Five years ago, I made a Disappearing 9-Patch Quilt for our nephew. His dad had recently passed away, and I wanted to create a memory quilt for him. I used fabric from his dad's golf shirts as well as woven fabric featuring balls - baseballs, basketballs, golf balls, soccer balls, and footballs. (Can you tell he's an avid sports fan?)
I ironed stabilizer onto the back of each golf shirt fabric before cutting out the squares. The knit fabric tends to curl up and stretch, so the stabilizer makes it much less frustrating to work with. When I put together the initial 9-Patch blocks, I alternated a knit golf shirt square with a woven ball square. I thought this would be an additional way to stabilize the knit fabric as well as the entire quilt.
I tried to include as many of the emblems from the golf shirts as I could, just to add to the memories in the quilt. After making the original 9-Patch blocks and then cutting them apart, I randomly put the blocks back together in a pleasing arrangement. It was a fun quilt to make!
I forgot to take pictures of the quilt before I sent it to our nephew. My husband recently visited him and took some photos for me.
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| John Phillips (1950-2008) with his son |
This photo of our nephew and his dad (my brother-in-law) was taken several years ago. They were taking a nap after playing some fast and furious basketball. Our nephew now plays basketball for his high school!
You might also enjoy my previous blog post Kitchen Woodbox Quilt Block and Bean Soup.
Love the quilt. I have made quilts for our family from my father-in-law's jeans and flannel shirts. I now have my own father's clothes and want to begin making memory quilts for my children with them but everytime I open the bags it is just too emotional for me. The first pair of pants I pulled out had a handkerchief in the pocket and I cried and cried and put the bag away. Not sure how get started again. Thanks for sharing the quilt. What a great gift.
ReplyDeleteThere will be a day when the time is right. Just give yourself time. Who could help you with this quilt? A daughter, a daughter in law, a sister or a sister in law maybe? A cousin? Maybe having someone to laugh (and cry) with while going through the clothes would help.
DeleteI agree with Judy. There will be a day when the time is right.
Deleteevery time I see this disappearing nine-patch, I wish I had room for a machine. That is such a great memory quilt and seems to be holding up well.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to see that he was still using the quilt.
ReplyDeleteI will be making a memory quilt for a friend and have been scoring the internet for ages. I absolutely love this quilt!!!!! It has gotten my creative juices going and I am looking forward to starting my friend's quilt. One question. I like the size of your blocks , what size did you make the original fabric piecs of the nine patch? Thanks so much for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteI don't really remember the size of the original blocks. If I remember right, I tried to make the best use of the fabric in each golf shirt. I probably made the original fabric pieces 8" to 10" square,
DeleteThanks . My practice has been with 5 inch and they are too small for what I want. I do appreciate that you have shared your quilt and expertise. Happy quilting.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your quilt!
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