mind-over-clutter: Every Piece Has a Story

This quilt has the pink velour border made from a pair of Grandma's favorite painting pants. The center shirt is complete with spots and stains, evidence that Grandma loved to cook.

The sashing is made from the same pink velour as above quilt.

I am a history nerd. I confess. Maybe that's why I love making these quilts. Each quilt tells a family's history. There are as many different stories as there are shirts and I love to hear about them. A box or bag of shirts might have most people scratching their heads and tossing the box or bag in the garbage or "donate" bin. I see a big soft scrapbook. Yes, to me, these quilts are scrapbooks you can wrap up in and your mind wanders to a certain time when you or a loved one wore those shirts. It was a club or sports team your child was a part of or a shirt from a vacation or just one of your favorites, too worn out to wear again but too sentimental to throw away.
These 2 quilts will be for 2 little girls who lost their Grandma too soon. They have a combination of shirts Grandma wore and shirts the girls outgrew, a couple of them gifts from Grandma. I used a combination of light denim and pink velour for the borders and sashing. The pink velour was from a pair of pants Grandma wore, complete with stains from a favorite hobby of hers, painting. As her daughter explained, Grandma loved to paint, cook, and the stains on the fabric is a part of her story.
The girls may not remember everything about their Grandma but they have a permanent "scrapbook" to hold and snuggle under. Mom can point out different shirts and tell the girls a fond memory about each one and her mom's legacy will stay alive, a reminder that the girls had a Grandma who loved them very much. I think the girls will treasure their Christmas gifts!