Memory Quilt

Made with love for my mum in 2015

My memory quilt was an unplanned adventure for me. Recently my mum moved into a retirement village and that caused her to give me most of her silk fabrics that she had collected or been given over many years.

I have always wanted to make her a quilt but never quite got around to doing it. We had discussed the possibility and colours my mum would like in her quilt so that we could go shopping for fabric and take my daughter along as well - a three generational outing!! Actually a four generational outing as my wee grand daughter would come too!

Mum requested colours that she had worn to her graduation over 70 years ago!! With my daughter co-coordinating all the fabrics my mum would point out to us I knew the end product would be a success.

But with the arrival of all the silk fabrics I realised that a shopping trip would not be needed! I cut the fabrics into 6 1/2" squares and when I was short on a bit of fabric I joined 2 fabrics together to make a 6 1/2" block.

Time for my daughter to work her magic and lay out all the squares. I wish I came with those skills but as much as I try it never quite works out.

Some of the silk fabrics came from my mum's clothing while others were remnants from her silk cushion making days. Three of the silk fabrics came boxed and I discovered later had been gifts to her from different people over the years! One fabric was not silk but it worked so well we kept it in - it was a stretch cotton of heavier weight than all the others.

I must confess I cursed a few times sewing the more slippery silks together as they just had a mind of their own. Then one of the raw silks had a very bad fraying problem, so much so that I had to replace several blocks after they I already been sewn into the quilt. Next time I would use a 1/2" seam allowance not a 1/4" so that this would not be a problem.

Anyway my mum loves her memory quilt and proudly shows it off to all her visitors!! She told me when I gave it to her that it was a quilt made in the traditional way - out of scraps!!

The wee cushion I made was inspired by one I saw in a quilting shop when shopping for the border and backing fabric for this quilt. So I was off to EQ7 to design the fan for the cushion.

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