In Memory of John
This quilt has taken me quite awhile to finish. If you've been following along, I started back in June 2017 and finished yesterday afternoon, December 31st, 2017. My final finish of 2017! We're experiencing artic cold temps right now but I braved the outdoors for a few minutes to take some quick photos.
These t-shirts belonged to John. He was Pastor Jamie's husband and I got to know him through her and church choir. I only knew him for a few short years, sadly, as he was already ill when met him. I remember him coming to choir practice, even when he was so sick, because he loved being around people. He always had quirky songs for me to listen to on his phone and he liked to talk about music with me. He liked my quilting and asked me to make something out of a small piece of plaid he and Jamie picked up in Scotland. This is the table runner I made from that piece for them. And I thought it was so cool when he used this quilt of mine as the screen saver on his phone. He was a good guy.
John passed away on Christmas Day 2015. As Pastor Jamie began going through his things, she knew she wanted a memory quilt from his shirts and ties. But, it took her a long time to face that room he had been in and to start going through his belongings. I told her I would make the quilt whenever she was ready, no rush.
Once I got the shirts, I was surprised at my reaction to going through them. I cried a few times thinking about him. I decided to take my time and not rush through the process.
There were several neckties in the bag, too. At first, I was going to make two separate quilts. But then, I decided everything should be together in one memory quilt. Of course, I decided this AFTER I had already quilted the whole thing! I hand stitched the tie piece to the back of the quilt, which is fleece, by the way. Very soft and cozy.
John loved Christmas and he looked quite like Santa year round. So many of his shirts and ties were Christmas themed, so that made it fun to quilt during December! I hand quilted this one with perle cotton thread and big stitching. I love how it turned out and I'm glad I decided to take the long way this time.
I let Jamie know yesterday that her quilt is done. She's coming to visit in a couple weeks and I can't wait to see her and give the quilt to her in person! I'm so happy to have this project finished. I hope Jamie loves it and gets some comfort from it.
Memory Quilt
74" x 78"
Made from John's shirts and ties
Designed and hand quilted by me
These t-shirts belonged to John. He was Pastor Jamie's husband and I got to know him through her and church choir. I only knew him for a few short years, sadly, as he was already ill when met him. I remember him coming to choir practice, even when he was so sick, because he loved being around people. He always had quirky songs for me to listen to on his phone and he liked to talk about music with me. He liked my quilting and asked me to make something out of a small piece of plaid he and Jamie picked up in Scotland. This is the table runner I made from that piece for them. And I thought it was so cool when he used this quilt of mine as the screen saver on his phone. He was a good guy.
John passed away on Christmas Day 2015. As Pastor Jamie began going through his things, she knew she wanted a memory quilt from his shirts and ties. But, it took her a long time to face that room he had been in and to start going through his belongings. I told her I would make the quilt whenever she was ready, no rush.
Once I got the shirts, I was surprised at my reaction to going through them. I cried a few times thinking about him. I decided to take my time and not rush through the process.
There were several neckties in the bag, too. At first, I was going to make two separate quilts. But then, I decided everything should be together in one memory quilt. Of course, I decided this AFTER I had already quilted the whole thing! I hand stitched the tie piece to the back of the quilt, which is fleece, by the way. Very soft and cozy.
John loved Christmas and he looked quite like Santa year round. So many of his shirts and ties were Christmas themed, so that made it fun to quilt during December! I hand quilted this one with perle cotton thread and big stitching. I love how it turned out and I'm glad I decided to take the long way this time.
I let Jamie know yesterday that her quilt is done. She's coming to visit in a couple weeks and I can't wait to see her and give the quilt to her in person! I'm so happy to have this project finished. I hope Jamie loves it and gets some comfort from it.
Memory Quilt
74" x 78"
Made from John's shirts and ties
Designed and hand quilted by me
So lovely and I am sure she will cherish it. I am surprised how big it ended up but that just means there are a lot of memories sewn up in there. :)
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