September 6, 2018

Another Memory Quilt

After my Dad passed away a couple of years ago, I made a quilt for my sister from a number of his shirts; I wrote about that quilt here.  I've now completed a quilt for myself using four of his pajamas, three shirts, and two commercial fabrics.


The pajamas and shirts were all woven plaids.  I cut 4.5" strips then fussy cut 60-degree triangles to form into hexagons.  Most of the plaids are not symmetrical, but since they are yarn dyes I was able to flip the triangles over to get mirror images of each other.


For each set of six triangles, I chose different reference points for the center of the fussy cut; this makes each hexagon somewhat unique.



The one print is by Tim Holtz; I used this because it reminds me of my Dad's folding wooden rulers.  This print makes up the binding as well.  (I think the background chambray fabric might have been a better choice for binding -- the darker fabric seems to constrain the negative space too much.)


I used leftover clothing for the back, but did not have enough for a complete backing.  A print featuring house plans seemed appropriate for my Dad, since he was a home builder.


If I'd thought of it early enough, I might have over-dyed this fabric, perhaps with indigo.  Here's the full back:


The label is from Spoonflower; I had this printed before I started the quilt, and had to correct the finishing date.


There is one hexagon that is a little different.  For this one, I used alternating triangles from a strip, so it is not quite as symmetrical.  This fabric is from a shirt that I also used in my sister's quilt, and I wanted to make the most of what little was left.


I constructed the hexagons with a different layout in mind, but once they were on the "design floor," I was not happy with my original plan.  I had also considered deconstructing some of the hexagons; you can see some of this on the back.


The final layout was inspired by Millefiori quilts,.


This quilt holds some special memories of my Dad.  Some tough ones too, as the pajamas in the quilt were worn in his final weeks in the hospital.


I'm linking up with crazy mom quilts for Finish It Up Friday.

Edited to add:  I didn't realize it at the time, but I posted this on what would have been my Dad's 96th birthday.

7 comments:

  1. It's a beautiful quilt and a wonderful remembrance of your dad. Lovely. Your quilting really adds to the design.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love all your choices!! This is the best memory quilt I've seen. Such a beautiful tribute for an obviously much loved Dad!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such a sweet quilt, Ben! I love your choice of design for those masculine fabrics.

    ReplyDelete
  4. OMG This one is brilliant. I am going to link it onto my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a beautiful, tender story. It will be a great memory for you for decades to come, and for your children. I love the design. Your painstaking fussy cutting surely paid off. I love your splash of orange and the zigzag bottom ... iconic.

    ReplyDelete
  6. this is such a beautiful design and such a wonderful way to honor your Dad. I'm in the middle of making 6 quilts -for each of my four sisters, my Mom, and myself- from my Dad's shirts. He passed away in June of 2018. I feel like it has been good therapy!

    ReplyDelete