The Beginnings of Quilting, Part V

Unfortunately, quilts are not always made for joyous occasions. For example, memory quilts. The underlying idea of a memory quilt was to create a quilt that would remind the makers of their dearly departed loved one. Many times, this quilt was made from the clothing of the deceased person. Each friend/relative made a block for the quilt, but traditionally, the center of the quilt was left blank. After the quilt top was completed, the center was then embellished with information regarding the loved one, such as full name, birth date, birth place, etc. This information was usually outlined in some type of embroidery stitch.

With the advancement of modern technology, memory quilts have become so much more today than in the past. With the addition of photos, embroidery machines, fabric die cutters, and more, these quilts have gained the potential to become more eye-appealing than before. Which, if you think about it, is a bit morbid, since it is a memory quilt in honor of a dead loved one. I can, however, understand the desire to make the quilt as beautiful as possible; you would absolutely want the quilt to best represent the memories you possess of the loved one!

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