Memory quilts are special quilts made of personal items of a loved one, or a can be a way to honor a person, event, or family tradition.
There are many different ways to make a memory quilt. You can use a pattern or free-style it in a way of your choosing.
I am making a memory quilt in memory of my husbands grandpa, and taking you along for the process! For this quilt, I am using shirts of different material, and other quilting fabric.
Fabrics for Memory Quilts
Memory quilts are usually made from personal items like t-shirts, sweaters, pants, dresses, skirts, and even old blankets. Those items are cut up and used to makes the quilt blocks of the quilt.
The specific type of fabric used can be varied due to different items being used and that is okay! Different shirts will be made of different materials, fiber counts, and so on. You will have different patterns and textures and that’s okay too!
The important part of a memory quilt is the memories that go along with the pieces you are putting in the quilt. The memory of that person.
On top of using personal materials, you may also incorporate other quilting fabrics. They can be solid or print fabrics depending on what you’re wanting for your quilt design.
Here are some important tips for choosing and using clothes for a quilt:
- Pay attention to the washing instructions of each item. You need to be able to wash them.
- Stay away from dry clean only materials. Look for washable fabrics.
- Stay away from extreme delicates like silk and satin.
- If you’re using knit t-shirt fabrics, you may want to use a light fusible interfacing to keep the fabrics from stretching out too much when mixed with other woven fabrics. (you can use interfacing with most clothing items but not always needed)
- Make sure your items are clean before you start any sort of cutting.
- Watch your iron setting when iron mixed materials to avoid any burning or melting on the fabrics.
Tools Needed for prep
Now that your items are all washed and dried, you’ll need to make sure you have everything you need to get started. Here are some of the tools I use.
- Fabric Scissors
- Iron and ironing board
- Seam Ripper
- Small Scissors
- Lint roller
- Glasses (if you need them)
- Fusible interfacing (if needed)
An important part of making any quilt, is the preparation. Being prepared can be the difference between a lot of mistakes and maybe only a few. And when it comes to quilt making with shirts, the prep can save you from materials falling apart.
The quilt I am making for my husband grandma, is made of his grandpa’s shirts. I have a mix between nice polo type shirts, and some sweaters. I will be using fusible interfacing when needed.
Deconstructing
Pay attention the seams of the clothes you are using. Some items can have lots of extra fabric hiding in the cuffs.
Some items, like t-shirts, its a good idea to iron on the fusible interfacing before doing any sort of cutting. This means you can’t always use every inch of fabric, but it saves you the headache of the ends rolling, or stretching too much.
I will be using fusible interfacing for most of the shirts in this quilt. The only reason I wont use interfacing, is if the shirt or sweater, isn’t very stretchy.
Take your seam ripper or scissors, and begin opening up the edges of the items. Some people like to be more precise with seam rippers, but you can always just cut the items open with scissors as well. No matter which tool you choose, take your time to avoid cutting or ripping any fabric you aren’t wanting too.
I find scissors are the easiest when it comes to cutting apart shirts and cut as close to the seams as I can. Press and iron the fabric as you go.
Once your materials are all prepared and ready to go, you’re ready to start cutting your pieces for sewing your quilt together!
For my quilt, I plan on using 9″ blocks, made with 3 1/2″ squares, as well as a block with an applique heart. Follow along for the next post where I put together the quilt!
For more on quilting, check out Quilting Tips for Beginners!
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