Hi everyone
2 yrs ago in March my brother passed away. When he died, I took all of his clothes in the hope of someday making some either wall hangings or lap quilts for me and my family w/ them. there isn't enough to make full size quilts. problem is, he was a very hard working man, hard on his clothes and all he really had were sweatshirts, t shirts, and some hawaian print shirts. I just don't know what kind of pattern I can make w/ this stuff. I'm not sure I'm ready to cut his stuff just yet, his death was very painful for me but I wanted to get some ideas in my head. any thoughts? should I sew the clothes to a piece of muslin first?
and for those of you who have made such memory quilts....do you use them? display them? I guess I won't know what I will want to do with it until I make it and see how it makes me feel. I have his robe, which still smells like him. I want to put that into a quilt, but man I don't think I could possibly ever cut that up. how do you bring yourselves to do it?

i am sorry your lost your beloved brother, i know it hurts and he is heavy on your heart..my dad has been done 5 years and i still miss him like crazy. if fact,last night i put on his winter coat and hat and gloves.scarf and shoveled the snow. it is my way of keeping him close. i wasn't really into quilting back then, just starting out, if i had known about memory quilts,i would of saved some of his clothes.
for ideas, for to
www.webshots.com
and do a search for "memory quilts" ..i will bet there is alot of them. it is where i go looking for ideas.
i did make a memory panel of my grandmother, who raised me. i will look for a picture to post.
and by the way,if i had a quilt made of my dads clothes, no way would it be on display, it would be on couch and i would be wrapped up in it..

My brother died in 2006 and his wife gave me just 2 of his shirts - wanted me to do something with them. They are completely opposite in colors - one purple plaid and the other a black flowered. I still have not done anything with them, but have half way decided to make her some tote bags - she is a school teacher. I wish I had saved some of my father's flannel shirts, but gave those to a homeless shelter.

I found the memory panel i made in honor if Helen..My gramma
here is a link to pictures of the process..
the frame is made out of a suede..it is my favorite piece.Kim

http://picasaweb.google.com/strut526...eat=directlink

See if you can cut it up into 5 in squares, and make a tote out of it that way..through in some white on white, or even purple or black, the colors in the shirts, in solids to go with the shirts squares..

I am in the same situation. My mom died a year old. She was diagnosed with alzheimer's and came to live with us the last 2 yrs of her life. I am probably going to use some of her clothes in several quilts, but will try similar fabrics in sample blocks first. I was also thinking about transfering pictures onto fabric to incorporate into the final quilts.
I am trying to get over my drepression over over her death before I start

I know a lady who took clothes and made them into Teddy Bears. She would use the buttons for eyes and would even make clothes for the bears using the jeans and stuff. It was a nice cuddly momento of that person.

My sister is a quilter and has a website- memorial quilts are her specialty. Saving those special clothes and turning them into something lovely is a wonderful way to keep memories alive and present. Take a look at this website for some ideas:
www.sentimentalquilts.com

Love this idea!

I have made 2 memorial quilts for families whose teenagers have died tragically. It seems the design just clicks when I see something appropriate. I used fabric from a uniform skirt in one quilt, but don't have the experience of using many different fabrics. I'm sure something will come to you. It is a very rewarding experience to create a lasting tribute to the families.
Here's one of the memorial quilts. I used some pictures that I received from one of the teen's grandmother. I presented the quilt to them last weekend and they were very touched.