How to make Memory Quilts…

 Memory Quilt

So excited to to say I am finished with my Memory Quilt!

This one was different for me because I was hired to make it, usually I make them and if someone wants to buy…that’s up to them. This project was a bit of a bear at times, but I love the way it came together. Making a quilt out of baby clothes can be tricky, so many different fabrics to work with and pretty thick compared to our usual quilting cottons.

Here is my basic process on this quilt:

1. Consult with your client and get an idea of what exactly they want. I printed out photos from the internet of other memory quilts to get an idea of what she liked and asked her to pick out what appealed to her the most, and what things she did not like. If they are not familiar with the quilting process you may have to guide them towards using what will be best in a quilt. Do they want just squares of fabric or do they want to keep the front of the shirt intact to preserve it as whole? Do they want you to try to remove or work around imperfections(stains) or keep those in there due to the memory attached. How big of a quilt do they want? Crib size, throw? How will this quilt be used, keepsake or lots of wear and tear?

2. Decide on a time frame and general cost range. What is the maximum time frame they are happy with. Give yourself plenty of time here! All kinds of things pop up and this is probably not the only quilt you will be working on. For pricing I gave an amount for the construction and a receipt to be added for supplies.

3. Now for design time! During consultation I had mom pick out all the important clothes and we laid them out on the table how they appealed to her. I took several photos with my phone and drew up a chart too, noting what each article of clothing was and what they meant to her(first Christmas, first outfit,etc…) This really helped when trying to organize my thoughts later. Mom also gave me a large bag of filler clothes too be used as needed.  When trying to come up with my design and construction plan, I had to measure all of the shirts and pants and come up with the largest block possible that would work for all of the outfits(8.5″)….this was time consuming! Remember to be mindful of necklines, zippers and snaps! Mom wanted to preserve the outfits as a whole, but was okay with a few blocks being pieced. This may have been a little overboard, but I cropped and printed out small pics and arranged them like tiles. For the pieced blocks, I cut and pasted the printed pictures to created the blocks. I didn’t feel chopping up someones memories until I felt like she was happy with the design. If you are a computer wiz, you can probably do this on Photoshop. After presenting this to mom, make any changes necessary and  you are good to go.

IMG_2774This is my crazy cut and paste project:)

4. Time to prepare the clothing. When working with kids clothes you will most likely have all different types of fabric, unless you are doing a onesie only quilt. By the way, this would make your life a lot easier:) No matter what you chose you will need to stabilize your fabrics. This will require an interfacing that is fusible. I used a Pellon, midwieght fusible interfacing.

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The “weight” of the interfacing will determine the stiffness of your finished block. A lightweight may be a good choice for lighter weight fabrics that you want to retain a softness, but my fabrics included everything from swimsuits to sweaters to denim.  Open up your clothing on the sides or the back if not using that part and follow the instructions for fusing it to the interfacing. If keeping a neckline in the block, you will need to do some piecing before you fuse to the interfacing. Once that is done center your designs and cut your blocks. Use a fresh blade here and your wrists will thank you.

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These are my prepared blocks, the interfacing is keeping them nice and firm for piecing.

5. Piece your quilt top. I used a fresh needle here too! I used a generic quilting needle, 80/12, figuring it would suit most fabrics the best.  Go slow and use pins if needed. The interfacing really kept me on a level playing field here and it went together smoothly. I pressed my seams open to lessen the bulk.

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I wanted to keep this cute sleeve on the sweater, so I just stitched it down.

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I used the back of another shirt as a backing to keep this neckline.

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This shirt had the cutest little cuffs on the sleeves, so I just added them to the corners of the block.

6. Sandwich your quilt. I used a thinner polyester batting due to the already heavy weight of this quilt top.

7. Get to quilting. Your quilting design is also something you need to discuss during your consult. Thread color? Density? or Tie Quilt? I recommend a stitch in the  ditch approach for a multi-fabric quilt, but an all over stipple would work well for one made with onesies. Using a tying method to hold these quilts together is another great option. Here is a great tutorial by Connecting Threads here.

8. Finish the edges. You can bind the quilt using your normal binding methods or you may opt to do a pillow case style finishing method. I chose the later for this one. First I layered my batting, quilt top-face up, backing-face down; then I stitched around the perimeter of my quilt leaving a open area on one side. Next, turn the quilt inside out and stitch the opening closed. I quilted close to the finished edge to give it the appearance of binding.

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Memory quilts can be a bit different from what we are used to working with, but with the right tools and knowing what you are getting in to, you can do it!

Happy Quilting!

Keep it Sassy

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Comments

  1. ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!!! And what a keepsake..I wish I had my kids done!
    ~ Love, Nina ~

  2. That’s awesome Sassy Lady! I’ve not tried to tinker with too many different types of fabrics. Seems like every time I do, I pick on that stretches like crazy and isn’t forgiving! Guess I should try stabilizer for things that aren’t worn. :)

  3. Wonderful quilt

  4. What a sweet quilt. Your client will love this quilt! That was a great idea about photographing each outfit in a block like that so she could give you her thoughts.

  5. I was sewing happy to read this as I will be making one soon for Zara. Looks great!

  6. So cute! You did a lovely job!

  7. Well done! I have also done a memory quilt in a similar fashion but had to do more figuring as the blocks were not able to be standardised. Makes a difference! You did a great job detailing all of the steps you needed to complete it. I’m sure it will be a big help to someone for their next one.Thanks for sharing!

  8. You did a fantastic job on this Paula! I am working on a unique memory quilt right now and am excited to do my own post about it :)

  9. I love this. Someone asked me recently about doing one, but I’m just not at that confidence level yet. Maybe with my own ‘memories’ but sure dont’ want to mess someone else’s up! You did a great job!

  10. Now that’s a lot of work! Congratulations Paula, bet the lady loves it :) Love your paper version too – great idea.

  11. Very well done. It came out so cute! Your tutorial was wonderful, as usual. Luckily you’re always one step ahead of what I need, so I follow your tutorials and get my projects done like a champ :). Seeing this kind of makes me wish I had kept a few of my kids’ outfits.

  12. Looks Great Paula! I know you’re glad to have this finished

  13. This is SO cute! What a great way to preserve memories!

  14. Wow Paula you went to great lengths to plan this quilt. Very wise! I love how you kept some of the best features of some of the items such as the ruffled cuff or the knitted sweater cuff. So cute! I have made a baseball t-shirt quilt and need to start another this week! That is the extent of my memory quilts. Anyways great job! It will be a cherished quilt for sure!

  15. This is adorable! I love how you’ve kept in the details like collars and pockets, so cute!
    I have boxes of my little guys onesies that i eventually want to make a quilt out of. Thanks for the tip about the interfacing, definitely going to use it!

  16. This quilt is so meaningful… and I love the binding trick you shared in the end of the post… thanks! I’m sure I’ll use it!
    MammaNene @ SergerPepper.com

  17. Super cute! I am going to get around to making two of these (1 for my girl and 1 for my boy) someday…soon I hope. Thanks for sharing!

  18. what a unique quilt, Paula! I love how you included the little clothing details in the blocks.

    Thanks for linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

  19. Seeing this brought tears to my eyes. I loved that you used the front of the outfits, it really helped you see how it used to be. It brought me back to when my daughter in 12th grade was a baby. Wish I had thought to save some clothes from back then! Great job!

  20. Just what I was looking for Paula. I just knew if I searched for you first, I would find the answer.
    A friend has just asked me to construct one. Not sure if she will still want it after she learns how much it may cost. But poly batting is cheap thank goodness and might suggest a vintage sheet for the backing to save money for her also. Was unsure as to whether open the seams of the clothes and just use the front of the outfit

  21. Ellen Giles says:

    Great tutorial… wish I had seen sooner!!! Live and learn, ahhh, quilt and learn…I am making one with a friends triplet clothing. Sadly two of her babies died before birth and I hope to finish a twin sized comforter using her saved clothing before her sons first birthday at the end of this month. I failed to use a fusible stabilizer and can see how it would be much better with that to begin.
    Thanks for posting this!!

  22. Do I need to use interfacing/stabilizer if making the quilt with cotton shirts?

  23. Cosmo Formichelli says:

    Good Morning.
    My father passed in June’18, 13 months after my Mom passed in May’17. I would like to have a memory quilt made from some of their clothing. Any suggestions on who I can contact that makes these type of quilts? Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to contact me at the email address below.
    Thank you for your time–Cosmo

    • sassyquilter says:

      Hi Cosmo! So sorry for your loss. My best guess would be to contact local guilds or quilt shops and put the word out for what you are looking for. Hopefully someone will respond and give you some pricing info… it can vary a lot depending on the person. There are a few professional sites that do tshirt quilts if that is the type you are looking for. Otherwise you just have to find someone who likes making them. Good luck on your search!

  24. Hello everyone! I’m relatively new to 3d printing and I have many questions on the topic, so I hope you will not get mad at me for asking here at least a few of them. I think before I’ll get seriously into designing and sculpting I should focus on the software itself, and that’s what I’d like to ask you about. Mainly, should I look for the most crudest software there is or would it be better to look for something more complex? I’m worried that I’ll get some unwanted quirks while working on less complex software. Currently I’m using some online software called SelfCAD (I didn’t have to download anything). I’ve read some good opinions about it, but maybe you could share yours as well? The second question is about the program as well: should I look for software that will let me design and slice it in it, or should I use a separate program for each? The one I’m suing allows me to do both i it. Will it even make a difference? Weirdly, I couldn’t find the answer to that, as it seems like most blogs and sites want to focus on the very basics (like what is 3d printing and so on), and while the answers to those questions are fine, it seems like no one wants to go into the details (it looks like some of them even plagiarise each other! I swear I’ve found the same answers to the same questions on at least 3 different websites) but I’m getting off-topic… The last question is about 3d pens. Would it be possible to somehow convert whatever I draw with a 3d pen to a 3d model in a CAD software? For example, if I’ll draw a car with 3d pen, would it be possible to get its outline in a software? I’m not sure how that could even work, but the very idea sounds appealing to me. Anyway, I think I’ll stop here just in case no one will ever answer me and all of this writing will go to waste. I’m sorry that I’m using your content to ask questions, but I hope you can relate and advice a newbie like me. Anyway, thank you for posting. I did learn something from this and that’s always appreciated. Thank you, and I hope to hear back from you very soon :)

  25. Thanks for writing this awesome post. It has genuinely helped me.

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Trackbacks

  1. […] it even a step further and have the quilt customized to have the loved one’s photos on it, too. Here are some basic instructions for putting together a memory quilt for people with any […]

  2. […] The Sassy Quilter shows you how to make one out of baby clothes. […]

  3. […] children can measure and cut the squares. Younger children can match colors and squares together. Making a memory quilt together is a fantastic way to honor their favorite memories growing up and keep their loved ones close […]

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