Heather Valentine

Memory Quilts: Not Just for T-Shirts!

Recently I posted a How-To on making your own T-shirt quilt. (You can find the first tutorial in that series here.) But maybe you don’t have a lot of T-shirts lying around, waiting to be cut up for a quilt? That’s okay! A memory quilt can be made out of so much more than just T-shirts!

Now that you’ve mastered the basics with our free T-Shirt quilt tutorial, let’s expand our horizons and think of other possibilities for making a quilt out of clothing.

In today’s post, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite memory quilts that I’ve made over the years, so I hope you enjoy this trip down Memory (Quilt) Lane with me!

Memory Quilts are not just for tee shirts!

First up, a quilt I made out of baby clothes – this is a lovely way to commemorate your little one’s early months and preserve all those happy baby memories:

Next, a quilt I made using men’s dress shirts. This type of quilt would make a fabulous Father’s Day gift:

This one I made using Hawaiian-style shirts. If you have someone in your life who has a favorite type of shirt like this, a memory quilt is a great way to visually preserve your memories of that person. Another idea is to make a quilt using shirts you got on vacation, or to find Hawaiian shirts at a thrift store to make a quilt that makes you FEEL like you’re on vacation every time you use it!

This quilt was a sort of “Anything Goes” theme. I used a variety of items from one man’s wardrobe, including T-shirts, socks, boxers, and running shorts!

I made this quilt as a gift from a son to his mother, using his father’s blazers. His father was known for being a well-dressed man, and the son’s reaction when he picked up this memory quilt was one I will not soon forget!

Sometimes a T-shirt quilt can have a specific theme to it, too, like in these examples …

If your child has a favorite collection of graphic tees that they eventually outgrow, turn them into a quilt so they can still enjoy all their favorite characters! Here’s one I made using all girl’s fashion tees:

Sometimes a memory quilt is a way to honor someone’s memory after they’re gone. I was honored to make this quilt in memory of a firefighter – this was hard to make!

If you’ve got a music fan in your family, make a quilt out of all his favorite concert tees:

A memory quilt is also a great way to show off your school spirit using T-shirts from one school or several:

What ideas do you have for making a memory quilt? Share them in the comments below!

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