Question about a memory quilt?

Question

I am planning on making my 1 year old a memory quilt from the clothes from her first year. I was wondering if anyone has done this and what pattern they used and anything else i should know before starting?

Answer 1

I prefer using either a 4 in 9 patch or square in square. I prefer the square in square to showcase printed fabrics.

Answer 2

you could cut the pieces of clothing into either squares or hexagon patterns

http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/tess/hexago...

Answer 3

First...what type of material are these first year clothes made from?  

Cotton & polyester (woven) are fine as is.  

Knits (onsies, t-shirts, etc) need to be backed with a fusible interfacing before you use them in a memory quilt.

I like the idea of embroidering the history of the item on the blocks..  If you don't embroider..use fabric pens (I use Pigma Brand bought at an art supply store, but Joann's and Walmart carry them also).

I would cut as large a square (for the knits, iron the fusible on the back BEFORE you cut out the squares) out of the clothing as you can get.  the smaller pieces can be used to make fusible flowers, bunnies, etc...depending on if it's a boy or girl.  Try to get the embroidery/printed designs included somehow.  

I would do a square, and then sash that (sashing is a strip of fabric that you put around a block to seperate it from another) with a color that is clear enough to see writing on.  Medium blues, reds, yellows work well..

Won't matter if you match the colors in the clothes...the sashing will tie it all in together.  Have the person (if possible) who gave the clothing sign the sashing, or write in who & when it was given by.

If your squares are different sizes, that's ok...use a wider sashing on the smaller squares...You just want each square (including the sashing to equal the same size when done.  When these are all sewn together...the clothing squares will seem to float on the sashing, which will then resemble a background.  

You can then choose to quilt the quilt on your home machine (I would quilt around the clothing only...that's plenty to hold the quilt together), or tie it using yarn.  I would tie it every 6 inches, or in each corner of a piece of clothing.  Make sure to secure the tied yarn tightly...I usually go back and tack each piece of yarn with my sewing machine...I sew over the yarn, then backstitch over it...1/4" or less...just to tack it down.  I used to use the bartack stitch...but that pulls right out.

You can contact me at [e-mail] if you need help.

PS...here it is! didn't lose it after all.

Answer 4

I cut equal sized squares and sew them together in strips, then sew the strips together.  Just like I would if I was using new fabric instead of clothing.  I make the seams 1/4", so first I decide what size I want the finished squares to be, then  add 1/2" in either direction when cutting them.  So, squares cut to 6 1/2" squares end up being 6", after they're sewn together.

Here's a picture of one made that way:

http://www.visit-our-simple-life.com/ima...

It's one I found on the internet, not one I've made.

Answer 5

When I was in 8th grade, my mom and I made a class quilt.  We used 4 triangles of colored material (some patterned, some solid) and 1 rectangle in white.  The white rectangle went in the center and we embroidered a name on each square. The names were of my classmates and teachers.  The 4 triangles were sewn around the rectangle to form the square.

Since this is a memory quilt for your child, you might want to embroider memories on the rectangle.  If you have what she wore when she took her first steps, you could label that square First Steps, if one was a gift from someone special, label it Dress from Grandma, etc.

Hope this helps.

Whatever you decide to do, I'm sure your daughter will cherish the quilt because it was made with love.

Answer 6

Hello,

The following site has numerous links to information on how to make a memory quilt:

http://www.needlepointers.com/ShowArticl...

Good luck with your project.

Annette

Answer 7

My family makes one every year and raffles it off at the reunions.  Making a quilt is relatively easy, just time consuming.  I suggest finding a quilt rack to make it easier, it allows you to roll up the quilt and do the quilting on a small space at a time without taking up a lot of space in your home.  It is really hard to suggest a pattern so go to your sewing store and look for one you like.