Jewell's Custom Quilting

Watch the complete Memorial Quilt Tutorial

This quilt came about because of a great loss of my friend’s daughter’s quick and untimely passing. My friend from junior high school days, lost her daughter to ovarian cancer in 2019. Maddie had unexpected physical signs that something was going on in her body. But no one expected the doctors to say it was ovarian cancer. Like so many silent cancers,

you don’t know are growing inside your body until it’s too late, ovarian cancer is quick and brutal. Maddie’s last year of life started with the shock of the cancer news, doctor visits, treatment plans made, chemotherapy at Duke University in North Carolina, a time of reprieve, then a return of cancer symptoms with a vengeance.

This quilt is made from her shirts that she wore.

Maddie's Memory Quilt

Memory quilts, again, are nothing new, but planning a quilt project and seeing it to completion, is the goal. We have written documentation from the 1800-1900’s that Memorial Quilts have been made in honor of a loved one that has passed. We also have oral history that goes back even longer. Even though oral history is not as sound as paper documentation, does not discount the history that has been passed down through generations. Memorial Quilts is traditionally made from clothing items from the person who has passed. Regardless of holding onto sacred items of a person who has passed, a Memorial Quilt from a family or friend is usually a coveted item too. It brings back memories of when the clothing item was worn, memories of events that was shared, and a tangible item to still hold your person close. Shirting, blouses, t-shirts, and house-dress garments can be used to make a Memorial Quilt. My grandmother, in the 1930’s, routinely used men’s garments, women’s dresses, and children’s clothing as she made utility quilts for her family. Fabric, in any form, was not to be wasted. So, it only makes common sense to continue to make needed necessities, like quilts for nightly use. My grandma also did not waste buttons from these clothing items.

I have her button jar! She wasn’t going to waste anything, it’s a good lesson.

I used the Fold-and-Sew method to frame and secure each shirt panel. It gave each block more stability and framing.

I ironed the interfacing to the back of the shirting. Iron on med-high with no steam. Press, do not rub the iron back and forth on the fabric. If you rub the iron back and forth across the fabric, your fabric weave will become distorted. This seals the interfacing to the shirting-back with best results for stability.

We want stability, slow down and press downward.

For the inner-square of the shirting fabric, cut a 12.5-inch square. I spent one whole evening just on this step. Take two evenings if you need to, but don’t rush yourself and compromise attention to detail.

Cut all the shirting squares before going on to the outter-framing squares.

See my French Seams??

I matched each top square with a coordinating cotton scrap fabric. Then, I cut a 14.5-inch square of each coordinating fabric. Remember, during this process, your iron is your friend! Now we are ready to refer to our Fold and Sew Quilts with Peg Spradlin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgV64kXet7s&t=3s

Iron your larger square over your shirting square, side to side, stitch, iron top and bottom, stitch. Iron open, press not rub. Start your stack and keep going until all squares are done for your quilt and desired size. I decided to go 5 squares across and 6 squares down.

Loaded on my Gammil Statler long-arm sewing maching and ready for quilting!

The Stitch pattern I used for this quilt is Swirls & Flathers BLK PANT by Judith Kraker, https://www.intelligentquilting.com/default.asp .

I went to Judith’s web site but could not fine this pattern. If you would like to get it from her, I would contact her site contact page and ask her how to purchase this pattern. I chose this pattern because I thought it was cheerful, pleasant, and had lots of movement. When you look at just the block, you clearly see the flow of the swirls and feathers. But when you look at this pattern in a “repeat and row” format, you can see that each outside corner of the block is actually the center of a 4 Feather Pinwheel. I thought that was a fun element of design in Judith Kraker’s block. Do you see it too? Again, because the quilt has straight lines, the stitching should have curves. This combination, compliments each other and reduces the harshness that can come with straight and angular lines within the quilt block piecing.