Memory quilts I have made have been made out of clothing or special items. Honor a Loved One with a Quilt is a special memory quilt. It could be clothes from a younger time in a person’s life or the clothes of a loved one that has passed. Quilts are a great way to keep someone’s memory alive. It can be a bed quilt, a lap quilt or an piece of wall art. Memorial quilts also honor a commitment to reuse, reduce and recycle items.
A memory quilt is as unique as the loved one being honored. The client can offer input and information. They can even help in the design process if they do so.
Distance is not a limitation. Clients have sent me fabric and items to use. Photos track the progress and keep the client in the loop. Upon completion, I simply sent the completed project to them.
Wall Art
This client’s grandmother’s items became a piece of wall art. The client and I agreed to eliminate certain fabrics that did not fit into the color scheme. Luckily, there was a wide range of materials to choose from. We collaborated a bit in the beginning but then she let me have free range to create an artful memory quilt. We started with her house dresses, other clothing jewelry and some 3D objects.
Part of memory quilt made from a man’s clothes
Lap Quilts
Reversible lap quilts increase the enjoyment of a quilt by double. We all need a change of scenery from time to time. By flipping over the quilt, a whole new quilt appears. These two lap quilts(front and back) were made from a loved one’s shirts and pants. The pockets are completely usable to store something inside.
front, blue commission quiltback of blue commission, Fabric from ties add an accent.front,Beachy Commission
back Beachy Commission
To learn more about my prices see my Commissions and Memory Quilt page.
Above all,a memory quilt is a quilt made out of a person’s clothing as a way of honoring their memory. After seeing my art work, a client contacted me to make an art quilt as a way to keep the memory of her grandmother alive.For example,follow as I show the step by step the process of making a memory quilt of the client’s grandmother’s clothes and articles.
At our First Meeting
At our first meeting, the woman shared information about her grandmother’s life that she especially wanted to be included in the memory quilt. In addition,she brought artifacts to illustrate her life. The artifacts included buttons, artificial flowers, a paper card notice, lace and several dresses and clothing . Together step by step, we decided on the colors. We both agreed on the pink, green, and blue palette. I was able to use some dark blue from the orange and blue housedress.
Personal details
Furthermore,the wide range of details, artificial flowers, momentos, jewelry,clothing gave me a lot to choose from. Subsequently,I was also able to include buttons, lace from hems and the safety pins that had been hidden inside the clothing. Luckily, the client said that she would trust my artistic choices to arrange or eliminate as necessary. After that the work on the Memory Quilt-step by step began.
Step 1. Choosing fabrics and details for a memory quiltStep 2. dresses for a memory quiltStep 3. Earrings add a very personal touch.
To Begin-Memory Quilt-Step by Step
First I cut out parts of the fabric from the dresses. Based on my experience and the approximate size of the finished piece, I knew that I didn’t need to take apart all of the seams. In other words, there would be plenty of fabric. Therefore, I cut pieces of about 10” -20” square. I heat fused interfacing on to the back of the polyester to reduce stretching and to aide sewing. Then I was able to cut out a variety of interesting geometric shapes in dark navy blue from an eliminated orange dress. Finally,I noticed that the back side of the fabric was a lovely medium blue so I decided to use both sides of the fabric. The pieces were smaller about 3” each.
Using the Design Wall to create the Memory Quilt-step by step
Using the design wall, I pinned the fabric up to begin to try out fabrics for work in progress of the memory quilt.
Trying out fabrics for a memory quilt on the design wall
I created this accent from zippers I took out of the clothes. The safety pins are decorative. Be brave and use interesting objects that one might not usually think of using for a memory quilt.
Step 4 Create zipper accent
Next, I added the details to get an idea about where they should go.
Step 5 Moving around fabrics and details
Then,I began to sew pieces together.
Step6 Trying out places
I continued to sew pieces together and change their place for balance of color.
Step7 ready to sew together
Finally, all of the pieces found their special spot.Next, the top was sewn together. Then,the backing and batting are added. Lastly I quilt the three layers together. In this case,the focus is on the materials and details. Therefore, the quilting took a back seat and did not stand out.
Groovin High by Faith RinggoldTar Beach , an art quilt by Faith Ringgold
Faith Ringgold Quilt Artist
Sacramento, Calif –UPDATED December 22, 2017 –
On February 18, 2018, the Crocker Art Museum will bring to Sacramento Faith Ringgold: An American Artist. This exhibition features Ringgold’s famous story quilts. In other words, tankas, inspired by thangkas, Tibetan textile paintings. Also included are Ringold’s oil paintings, prints, drawings, masks, and sculptures. Furthermore, on view are the original illustrations from the artist’s award-winning book Tar Beach.
Harlem-born Artist and Activist
After a trip to Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum in 1972,Harlem-born artist and activist Ringgold began working with textiles. After that,a gallery guard introduced her to Tibetan thangkas. Above, all,thangkas are traditional Buddhist paintings on cloth, surrounded by silk brocades. After returning home, Ringgold enlisted the help of her mother, a professional dressmaker.Importantly, Ms. Ringgold made politically minded thangkas of her own. Certainly,she sewed frames of cloth around depictions of brutal rape and slavery. In 1980, Ringgold crafted her first quilt. Again,with some sewing help from her mother. Ms. Ringgold created Echoes of Harlem (1980).Moreover,she portrayed 30 Harlem residents in a mandala-like composition.
Moreover,these works combined visual and written storytelling to explore topics. In addition, the underrepresentation of African Americans in art history stands out. Moreover, she explored her upbringing in Harlem. After that, the legacy of Aunt Jemima. According to the artist, the textile medium allows her political messages to be more digestible. “When [viewers are] looking at my work, they’re looking at a painting. Certainly,they’re able to accept it better because it is also a quilt,” she says.
First of all,I found this article to be interesting. I am in the process of completing four Memorial Quilts for a client and her children using their beloved father’s clothing.Ann
Memory quilt made from tee shirts
First,on the Internet memory quilts range in price from $100 to over $1,000. Why such a large price range? However,there are a number of factors that go into the cost of making a quilt. Here are a number of cost factors that go into the pricing of a memory quilt.
Materials
There are 3 basic materials that go into all quilts. There is a quality range for each type of material. The price of your quilt will relate to the quality of materials used. The higher the quality the higher the cost. In other words,inexpensive materials create an inexpensive quilt.
Fabric
To help think about fabric, compare it to the thread count of bed sheets. For example,the lower the thread count, the cheaper the fabric. Polyester fabric with a low thread count is inexpensive. 100% cotton with a high thread count is much more expensive. For a high quality fabric for durability of wear and use, cotton should be used. Similarly,the backing and binding of the quilts will need extra fabric.
Batting
Secondly,batting is used in the middle of a quilt. It comes in a variety of quality levels from thin 100% polyester to high quality cotton batting. Polyester batting tears easily, it bunches up and will poke out the back of the quilt. However,cotton battings are the best choice. Yet,they will cost two to three times more than polyester batting.
Thread
Moreover,all quilts use thread for sewing the blocks together and quilting. On the other hand,there are cheap threads that won’t withstand time and use.Quality threads are truly worth the cost. So,a less expensive quilt is made with a lower quality thread.
In addition, another cost that is calculated into the price of a quilt is labor. Minimum wage is about $8 an hour. Typically, minimum wage is reserved for entry level and unskilled workers. However,an accomplished quilt makers are not unskilled. Above all they usually, they should have over five years or more of quilt making experience .
Skill
Similarly, it takes skill to make a memory quilt. If it didn’t take any skill or experience, you would make it yourself. Highly skilled and talented quilters make the nicest memory quilts. Furthermore,this means that their hourly rate will be much higher than minimum wage. If you want to only pay minimum wage to a quilter, expect an entry-level unskilled quilter to attempt making your quilt. If you value your clothing and memories you are putting into your memory quilt, an inexpensive quilt should scare you!
Time
How long does it take to make a memory quilt? In short,this depends on a number of factors including quilt style, complexity and craftsmanship. A low-cost quilt will take less time than a more expensive quilt. However,this means that the low-cost quilt will have a simple design without any complexities. The workmanship may be questionable.
The Worth a Quilter Places on His or Her Work.
If a quilter underprices their work, they are telling you up front that they do not think that their time and skills are good enough to charge more. Think about what this tells you. If someone does not find value in his or her work, will you?
Style
In short,there are two basic styles of quilts – those that are made in columns and rows and those that are designed by an artist.Our Too Cool puzzle style is a creative work. The number of steps and the amount of time it takes to make each style is vastly different.
Traditional
A traditional style memorial quilt is made from blocks in columns and or rows and the blocks are all one size. This makes the project very easy and involves very little planning and time to layout.
The Too Cool Style
A memory quilt made with many different sizes and shaped blocks involve a lot of consideration, planning, math and other time consuming steps. This style of quilt will take 10 times or longer than a traditional quilt.
To summarize,these and other considerations are indicators of the quality of a quilt. They also greatly influence the price of the quilt. For example, someone with great skill and artistry using cheap material might make a good looking quilt. But the quilt still has been made with cheap material that will look cheap and not wear well. Conversely, a quilt made with high quality materials that is poorly made is still a poorly made quilt. You want a quilt that is made from high quality materials by a skilled and artistic quilter. This quilt will be a family heirloom worthy of the cost.
Look carefully at the cost of memory quilts. Be sure to know what you are paying for. A quilt that costs only $100 is probably going to be a disappointment.
To learn more about having a memory quilt made, please feel free to download our Memorial Quilt Guide. It has information that will help you through the process of having a memorial quilt made.
Memorial quilt From mom’ s clothinggroup of memory quilts
