Jenn’s Memory Quilts- Part 2

Did you read my last post? Check it out here to learn more about the backstory of this quilt set.

The last post tells all about the memory quilt I made for one of my best friends stepdad. This post is about the quilt I made for her! From the moment she asked me to make her stepdad a quilt, I knew I wanted to make her one too.

Since I was in a hurry to get the first one done, I had to keep it to a manageable size to finish and quilt and send off. Because of that, I had a lot of fabric left. I don’t like to leave any fabric behind. It was perfect for making a small quilt for my buddy! I had more time to work on this one because it was going to be a surprise for her on our yearly beach trip.

I made the used the same Awareness Ribbon block on this quilt that I did on the first one for the Alzheimer Awareness block. I used a different bit of the breast cancer t-shirt. And I used the same shape blocks. But of course, the nature of the improv blocks gave it it’s very own same, but different look!

And for quilting, I echoed the Awareness Ribbon. I think it really made a difference in the quilt!

I used all the quarter circle blocks I had left on the front. I still had a few bits of fabric left. I sewed those together for the pieced back.

The quilting really stands out on the back of the quilt. And since this was smaller, about 36×36 inches, I went ahead and added a sleeve so that it could be hung on the wall.

My friend came to visit at the beachhouse, something we’ve done yearly for almost 20 years! When I handed it over she was shocked that she was getting a memory quilt as well! I’ve since received a picture of it hanging on the wall in their new home! It’s such an honor to be able to share my skills in this meaningful way to those I care about.

Jenn’s Memory Quilts- Part 1

One type of quilt that I love to make is a memory quilt. Last year, one of my best friends from high school lost her mother. Before I had a chance to offer to make her a quilt, she asked if I would mind making a memory quilt for her stepdad.

And of course I said yes!

My friend sent me a pile of clothes to use. I sorted out the sweaters. I have used sweater like material in a quilt before, but I try to avoid it for the most part. So I packed the sweaters back up for her and started cutting the knits.

Since it was almost all knit, I did a little test piece to see how the fabric worked. I didn’t use any interfacing. I didn’t use a special needle or thread. I just sewed together the knit pieces, added batting and a quilting cotton back. It stayed put, no pulling. Later I ended up adding a binding and giving this to my friend as well. I thought that maybe it could go to work with her.

And as I just mentioned on IG, I seem to gravitate towards the improv quarter circles! I don’t even realize that I’m doing it again, but I love it. I can’t help myself. I made a bunch of random sized blocks and then laid them out like a puzzle to get them to all fit together. Most of the fabrics were almost solids, or solids. There were a couple of t-shirts that she wanted to keep the tshirt design in the quilt top. My friend lost an aunt to Breast Cancer and her mom was very active in the local walks to raise money for breast cancer, so this shirt needed to stay in the quilt.

One other request my friend had was to incorporate a purple ribbon for Alzheimer’s. The horrible disease that took her mother. I used the Awareness Ribbon quilt block from During Quiet Time. The ribbon fabric was from my stash, but the yellow background was the one non-knit shirt that I was sent.

My friend wanted to present the quilt to her stepdad at her mom’s memorial. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I stuck with a simple straight-line quilting and simple purple back.

The quilt made it the day of the memorial, but not before the memorial. But that was ok. She and her family had rented a beach house nearby and were able to get the quilt and present it to her stepdad. The stories of how special this was for both her and her stepdad reminded me that this art that we make isn’t just art, but a warm fuzzy that heals, brings love and can forever bring a smile to those who receive them.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the story!