Post Your Memory Quilts Please
 

My daughter-in-law's mother died on Christmas Day. :(

She has asked me to make a memory quilt for her out of her mother's clothing.

I need ideas. Please post a picture of a memory quilt that you have made.

These five were all made using my grandpas clothes. Made for my dad, uncle and 3 aunts. They are personalized in some way for the recipient.

Here’s a few more I have done. The tree was for my gma using same clothes in the first five I posted. I still have scraps leftover. I had a lot of clothes. The tulip quilt was made for a cousins mother in law when using her husbands clothes after he passed. A simple T-shirt quilt given to a man from his daughter using his wife’s shirts and the most recent one I finished (12/2023) was for the daughter of a man who passed using his clothes and represents various aspects of his life.

This quilt was made for my cousin's daughter (Bobbi) from her grandma's (my aunt's) fabrics and clothing. The barn raising pattern seemed to lend itself well to the many colors and prints found in the pieces and scraps that were given to me to choose from.

memory quilt
 

here is one i did long ago, not much it.
for my son

I have also made some bears and pillows using clothes that I have been given.
the first two pictures were for a mom who lost her son. I was asked to make two bears. I was given so many clothes that I made a bear and pillow for his mom, girlfriend and three kids, mom had a hard time parting with all but one for the girlfriend so I was asked asked to make three more for the kids (2nd picture). All 8 of those bears were made from the same pattern but all the fabric took the shape differently. The three white bears were from nightgown for a mother and her two daughters, the single pillow was was leftover fabrics for a quilt that matched it and the last theee IU bears were for work associate for her and her two brothers after their dad passed.

Beautiful! I love that pattern!

It’s beautiful. Love photo memory quilts.

I’m in the process of making quilts for my coworkers and i am making an Ispy quilt for mine one coworker. Huge family man with 6 kids so his is going to be more of a family quilt and I’m throwing in two pictures of his sister that passed away in November.

I'm so sorry for your family's loss.

My grandparents were Hawaiian snowbirds for over 40 years, and my grandfather loved Hawaiian culture. His Hawaiian memorial service was the most beautiful, touching service I have ever attended.

I made a quilt for my grandmother from my grandfather's beloved collection of Hawaiian shirts. It was really, really hard to cut the shirts up, but once I got them de-boned, it got easier. I gave it to her at a family function. At her first reaction, I thought maybe she didn't care much for it - she thanked me, turned away and started talking to someone else. But at a later date, when we were alone together, she told me she loved it very much, it's one of her most treasured possessions. She had turned away because she was so overcome with emotion and didn't want to break down in front of everyone.

Pattern is Double Takes 4 by Anka's Treasures. Every fabric in the top was a shirt Grandpa wore for years, even the white sashing strips, the small navy diamonds, and the binding. I used navy minkee on the back for the snuggle factor. Size is generous lap. Grandma shows it off to every new resident when they arrive at the wrinkle ranch where she lives.

Brother in laws shirts
 

Hi, this is my husband’s brother’s shirts. He worn mainly western shirts and most all were a plaid or a stripe. I didn’t know what else to do with them because they were too busy to sew together, I decided to separate them with sashing. Sashing and backing was purchased, all the rest were Douglas’ shirts. Quilt for his wife of 50 years and pillows for their two daughters. The blue jeans one was donated to young man.

That Hawaiian quilt is awesome. Great remembrance.

I don't have many pictures on this computer.... but I think the pattern depends on who will be receiving the quilts. I have made several and what I have learned is to try to keep the blocks big. The quilter in me always wants to do a neat pattern, but I have had the experience of the recipients appreciating when they can clearly recognize the shirt, jacket or pants (or whatever is used) My great nieces enjoyed being able to identify the block in a quilt as a shirt their grandma has on in a picture --- especially when grandma is holding the grandkids.

I have found that an apple core pattern is nice for accomplishing this or basic blocks

But older recipients may not need that visual connection.

I've been working on a memory quilt for my cousin. She wanted a Dresden plate quilt out of her husband's ties. I had seen Donna Jordan's video of the Cozy Quilts design, and I fell in love with it. Also my cousin wanted some memory pillows out of her husband's shirts...so far I've done one pillow because she just brought me the pillow forms on Sat.

Maybe I've got the 2 pictures to load now....I haven't been trying to post all this time, I've been working on something else and just happened to think about trying to get them to post.

Wow I love all of them.

My memory quilts are drawings from children's years of art classes. They hang on hallway wall. Hard to get a good pic. I made these using ink jet printer and iron on transfers. They are cracking and quilts can not be laundered, so, treasured wall hangings! After these quilts, I use Spoonflower to print fabric with pics.

Some neat quilts shown on here today. Thanks.

I have made a few with old clothing but I have no pictures, sadly I get into too big a hurry to snap one before mailing them off.
But I do have a picture of a baby quilt I finished up with blocks that my mom had made by embroidery and never put together. I had the fabric in my stash.
The other one is a purse I donated to the Diabetes Assocation auction in memory of my friend who died from complications of diabetes. She was up on donner coming back from a quilt show in Sacramento. It was her bib overalls I cut up and quilted before making. A local judge bought it for ninety dollars.

This is a two-sided memory quilt I made for my MIL's 90th birthday. Unfortunately she only had it for 2 months before she died in a fatal accident. It now hangs in our office. The front is all things she loved and the back is a huge crossword puzzle with names, dates and events in her life with the clues below. On each side are "postcard" messages from everyone in the family.

Attachment 646862 Attachment 646863

Do Memory Bears Count??
 

I made this bear for a friend. She wanted to use her deceased dad's clothes to make a memory bear for her dying sister. I used two of his coats, a bath robe, tie and pin.

TGood your bear came out so good!

Here are some I have done.

Nice Quilting for your memory quilts, oreo1912!!

Here is one I made with photos of my son, his Army uniforms, and some custom fabric

Gosh, that is one great applique quilt EmiliasNana

Shirts from late husband's shirts
 

My husband passed away almost 5 years ago. It has taken me this long to be able to cut up his shirts....but I did it!
I mad 6 quilts using his shirts for the 2 kids and the 4 grandkids for Christmas. I used a Scrappy Heart pattern that I "tweeked" to meet what I wanted. Each quilt uses 36 shirts - 5 in each heart and then 1 for the border. These are all throw size.
It was well worth waiting and the time I spent. They were all surprised and so thankful. I was supported, motivated and encouraged by dear quilting/sewing friends, Mae, Sharon, Anita, Teri and Sadie and also a non-sewer, Kathy.. The label was designed for me for embroidery by sweet Sadie. Of course, the kids' one reflected ...from Daddy's shirts. I could not have done it without them.

Love the hearts! All the fabric colors look so soft. That was quite a task you took on, accomplishing so many finished quilts in time for Xmas. I know you also did a bit of traveling afar during the year. Your husband would have been so proud to know where his shirts are today.

These are all so special. They make me so sad to think of the loss of the loved one who wore these clothes. Sons, husbands, Dads... all so precious.