Another Shirt Project

Like so many others in the family, my youngest son loved the idea of a table runner made with his grandpa's shirts.  He picked out a very simple pattern which worked well to showcase the different plaid prints and once quilted in a half inch grid pattern, it turned out to be quite special.

Grandpa's Shirts

My oldest son was very specific about what he wanted made from my dad's shirts..."a small wall hanging with grandpa's picture in the center, surrounded with the shirt fabrics".  I stress over those kinds of requests because what I see in my mind is not usually what the other person is envisioning.  I think I pulled it off this time though...he said it was exactly what he wanted!

One From Pa

The special quilt that I have been working on has been gifted to its new owner, so it's safe to show it to everyone now.  This is another quilt made from my father's shirts.  (It's amazing how much fabric one gets from 24 shirts!)  I made this quilt for my niece who just graduated from college.  Lots of tears went into the making and receiving of this quilt, but it was well worth it...I know it will be treasured for always!

I'm Still Here...

Even though blog posts have been few and far between lately...I'm still here!  I'm busy working on a special quilt for a special someone.  I'll be able to give the details soon!

Cutting!

Another suggestion for curing quilter's block was to cut scraps.  In the process of organizing my stash, I came across the tote of my dad's shirts, so I decided to cut the remaining pieces into usable sizes...mostly 5" squares and 2 1/2" strips and squares.  I still have a few projects left to make with these shirts for family members, so maybe my quilter's block is soon to come to an end!

Another Runner

The members of my family loved the table topper and runner that I made from my dad's shirts for my mom so much that everyone wanted one of their own!  Thankfully I have a lot of fabric from those 24 shirts, so I should be able to make something for everyone.  First on the list is this runner for my sister...it is made with one charm from each shirt.

Special Table Toppers

After my dad passed away I saved his cotton shirts with the intention of making quilts for everyone in the family with them.  It took me 7 years to get the strength to cut into those shirts, but I have to say the process has been a good one.  Rather than a quilt, I decided on a table topper for my mom.  My dad spent a great deal of time sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and drinking coffee, so a table topper seemed quite appropriate.  The only trouble was with my math...I made the topper 36" square, but I should have made it 36" from corner to corner so that it could be centered on the table without draping over the edge.  I realized my mistake after it was finished, so I made another runner the same size as the one that my mom had been using.  I gave her both for Christmas and now she has the option to use either as she wishes.

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Breezes Of Hope

I don't consider this one of my favorite quilts, but it is one of the most special ones that I have made. Those who follow my blog will recognize this quilt right off...it's the one that I made for my sister after she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma this past summer. My sister was terribly ill and in the hospital when she asked if I could make her a "Linus Quilt". I knew that this wasn't going to be an easy quilt for me to make. The circumstances definitely made this a difficult quilt to work on, but I also knew that the quilt would have to be purple, my sister's favorite color and my least favorite. (Sorry purple lovers...please don't send hate mail!) While the quilt was in the planning stages I decided to add fabric from one of our father's white dress shirts. Another difficult task, I hadn't had the heart to cut into any of his shirts since he passed away, but I knew that my sister would be comforted knowing that one of his shirts was given new life in her quilt. However, the real challenge came with the quilting. Normally I send my larger quilts out to be quilted by a pro, but this one I wanted to do all myself. Straight lines wouldn't have been a problem, but I wanted curved ribbon quilting. It wasn't the easiest thing to do on my machine and there are a few imperfections, but I pulled it off. I gave my sister her quilt just before her 39th birthday in July. As soon as it was unwrapped she said that the pinwheels looked like they were blowing ribbons of hope all through the quilt which led to the name "Breezes of Hope". My sister's latest scans and tests showed a dramatic improvement just half way through her chemotherapy treatment, which has given us all more breezes of hope that she will have a full recovery.

You can read the full details of the making of this quilt by clicking on the following links...

The Color Purple
Shirt Tales
No Slacking
Binding Back-Story
Made With Love And Hope

Thanks to Amy for organizing this virtual quilt show! Be sure to visit Park City Girl for a complete list of all the participants.

Shirt Tales

Have you seen Bonnie Hunter's book, Scraps & Shirttails? It has some wonderful scrappy quilt patterns in it, but the main idea of the book is how to reuse, re-purpose and recycle old clothing so the fabric can be used in quilts. Quilting with clothing scraps isn't a new idea, but I'm thrilled that Bonnie has brought the time worn tradition back into style! I not only like the idea of making something new and beautiful from discarded clothing, but I love that old clothing can add extra sentimental value to a quilt. The shirt in this photo belonged to my daddy. It was one of his favorites because the French cuffs meant that he could wear one of the many sets of cuff links that he owned and liked so much. I knew after my daddy passed away that I would someday want to use his shirts to make a quilt, so they have been carefully packed away in my attic for the last year and a half. Up until now, I haven't had the strength to cut into them, but I need to add a little something extra to a very special quilt (more on that later), so today I will work up the courage to carefully take this shirt apart and give it a new life in a quilt.