You run thru printer. I usually put several photo's on one sheet. The cotton has paper backing, I remove then use " Lite heat bond" also at Joann's either by the yd or packaged. Iron heat bond to back of cotton...remove that paper backing and then iron it onto my foundation fabric...I then do a decorative stitching around each photo....so simple...

I did this pillow for my Aunt who was in a Nursing Home and had limited space for photo's...pictures of our family

Welcome from Ireland

Welcome from Kentucky. All of the above is good advice. One of my first quilt projects was a memory quilt for my parents' 80th birthdays. That was only 7 years ago but when I think about it, I could do so much better now. The important thing is that they loved it and I'm sure your nephew will too. Like everybody said, there are lots of sites on the web to give you ideas and there are several books out there with how-tos and ideas also (I'm mid-50s, too so I'm more comfortable with a book in front of me than a computer!). You might be able to find some at the library so you don't have to go out and buy a bunch (quilting is big here and my local libraries have a ton of books but I know others say they can't find any at theirs).
Good luck and feel free to ask if you need any guidance.

Hello from Western Maryland !!

Welcome from Michigan.

Thank you all for your welcomes and tips. I will have to travel into the Houston area to find any kind of fabric, especially the printable fabric. Bay City, TX is so small, and behind the times, there are no fabric stores and even the Super WalMart no longer sells fabric.

I'm sure you could find it on-line from a quilt shop and order it.