Queen Size Custom Memory/Memorial Clothing Quilt
Clothing holds such precious memories. Whether it is the outfit your baby wore home from the hospital, special holiday clothes, dresses, ties and suits – these are all pieces that you cannot bear to part with because each one has such meaningful associations.
Instead of packing things away in a box and only pulling them out occasionally to reminisce, let me take all your precious pieces and turn them into a lasting and meaningful keepsake.
Each finished piece will have some irregularity in it – it is impossible to sew thin cotton summer wear to winter-ready polar fleece and have it come out perfectly. The corners won’t always match and there will be some puckering, but this reflects the fact that the clothing represents a span of time, not a single moment, and it also emphasizes that these are not new pieces of fabric, but well-loved, well-washed memories.
Number of items needed: minimum of 175 pieces of infant-to-toddler/child-sized clean clothing (225 or more if most of the sizes are newborn-6 months, or mostly just shirts), or 50-65 pieces of adult clothing.
Types of fabric: Cotton, cotton jersey (sleepers/onesies), flannel, fleece, polyesters and knits; the more graphic the better – close, repeating patterns and central images look great in the quilt, as do a variety of colours or strong contrasts (like black and white clothes).
Types of fabric to avoid: extremely thick fabrics like snowsuits or wool coats, or dense fabrics like leather or vinyl.
Size: Queen quilt size is approximately 102 x 102 inches. Size may vary slightly due to the clothing pieces and block construction.
Options:
1.) up to 4 small pieces of appliqué to your quilt at no extra charge – a special bib, the adorable feet off a sleeper, or baby’s first mittens or hat. Please indicate which pieces you would like appliquéd by packing them separately with a note. Additional applique pieces are $25/piece. Note: Please contact me separately so that I can create a special listing for the quilt plus the extra pieces.
2.) a hand-embroidered name block ($35 each). The block is 6x6 inches, holding up to 20 letters or numbers (e.g. "David Michael Jan 1 2018", or "Alexander Matthew"). I'll choose a cotton fabric that coordinates with the quilt, so that it will integrate beautifully into the quilt. Please note - each name panel is different.
Care: Machine wash the finished quilt in cold water, and lay over a chair to dry to avoid extra shrinkage from the dryer, or stretching from line-drying.
Processing time: up to 6 weeks from receipt of clothing to complete, though I will do my best to get it to you more quickly.
If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with me.
