“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” and so a quilt begins with a single scrap of fabric.
I embrace quilting as a metaphor for life, the pieces of fabric you accumulate along the way can sit untouched in a plastic bin in the darkest recesses of a closet like memories that are too painful to touch. Or they can be brought out, touched and cut into shapes, and stitched into something of beauty. A quilt can wrap you in warmth, like the hug of a missing loved one. The fabric making up the blocks can evoke a memory of gentle sweetness or laughter bubbling up from deep within.
The making of a memory quilt takes time, there is no rush. There is only the selection of the fabric, will I use clothing worn by my loved one, neckties, those tattered and frayed blue jeans, t-shirts collected from travels? What about new fabric representing all of their favorite things? Feel the texture of the fabric, recall images that the fabrics bring to mind. Cry tears of sadness and grief. Allow joy to enter into your tears, joy that they were in your life, you had the privilege of walking beside them even though the time may have been brief. Those memories are precious and a part of your bond. Dry your eyes with your fabric, forever melding you and your grief and your joy into the woof and warp of your quilt.
Cut your fabric into squares, stitch them together one by one. Talk to your loved one, tell them how much they meant to you, how dearly you miss them. Tell them a funny story you recall, remind them of the secret language only the two of you shared. Place these memories and conversations into the stitches as you work.
Layer your pieced quilt top with batting and a soft fabric backing like flannel. Bind up the edges as you bind up the shattered pieces of your heart. The pieces of the quilt are not exactly as you remember them when they were a shirt or an apron or a tie, but they’re something new, just as your life is new. This is not the life you had planned but it is the life you have to live. Envelope yourself in your quilt, let it embrace you, and bring you comfort. Your heart does not look, or feel like it did before but it is mending and becoming something new just like the pieces of your quilt.
Hugs! Dawn
P.S. Find step-by-step instructions for a simple memory quilt made from loved ones clothing here.
P.P.S. For a list of tools you’ll need if you’re a beginner quilter download the free guide here.