My mom just turned 60. My siblings and I debated on what to get for her. She doesn't need stuff and is constantly dejunking her house. It's like she is on a mission to declutter. I suggested a quilt, of course. When I saw this quilt by Faith on Fresh Lemons, I knew the design would be perfect.
This quilt has been on my mind for a couple years. Almost 10 years ago my dad passed away from a Multiple Myeloma which is a cancer of the plasma cells. We've definitely had our ups and downs as a family over the years after losing him. A while back my mom gave each of us a few items that belonged to my dad. Among other things I received two shirts. My dad owned a construction company and built custom homes for a living. As long as I remember he wore the same type of plaid flannel work shirts of various colors. The blue plaid in this quilt is from one shirt he used to wear to work. The red fabric is from a much nicer Eddie Bauer heavy cotton shirt that I remember my dad wearing a lot in the winter. He would wear the red one around the house or out on errands and such, but it wasn't ever a work shirt. I liked the idea of combining the two shirts in this quilt. It represents the two major areas of his life--his family and his work. He took great pride in both.
Although I've been thinking of making these shirts into a quilt for about two years, it was amazingly difficult to actually cut them up. I thought a lot about my dad as I made the quilt. I know he would have liked it. It's his style--nice and simple. I used a super soft minky on the back that makes it a great cuddle quilt.
Happy Birthday Mom!
72 comments:
What an amazing story...that quilt will always be so special!
(((hugs))) I'm sure your mom will love and treasure your quilt! What a wonderful story and quilt!
A lovely quilt with such wonderful memories! I am so glad you shared your story today!
Beautiful! What a great way to remember your dad, it's a beautiful quilt.
This made me cry!! I think that is so special. Your mom is going to love and cherish it always. Great job & I'm glad you entered it. January T
wow! a beautiful gift certainly, but it will also be like your dad is hugging your mom. That gives me chills and brings a tear to my eyes.
I'm so glad you decided to enter this quilt! It's beautiful and I know your mother will love it!
What a great gift for yor mom. It is a great quilt. I'm sure your dad would have loved this quilt.
Awesome memory quilt! Love the work/nice shirt pairing.
I love this! Often, memory quilts don't turn out looking that great. Its beautiful in many ways.
How beautiful! I am lucky to have my parents living. I sure wish I had my grandparents closet full of homemade square dance outfits! Oh what a joy that would have been. This quilt will be so special!!!
Beautiful, Kati. I am sure you mom will treasure it. I love all of the thought you put into the design. While it was hard to cut up those shirts, I am sure they will get a lot of use in this form, be seen every day and be a wonderful reminder of your dad.
Your quilt is gorgeous and such a thoughtful gift. Thank you for sharing such a personal piece.
I have tears in my eyes, what a special quilt. It's beautiful.
This is marvelous. I am impressed, because I don't have the fortitude to get past the toughness of working with such memories. Your mom is going to treasure this.
This is amazing and so special. I had the priveledge of making a memory quilt for a friend and it's an awesome experience. What a wonderful way to remember your dad.
What a wonderful idea and such a nice memory quilt. My dad work a shirt just like that in that colour a lot too.
It's really beautiful, Kati, and so special to you and your mom! Thanks for sharing!!
I am so glad you decided to enter. Thanks for sharing such a nice story and quilt.
This is a beautiful quilt with a touching story! Love that, and am so glad you decided to enter it in the Quilt Festival. I, too need to make something like this for my mom, but the thought is so difficult. Thank you for your inspiration! : )
Thanks so much for sharing such a beautiful quilt. What a cherished gift to your mom!! So glad you decided to enter in BQF!!
Love your quilt!
Oh Kati, your post touched my heart and I can just imagine your mom's response to receiving this little piece from the past. What a lovely gesture on your part to pass these shirts on to your mom in the form of a cuddly quilt.
So beautiful, Kati. I know your mom will cherish this always.
Beautiful.....absolutely beautiful!
I got here from another blogger that was inspired by your blue aquarium quilt which I LOVE! And now I see this fabulous quilt for your lucky mom!!!! I love your blog! Thanks for sharing!
What a touching story. It is amazing how a little fabric can fill our hearts with joy and love. Beautiful Quilt!
A beautiful story for a beautiful quilt. Thanks for sharing, Kati - glad you came off hiatus to post this one!
Kati, I bearly got to the end of this post for the amount of tears in my eyes. That is such a beautiful story and gorgeous quilt.
It's a wonderful quilt Kati, and such a great rememberance of your dad.
Wow, what a beautiful quilt and such a touching story behind it. I'm sure your mom will treasure it.
Kati, it's a beautiful quilt. I teared up as I read this and I showed it to Hans too. We send HUGE hugs your way and your dad had SUCH a big impact. We still hear stories about your dad all the time and what a great man he is. LOVE you!
My 21 year old son died in a car accident in 1996, a year before I started quilting. For years I wanted to use his shirts to make a memory quilt which I finally did about 3 years ago. It took me a long time to be able to bear to do it. My husband, daughter and other family members were thrilled as I incorporated happy photos of Chris in the quilt as well.
It's perfect, Kati! I can't wait to see it in person in a few weeks. I know your mom was so touched. Have a fun weekend celebrating with her.
What a precious story and quilt, both.
This is a wonderful quilt with a great story behind it. My father is a baker and his whole life revolves around the bakery and that still at the age of 70. One day I will make him a quilt of the clothes he was wearing as a baker.
A wonderful tribute to your Dad that your Mum will cherish xxx
A beautiful special quilt :)
I`m welling up too. It`s a beautiful quilt Kati and I`m so pleased you decided you decided to put it in the BQF. I lost my dad 7 years ago and I would love to have something like this. Absolutely beautiful. Hope you are enjoying your break.
lifesrichpattern@gmail.com
Beautiful post & beautiful quilt.
(I'm all tears now)
Beautiful quilt and special story behind it! it's wonderful Kati!
Truly a quilt to comfort & warm. Truly beautiful! Thank you for sharing it.
So glad you popped back to share. It's such a beautiful quilt, and with so much heartfelt meaning poured into it, I'm sure your mum will love it :o)
i love this quilt, as i'm sure your mom did too....i especially like the off set stars.
thanks for sharing!
What a lovely memory of your dad! I love how the star blocks mingle with each other rather than just being arranged in rows.
Mrs.Hearts
www.busyhandsquilts.blogspot.com
What a perfect quilt for your dad's shirts.
What a lovely tribute to your Dad.
I'm trying to make the first cut into some shirts of my father-in-law and am finding it very hard.
Carolyn
Very, very nice. Your mom will treasure this for sure.
This is beautiful, Kati!
I would have never thought of turning clothing into quilts - but what a wonderful way to remember a special person!!!
Stunning beauty! Perfect pattern...the shirts go so well together in this quilt, love it.
A great quilt & a beautiful reminder of your Dad x
teary here- so sorry that you lost your dad- I imagine that your mom will cherish this quilt forever as you will you- what a wonderful way to honor your dad.
xo
That is beautiful! I am so sorry for your loss ((hugs)) I am sure it will be treasured for many many years.
I love this quilt and now I LOVE it even more hearing the story behind it! I know this will be something your mom (and whole family) will cherish forever!
When I first saw this quilt I loved it. But after reading your story I love it even more. Reminds me a lot of my Dad. I miss him everyday. What a wonder quilt to snuggle under and give you happy thoughts!
Beautiful reminder of your Dad (Nagyon szép a takaró)
I'm sorry to hear about your father. My oldest son's father passed away from the same thing 5 years ago. I love your quilt, and I'm sure your mom will appreciate more than anything you could have bought for her, it has such wonderful sentiment.
Such a lovely idea and realization - I loved those interlocking stars too. Hope your mom was pleased. Glad you're back!
bless you all~xo~my husband's dad passed away nov.4, a few years ago and a memory quilt made of his flannel shirts was presented to my husband's mom on her birthday, nov.17,just weeks after Gary died and it is her treasured item of all! ~hugs~
Precious quilt - I know anyone who uses it will feel your Dad's hug! Great job!
What a beautiful quilt for your Mom! I sure miss your Dad and his humor what a great way to keep him close. Hope your Mom had a great day please tell her Happy Birthday from me.
What an amazing and beautiful way to remember your dad Kati! Such a wonderful gift for your mom, certainly a quilt to cherish by the entire family.
Such an awesome way to keep his memory alive! :) Great work!
I did something similar with my late mother's clothing, and found it really took me a couple years just to be able to cut them up. Your quilt is beautiful, and very special.
Love it, Kati! I am sure your Mom feels your Dad wrapped all around her when she is under this quilt.
Well you just want to make us cry now don't you?! What a beautiful story and a great quilt it turned into. I love it!
Super nice job......love the way you laid out the stars and had such good memories while working on the gift for you Mom......I'm a year younger than your Mom but I can tell you this is something special to receive from a daughter. I hope it brings you closer than ever.
Happy Sewing
What a very special gift. I didn't quilt back when my grandparents passed, but when my mother in law passed I had a teddy bear made out of a jacket she wore all the time. I found 2 nighties of my grandmothers and I'm gonna try my hand at making them into teddy bears.
I am the lucky Mom of Kati who received this wonderful quilt for my birthday! I was so overwhelmed when I opened the gift and saw those old familiar fabrics crafted into something truly brautiful. It definitely brought tears to my eyes.
When I pull the quilt around me I feel that I am wrapped in love. Thanks to my children and their spouses for making my 60th birthday such a memorable and happy occasion!
There is nothing more special than a handmade gift that evokes such happy memories. It's a truly lovely quilt!
I'm still working my way through the BQF :) and I'm so glad I made it to yours, Kati. What a great quilt - I love the visual design of it, but I love the story behind it even more. I'm sure you mom was thrilled.
I'm so sorry you lost your dad so young. I've felt particularly ticked-off at cancer this year as I've had some close friends fight it or lose their young husbands to cancer. I now better appreciate how horrific it can be.
Love the quilt, and all the love and sentiment that went into it. Quilting heals - thinking about the design, the fabrics, the memories, and feeling your loved one look over your shoulder as you work. That is what started me quilting - found a bag of partially sewn log cabin blocks in my Mother's sewing room shortly after her funeral. It would have been her first pieced quilt. She died 8 days after her cancer diagnosis - a rare, very aggressive cancer - Adrenocortical carcinoma. She was 59. I brought the bag of blocks home, finished the quilt for my Dad the next Christmas, (it was my first pieced quilt, too) and it healed my grief with every stitch. What you have made for your Mom is more than just a quilt, it's literally a warm hug from you, and from your Dad.
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