Memory of Friends

I love vintage embroidery, and I especially adore remembrance embroideries. This 19th century memory quilt offered by Linen Closet is very sweet. According to the sellers, women would each contribute a piece of fabric to make one quilt as a symbol of their friendship. The different fabrics, colors and textures, each contributed by a different person, come together to make a unique pattern.

The one below has a sweet adage embroidered in the center, "Good Deeds Will Be Rewarded".

Memory Blankets

This blog is dedicated to remembering all of those who mean something to us. I hope to promote meaningful repurposing - taking items that have been outgrown, and creating something new that will help us remember.

I've previously posted on repurposing mens' shirts to become cute dresses for girls, redesigning heritage jewelry, and other projects that keep those cherished items in close reach. Petit Amour creates custom Memory Blankets out of baby clothing, a perfect solution to giving new life to those precious little jumpers, shirts and dresses that are so hard to give up. Just send the clothing to Petit Amour, and you'll receive in return a gorgeous memory blanket. I absolutely love this idea, and hope that it catches on!

Civil War Era Mourning Quilt

This is a beautiful example of a mourning quilt. The patches are mostly men's clothing, with what may be a Civil War uniform. The geometric simplicity of the pattern is masculine, yet there are sweet needlepoint embellishments scattered throughout.

Mourning (or memory) quilts from back in the day were part remembrance, part necessity - clothing material was scarcer than it is now, and so reuse was almost a given when someone passed away. There weren't exactly Salvation Armies to receive the clothes, and there weren't Gaps and Bed Bath & Beyonds to replenish our closets. Today, with a renewed interest in upcycling, memory quilts are both a way to remember our loved ones as well as find a meaningful reuse for their clothing.

Memory Quilts

I love the look of this Rag Quilt by Wiccked.

Some quilts are impeccably designed and sewn, yet their preciousness means they're relegated to the wall - look but don't touch. For me, the perfect Memory Quilt (made from a loved ones' clothing) should be cozy, something you embrace, something to wrap yourself in. This rag quilt, with its simple square pattern and soft, rustic flannel materials, is a great example of what a Memory Quilt should be. Tactile, cozy, and friendly.

Mourning Quilts

From scraps of a loved one's clothing ...


Comes beautiful African American Mourning quilt, dated early 1900's. Offered by Ebay seller Sabine Moon.

For more on the history of Mourning Quilts, click here and here.

Memory Blankets

Perhaps I should call this blog the Modern Rememberer! One of my goals is to find a way to repurpose our clothing in a way that's meaningful and sentimental. Too often we just toss our old stuff in the Salvation Army Bin, only to find years later we wished we had held onto it. Although I'm focusing on items that belong to people no longer with us, I truly believe it should be applied all through life. A young mother can make memory blankets from her maternity clothes. A father can turn his old work flannels into a tarp, or even a play tent. My point is that there is so much sentimentality associated with clothing, it's a shame to throw them away.

On that note, Kiki from Etsy's Allthenumbers has found some great examples of repurposed outgrown baby's clothing. This block pattern blanket with bamboo batting and cotton (or chenille) backing by Silverforgefarm is super sweet - just look at the details! It's something a child will someday treasure, and even pass on to their own children down the road. Absolutely adorable!

T-Shirt Quilts

Quilt from Don't Quit Your Day Job

What do you do with the closets of clothing left behind? When my grandmother passed away, I sorted through her 60's era dresses, coats and sweaters. The materials were gorgeous, and I lamented about what to do with them. After keeping them in bags tucked in the back of my closet for ages, I finally gave them up to the Salvation Army. Now I wish I had transformed them into something I could have remembered her by. I would have especially loved to have made an apron!

Mourning quilts are a longtime tradition. Back in the day it was common to transform the clothing of a loved one into a patchwork or crazy quilt. (I'm not sure, but I think part of this had to do with the scarcity of cloth - throwing it away was considered a waste.) But now that clothing is cheap and abundant, we've lost that tradition. Time to bring it back!

I'm currently looking for quilters who can transform clothing into something meaningful. Grandpa's sweaters into golf club cozies. A father's old flannel shirts into fireside floor pillows. A mother's winter scarves into a tote bag. Quilts, pillows, aprons, laptop covers, anything. I'll report what I find, but in the meantime here are some T Shirt Quilts from Etsy's QuiltTees that capture the spirit.