Making a Modern Memory Quilt
Posted by Debbie Rodgers on Jul 16th 2019
Suzanne Paquette, author of Modern Memory Quilts, puts a contemporary spin on sentimental quilts. Her ideas incorporate clothing and other meaningful textiles to create a treasured heirloom. Suzanne created an introduction video for her book, to showcase some examples of her designs.
I enjoyed working with Suzanne as her technical editor; I found her designs to be intriguing and inventive yet quite usable for a variety of memory quilts. She begins with an overview of the process—the documenting and remembering—and continues with color basics and tips on clothing preparation. Divided into chapters of Joy, Comfort, and Generations, Modern Memory Quilts contains twelve projects. Each project has its own story about the family that the project was created for and the meaningful symbolism that the quilt, pillow, or apron captures. While some of the designs seem to be more complex than others, all include clear instructions on how to work with the various shapes and how to incorporate clothing or other fabrics into your quilt.
I am considering a few designs for quilts I plan to make for my husband and his sister. I’ll be using some of the sentimental clothing from their parents.
I want to use the Ombré Hexies pattern for one of the quilts, as the hexagon shape reminds me of my mother-in-law.
Many years ago, we worked together to finish a floral quilt made from hexagon blocks that had been started by her mother.
I’m also considering the Intersections or Otherwise/Autrement patterns for another quilt.
I like the strong diagonals in both designs and the idea of incorporating smaller bits of fabric.
Working with clothing and sentimental textiles to create commemorative quilts is a special way to capture memories and stories. I encourage you to take a look through Modern Memory Quilts and see what story you want to tell.
