Remember When. . . I made a t-shirt quilt without shirts?

It is wonderful making custom heirlooms for people.  I get to work closely with each client, learn about what is important to them and meet a sentimental need that they cannot fill on their own. Also, the work is always different and often challenging, allowing me to utilize my creativity and constantly learn new things. One downside is that I don't have a stockpile of work to show. My solution to make some samples has its own challenge, namely having the materials to create the samples. Since I am often asked about t-shirt quilts I hit up the local thrift store on its half price sale day and picked out a few shirts, picking colors and patterns I liked and thought went well together. It was not until I started to work with them that I realized that I had memories connected to most of the places located on the shirts.  Luckily my sister, Lee, had been to the others so I started cutting and got to work.

Lee and I came up with memories to add to a word cloud for the quilt. As anyone reads through it they will get a feel for our travels and it may even stimulate questions, making it a sewn in Story Starter to accompany the one in the pocket on the back.

I guess it is not surprising that even when I am making samples I find meaning in what I am making because that connection adds a quality to the finished product that I just can't seem to produce in items that I mass produce.

This project taught me that even if you don't have materials to start, it is possible to make a beautiful and meaningful heirloom.  Please feel free to contact me if you would like to collaborate with me on an heirloom of your own,