We've all been there. We've all had exciting things to share but for one reason or another we haven't been able to share. I am proud to say that I can finally share a very special project that I have been working on since last SPRING.
My cousin, Meredith, headed to Queens University last September. My ever so clever Aunt Joan wanted me to create a memory blanket for Meredith to use while she was away at University.
Meredith has been involved in dance her entire life and had collected quite the collection of t-shirts and dance costumes. Rather than have all of these things take up space in the back of a closet, my Aunt asked if I could use them to make a quilt. Nothing too complicated. Of course, I always make things MUCH more complicated than needed. I like everything that way!
The majority of clothing was secretly delivered when my Aunt delivered my new-to-me coffee table that she had beautifully refinished. The remaining items (school uniform kilt & shirt) were delivered much later after Meredith finished the last year of high school.
I wanted to create something that was a little bit more than regular patchwork squares. I had seen several quilts on Pinterest that were "Polaroid Quilts". I thought this style of quilt would be perfect for a memory quilt! I wasn't able to find the original source of this style of quilt, but there are plenty out of examples and tutorials out there.
My cousin, Meredith, headed to Queens University last September. My ever so clever Aunt Joan wanted me to create a memory blanket for Meredith to use while she was away at University.
Meredith has been involved in dance her entire life and had collected quite the collection of t-shirts and dance costumes. Rather than have all of these things take up space in the back of a closet, my Aunt asked if I could use them to make a quilt. Nothing too complicated. Of course, I always make things MUCH more complicated than needed. I like everything that way!
The majority of clothing was secretly delivered when my Aunt delivered my new-to-me coffee table that she had beautifully refinished. The remaining items (school uniform kilt & shirt) were delivered much later after Meredith finished the last year of high school.
I wanted to create something that was a little bit more than regular patchwork squares. I had seen several quilts on Pinterest that were "Polaroid Quilts". I thought this style of quilt would be perfect for a memory quilt! I wasn't able to find the original source of this style of quilt, but there are plenty out of examples and tutorials out there.
Working with knits, and other materials was a bit tricky. It was also tricky pressing the blocks with the t-shirt printing. All pieces were very carefully "fussy-cut" so that each memory was captured. I quilted the sashing of the quilt only and left the "Polaroids" unquilted. I used a random overlapping square free motion style of quilting. I was hoping that they would resemble randomly stacked photos. I used a dark grey minky backing to make the quilt super comfy for studying.
It really was such an honour to be entrusted with such precious memories. It also allowed me a little glimpse into all of Meredith's hard work as a dancer, volunteer and student. It really makes your heart burst with pride. This quilt truly tells a story.
