Recently I posted a How-To on making your own T-shirt quilt. (You can find the first tutorial in that series here.) But maybe you don’t have a lot of T-shirts lying around, waiting to be cut up for a quilt? That’s okay! A memory quilt can be made out of so much more than just T-shirts!
Now that you’ve mastered the basics with our free T-Shirt quilt tutorial, let’s expand our horizons and think of other possibilities for making a quilt out of clothing.
In today’s post, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite memory quilts that I’ve made over the years, so I hope you enjoy this trip down Memory (Quilt) Lane with me!
Memory Quilts are not just for tee shirts!
First up, a quilt I made out of baby clothes – this is a lovely way to commemorate your little one’s early months and preserve all those happy baby memories:
Next, a quilt I made using men’s dress shirts. This type of quilt would make a fabulous Father’s Day gift:
This one I made using Hawaiian-style shirts. If you have someone in your life who has a favorite type of shirt like this, a memory quilt is a great way to visually preserve your memories of that person. Another idea is to make a quilt using shirts you got on vacation, or to find Hawaiian shirts at a thrift store to make a quilt that makes you FEEL like you’re on vacation every time you use it!
This quilt was a sort of “Anything Goes” theme. I used a variety of items from one man’s wardrobe, including T-shirts, socks, boxers, and running shorts!
I made this quilt as a gift from a son to his mother, using his father’s blazers. His father was known for being a well-dressed man, and the son’s reaction when he picked up this memory quilt was one I will not soon forget!
Sometimes a T-shirt quilt can have a specific theme to it, too, like in these examples …
If your child has a favorite collection of graphic tees that they eventually outgrow, turn them into a quilt so they can still enjoy all their favorite characters! Here’s one I made using all girl’s fashion tees:
Sometimes a memory quilt is a way to honor someone’s memory after they’re gone. I was honored to make this quilt in memory of a firefighter – this was hard to make!
If you’ve got a music fan in your family, make a quilt out of all his favorite concert tees:
A memory quilt is also a great way to show off your school spirit using T-shirts from one school or several:
What ideas do you have for making a memory quilt? Share them in the comments below!
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Comments & Reviews
I love all your ideas! I never thought to make one from baby clothes, my daughter is expecting so I will be sure to save all the clothes and turn them into a quilt. Thanks so much for sharing!! 🙂
Our Mother of seven children, passed away two weeks ago. She has a huge collection of fabrics that I’m using to make memory quilts for Dad and each one of us. It will be a surprise to the others because I’m the one that’s making them to give each of the four brothers and two sisters. I’m also having one made for Mom’s only living sister and another for a very close niece, that was her best friend. I’d love to have them all made by Christmas, but in trying to be realistic and working a full time job; it’s not going to happen. So, I’m planning to have them finished by her birthday instead (February 12th). She loved to sew but didn’t get to do a lot of it in the last few years because of her illness (cancer). I hope these quilts will honor her memory by sharing with my family.