Throw Quilts

One of the most popular bereavement quilts is the throw quilt – a quilt large enough to wrap yourself in the memory of your loved one but more affordable and even more manageable than a larger bed-sized quilt.  Several examples of throw quilts are described below, each of them made as a gift:

Collin’s Quilt

First is the remarkable story of two traditional quilts made for a very young boy and girl who had recently lost their mother. Friends commissioned the quilt and the kids chose the pattern they liked best from an array of designs which I sent to them.

After their dear friend passed away in the summer of 2010, ten of her friends (later twelve) got together to plan a quilt for their friend’s two little kids, a 7-year old Collin and 5-year old Mackie, a quilt that was to be made from their mother’s clothes. When they approached the kid’s father about the idea, he loved the idea but asked them to consult a professional, since these well meaning friends were not quilters themselves. I was then approached by one of the friends and was excited about the prospect.

The central feature of this quilt is actually a small blue t-shirt belonging to Collin that he got when the family made a special trip to France not long before his mother died.

The large dark green points around it came from one of his mom’s dresses, and the light green background came from a pair of her shorts.

I especially loved a brilliant orange, yellow and brown dress that was included in the batch of  clothes I received and it fit into this color scheme well. Later, when the family viewed the quilt, I learned that the dad had chosen this dress for his wife, making it all the more precious.

The various pieces of fabric that border the quilt are from both the mother’s and the son’s t-shirts. The inner brown border is from one of her dresses, as is the black border. The picture above shows the embroidery that I used on the binding. I think embroidery adds a final eloquence to a quilt and also stabilizes it with the additional stitching.

Below is the label, which is unique in that so many “aunties” contributed to the effort:

I was told that the father was overwhelmed by the quilts, and that the kids love them and sleep with them every night.

Mackie’s Quilt

Below is the quilt that I made for Collin’s five-year old sister, Mackie:

This quilt took more time to make, as the tulips called for more precision than ordinary sewing. I was delighted to be able to feature a peace symbol in the center, taken from one of the mom’s shirts, and also add the “Love” insignia from another shirt, a green t-shirt featured in the first border.

The tulip petals came from one of Mackie’s adorable little outfit’s and from a very pretty pink summer dress of her mom’s. The green of the flowers plus the central green cross was from the mom’s  green flannel jacket, and the “baskets” were from a pair of her shorts.

The binding features a tulip embroidery design which compliments the quilt:

And here is the label for Mackie’s quilt:

These quilts were a joy to make, engaging the children in the discussion and even using some of their own little outfits in the quilts.

Lisanna’s Quilt

Lisanna’s mother commissioned me to make a full-sized quilt for Lisanna to have when she is grownup and in a big bed.  The clothes used were from her beloved father who had died two years before I made the quilts. But when the full-sized bed quilt was finished (and also one for her brother), there were enough shirts left over for twin-sized bed quilt for her brother and this smaller throw for Lisanna. Only four shirts were used and this one was a surprise to Lisanna (she chose the pattern for her big quilt- see Bereavement Quilts under my Blog for Lisanna’s Ribbon Quilt).  I designed it with a large pinwheel as Lisanna was in love with dancing and this reminded me of dance, as did the swirls I used for quilting.

Erin’s Quilt

Erin lost her beloved father and a friend commissioned this quilt made from four of the father’s shirts, which Erin picked especially, since she knew the story of each shirt. She wanted to have something tangible to remember her father by and to show her future children when she told them about the grandfather they never had a chance to know.

Erin chose the Mariner’s Compass design because she said her father had always been her guide.  Her father loved to fish, so I put two tiny fish in the bottom of the quilt, made from one of his ties.

Four Quilts – Celebrating Grandma’s 100 Years

I received a box of colorful shirts all belonging to a client’s grandmother who had recently died at the marvelous age of 100. I was asked to design three quilts to be Christmas presents for a daughter, a granddaughter, and a granddaughter-in-law. There was enough material for a small fourth quilt, which the client was going to use as a small tablecloth. Each colorful quilt was the size of a throw for a sofa and each design was tailored to the type of material available - the “Rail Fence” quilt was made of all knitted material, for instance, and the “Morning Star” quilt used the grandmother’s shirts only in the points of the stars. These quilts demonstrate the versatility of designs for memory/ bereavement quilts. I was told that this Christmas was a poignant one, with all the reminders of grandma.

To enlarge the pictures, double click on any one picture.