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Remember...Renew...Recycle = Memory Quilts

In the spirit of remembering—renewing—and recycling—we’re offering a new series of classes at Quiltology—memory quilts!

ChristinePhotoMemory.jpgJust what is a memory quilt?

A memory quilt can be made to commemorate one of life’s major celebrations like a wedding, new baby, graduation or special anniversary—to honor the memory of someone we’ve loved and lost—or as a special gift to ourselves. Typically they’re made with clothes and material possessions that have a special meaning for us. You can use bits and pieces of clothing from a loved one who’s passed away—baby clothes long outgrown but too special to part with—t-shirts and jerseys from school, sports, concerts and/or travels! (GO CUBBIES! Am I asking too much to want to see the Cubs win the world series in my lifetime?)

Check out a little show-and-tell from Christine—here’s the photo quilt she just made for her grandmother’s 70th birthday. The picture doesn't’t do it justice—Christine had a center block embroidered with a song her grandmother used to sing to her as a little girl—“you are my sunshine!” Embedded in the quilt’s blocks and borders are pictures of the two of them together--from baby pictures to photos from their African safari--a collage of color and memory.  Christine already gifted it--but took it back to finish the binding.  (Now her grandmother is worried she might not get it back!)

TshirtQuiltTop.jpgAnd so--the class schedule.  First up in July—T-Shirt Quilts! We’ve all bought tons of them—and saved many—memories from the schools we attended, the teams we’ve cheered on, the marathons we’ve run and the far away places we’ve been lucky enough to visit. T-shirts are easy enough to acquire—but so difficult to part with because they represent our personal history—they tell our stories and remind us of where we’ve been, what we accomplished and the fun we had along the way.  This is a perfect opportunity to turn those treasured—and can we admit—tired?—old shirts into a wonderful new memory quilt. Make it any size you want—how many shirts do you have?

Don’t worry about piecing difficult shapes—we’re keeping this class easy so it’s beginner friendly—but you do need to know how to use a sewing machine and figure a little math—nothing hard mind you, but some basic arithmetic so the pieces all fit together nicely.

Q101.5—Beyond the Basics—T-Shirt Quilts will be offered on Wednesday nights July 16. 23 & 30 @ 6:30p to 8:30p.

And then coming in the fall—we’ll offer memory quilt classes for piecing projects with baby clothes and photos. 

Stay tuned....

cusoon,

Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 04:55PM by Registered CommenterQuiltology | CommentsPost a Comment

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