Memory quilts are a great way to remember or celebrate your family history, the life of a loved one or an important event in your life. Many memorial quilts are made from a loved ones clothing. The 5-shirt quilt is easy and quick to make even for a beginner.
The quilt on the photo was made by volunteers during this Summer. The purpose was to teach a group of refugees basic quilting and to raise money for a non-profit organisation, support refugees by offering sewing classes and social sewing programs.
Materials and Cutting
- 5 man shirts, 100% cotton (6-7 if they are on the small side or have special cuts, seams or embellishment)
- cut the shirts apart along the seams and iron the pieces
From each shirt cut
- 4 large squares 10 1/2" x 10 1/2" (20 in total)
- 100 small squares 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" (500 in total)
Piecing
- sew the 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares into sections of 5, alternating the colors
- make 100 units
- 50 sections should starts and end with dark color and the other 50 with light ones
- press the seams in either direction
- join 5 sections into 1 block
- make 20 blocks
- block measures: 10 1/2" x 10 1/2"
Assembling The Quilt
- sew the blocks into 8 rows of five as shown on the left image
- press the seams from the pieced blocks toward the large squares
- join the rows and press the seams
Quilting
- layer backing, batting and top
- pin the sandwich with several safety pins to keep the layers together
- the layers can be stitched together using walking foot
Binding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfM2J2zHyng
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