Keepsake Quilting
From LoveToKnow Crafts
Every quilt, even if it is made of band-new fabric in the most modern style, should become a keepsake. When you think of the term “keepsake quilting,” however, you probably think about those old quilts handed down through the generations. They were made of actual scraps of clothing and other little bits of fabric that might be lying around. They were meant to be used and loved, and now we treasure them as heirlooms of a bygone era.
Modern Keepsake Quilting
These days, quilts are a lot more often made with fabric from a store bought for the purpose of making a particular quilt. We use traditional methods (more or less depending on the quilter) and often traditional patterns, producing beautiful quilts that we hope our family members will treasure and keep forever.
But there are options available to us that will make our quilts look more like the treasured scrap quilts of old, and there are three easy projects you can do to make keepsake quilts of your own from things around the house.
A Scrap Keepsake Quilt
Like your great-grandmother before you, when your clothes get worn out you can cut them into pieces and make quilts out of them.
You can use almost any pattern to make a scrap quilt, or just incorporate some clothing into a quilt that also uses new fabric. You could also just make fabric squares and sew them together in a random way to make strips from which you can form your quilt.
In this day and age it can seem a little wasteful to cut up perfectly good clothes when you could donate them to charity. So if you have clothes that are unstained, don’t have holes in them and still look wearable, go ahead and donate them.
But you know you’ve got some clothes that simply aren’t fit to give away: that blouse with the coffee stain, the T-shirt with sweat rings, jeans with holes. Think of those lost pieces of clothing as fabric opportunities. Go through your closet, laundry basket and donation pile to find these clothes that aren’t worth wearing or donating. Cut off the unusable parts and see what you’re left with.
Keepsake Quilt in Blue Jeans
Another great idea for a keepsake quilt is to make a quilt out of old blue jeans. You’ll need a pretty powerful sewing machine and a fresh needle for this project (which you will want to replace when the sewing is done).
Take all your family’s jeans that have holes or don’t fit anyone. Cut off the seams. You can either leave the pockets (which can be used as pockets on the quilt) or use a seam ripper to carefully take the pockets off. You will still be able to see where the pocket was, but it’s pretty cute. Or just discard that part of the jeans (or use the pockets in another project).
Leave the legs in strips or cut into squares and stitch together. The different colors of denim will make a lovely patchwork. Denim is heavy, so you could probably go without a thick batting in a quilt like this. Use flannel or something soft for the backing, and tie the top of the quilt rather than topstitching unless you have a very powerful machine.
A T-shirt Keepsake Quilt
The quickest and easiest keepsake quilt you can make is a T-shirt quilt. Everyone has old T-shirts with logos on them that hold special memories. You might not be able to wear them any more because they are small or stained, but you can’t bear to part with them because of the memories they conjure.
Instead of tossing that pile of memories or keeping it in a drawer forever, make a T-shirt quilt. Just collect your T-shirts, find the one with the biggest logo, measure the logo (plus some space around it for seam allowances and such), then make all your blocks around that size.
You can put borders between the rows of shirts or just leave it all shirts. Back this quilt with a jersey fabric and it will feel like being wrapped up in your favorite T-shirt when you use this quilt.
Make sure you tell your kids the stories behind the T-shirts. And remember that T-shirt quilts are great for kids, too. They like being able to keep some of their favorite clothes and to have a fun (and machine washable) keepsake quilt.
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Comments
I took apart an old polyester quilt made with yarn stitches every foot or so... If you are planing on making one like that and have it last for a really long time, then I recommend using a string that wont "dissolve" like acrylic or wool does... maybe hemp or something else strong. I'd think one would pin the quilt, batting, and under fabric together into the the right place before yarning it.I imagine one would have a board with a nail to puncture the fabrics and then you push the yarn threw by placing it on top of the nail and re-inserting. It would probably be good to pin the quilt, batting, and under fabric together into the the right place before yarning it. The yarn or string is then tied in a knot, on the up side if I remember correctly. I'm certain there is a real technique for this some where, but keeping in mind the origins of quilting... I'd say what ever works. :)
-- Contributed by: BeccaHi, Just wanted to know if you have ever heard of quilting with yarn. My grandma has made me one along time ago and its the shape of a star with all multi-colors each one is unique and not the same as the next to it. Does that ring a bell on what or how to make them
-- Contributed by: NancyThis page has been accessed 8,728 times. This page was last modified 07:20, 7 January 2007.
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