Tuesday, July 18, 2017

The Same But Different

Although I was initially hesitant to post any of our passage quilts, QS convinced me our experiences might help others. The situation is universal, after all. Before you start using your irreplaceable family clothing, consider reading the previous post and insightful comments.

Here's the final arrangement for Bro1's Broken Dishes. Blocks were moved, of course. It's about 50 by 60" and used 120 six-inch squares that finished about five-inches.

Broken Dishes memory quilt

Our second passage quilt is slightly larger because I put some squares in the wrong stack. Oops. Channeling Jacob's Ladder (a nine-patch) this is actually a four-patch called Buckeye Beauty.

Buckeye Beauty passage quilt

The fabric colors fell fell in two groups: pinks/purples/light blues and red/darker blues. Although there is fabric crossover in each group we did concentrate the amounts from one quilt to the next.

The third quilt is a simple pinwheel with unexpected zebra fabric in the corners. DS loved safari fabrics and nature parks. This fabric was part of her small stash for art and embellishment. BTW, this is the quilt that got shorted those squares.

Pinwheel passage quilt

The fourth quilt is a version of Kansas Troubles from Sujata's Cultural Fusion book. Each pair of blocks used eight six-inch squares. Because of the extra seams, the x-blocks finished eight inches rather than ten inches like the others.

Pink, purple and blue shirts from a sister make strong Xs across this quilt.
Kansas Troubles passage quilt

The border came from a heavy cotton sateen dress I made for my sister years ago. Even though it was out of date she stored it carefully all these years. So I had to include it. Unfortunately I cut it into squares before realizing how much thicker it was than all the other fabrics. My solution was to cut a couple of plaid squares into 1x6" units and sew them to the sateen.

One-by-six-inch strips from plaid
used to join sateen cotton border

The plaid folds over, the sateen butts one to another, the sewing thickness is minimized, and the beautiful memory is preserved.

EDIT: Check out this passage quilt by Patty, the Quilt Lady.

Enjoy the day, Ann

30 comments:

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Those are all so beautiful and will hold such great meaning for each person

patty a. said...

Your are making great progress on these wonderful quilts.

abelian said...

Thank you for these posts. I love the quilts. And thanks for the hint about using 1" strips to join the heavier sateen. This would work for denim, as well. Dot

Ann said...

You're right. This purple paisley is about the weight of heavy denim.

Ann said...

Thanks, Patty. I hope to finish them soon but won't post again. It is a position all us quilters will face sometime. Previously I've only needed celebratory memory quilts like the t-shirt quilts we both make. These do celebrate their lives in some respects but the process is much more bittersweet. Like those earlier quilts, there are no do-overs with the fabric. It helps to take our time.
Thanks for sharing the quilt you made for your sister. I really like the included suspenders and suspect they were an important aspect of your father's attire. They must make you all smile every time you see them.

Mel Beach said...

What an amazing range of designs using the same fabric palette. I am enjoying my own little scavenger hunt of finding the same fabrics/patterns within each of your tops!!

Ann said...

Thank you, Alycia. Working on these family quilts with my quilting sister was wonderful. We laughed and cried the whole time. In the end they hold such meaning. I know our siblings will enjoy them.

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

Such a wonderful selection of special quilts! I love all of them! Off now to check out the links...

cspoonquilt said...

I like 'um all a lot but I think I like the Sujata patterned quilt the best. The solids as foreground with prints as background works great with that pattern!

audrey said...

Sherri's passage quilts are truly inspirational. I've looked through them often over time, would like to try something similar some day. Your quilts are turning out to be absolutely amazing looking, so bold and full of personality. This is a wonderful to see, the variety possible from the very same fabrics. I love that you added in some of your dads shirts as well and experimented with different weights. Hopefully your family will appreciate the love embedded in the stitching as well!

Monica said...

They have all turned out really beautifully. The simple, two colour blocks work so well. And the pink, peach, violet colour scheme in the last one is something to keep in mind!

Karen in Breezy Point said...

All of the quilts are lovely and so special--thanks for sharing them!

Ann said...

Anything to entertain you, Mel!

Ann said...

Enjoy. I think they are quite thought-provoking.

Ann said...

As we finished each one I decided it was my favorite. Those solids do show up well.

Ann said...

I found them inspiring. Setting aside passage quilting, the family connections are interesting. It shows how you can take the same fabrics but not make twinsies of each. Having a large family, that works for me. I could never manage to make matching quilts, even when I tried.
QS and I decided these will last as long as we need - even with those different weights. Most weren't that hard to work with. The heavy satin might have been tougher but I liked the seam-wrapping solution. Fortunately our family will appreciate them.

Ann said...

I was surprised how well they worked. It does back up my opinion that we've already curated our fabric by choosing it. Most of it works surprisingly well together. I think those solids made a bold statement.

Ann said...

Thanks, Karen. I hope this helps other families who want to make multiple memorial quilts. Interesting how much difference is possible.

Kaja said...

I like how the colours tie these together, so they really do feel like a family of quilts; all different and with their own personalities, but all connected too.

Sujata Shah said...

I love the term Kaja used for your quilts.. The Family of Quilts! Ann, this has to be a tough process to go through. The quilts are beautiful and the fact that every member of the family is going to be wrapped with memories is just so wonderful. I couldn't agree with you more of using the clothing of loved one instead of the the store bought used clothing. Early on as I started quilting, I had decided I will add a scrap or two of my husband's shirts in the quilts I make. I love the fact that our clothes are in many of the quilts I have.
Each one of these is unique and the border from the dress you made for your sister touched my heart. So much to look at and to remember! Hugs to you my friend! Thank you for sharing your story!

Quiltdivajulie said...

All of the quilts we make have meaning but some are more meaningful than others. This group of quilts is one of those with extra layers of meaningfulness -- I love the mix of colors and the variety of designs. And I am so glad you found a way to include the sateen border. These quilts are SUCH a worthwhile effort.

Ann said...

Thanks for stating my purpose so much better than I could, Kaja. We wanted everyone to have a similarly sized quilt using fabric from both people but not match either amount of each fabric or the pattern. A family of quilts indeed.

Ann said...

She certainly found the phrase, Sujata. Using fabric from beloved family members is so different from using my living husband's shirts or even using fabric from my great-grandmother who I never knew. I respect my use of their fabrics but have completely different feelings about fabric from loved-and-known ones who are gone. That border is especially touching to me. She looked lovely in it at the time and I can hardly believe she kept it all these years. Handmade has so much meaning and love wrapped in its construction.
Using bits of our husbands shirts in many of our quilts adds a spark of happiness and joy. And I laugh to think I can get more the next time his shirts wear out. What fun we have. Mike McNamara adds an animal print to each quilt he makes representing the Chinese year that quilt was made. Gosh, I wish I'd thought of something like that. The older I get the more I appreciate links to the past.
I hope to see you soon and hear more about your classes and travels.

Ann said...

Thank you, Julie. What ad used the phrase, "The fabric of our lives." There's an entirely different level of meaning from using fabric that had a previous use by family than choosing fabric that represents them. Am I making sense? Those novelty prints have frequently represented a person or time in my life. Even thrift store clothing has a different feel. This is the first time I've used fabric from loved ones I've known for years. I'm glad we made these. QS and I have another meaningful tie that binds us in love with the rest of our family.

KaHolly said...

Ann, your passage quilts are magnificent! They are true treasures.

Ann said...

Thank you, Karen.

Mystic Quilter said...

Such beautiful quilts, all holding memories for your family members. May you all think of happy times when you're snuggled down under the quilts.

Ann said...

What a lovely thought, Maureen. Thanks.

Ariane said...

These quilts are wonderful! There are beautiful memories in these quilts. Love them.

Cathy said...

Thanks for sharing these. I originally thought you were making them all in the Broken Dishes pattern but see each is an original...same fabrics evoke different memories for each sibling so it only makes sense. What a lovely idea. How touching that your sister kept a dress you made for her and now it's in a quilt.