I took up a new hobby recently and have surprised myself with how much I enjoy it! My mom had several shirts that belonged to my step dad who passed away about 4 years ago. She wanted to donate them and I asked if I could have them. I had heard about memory quilts made from men’s shirts. I did some research (mainly on Pinterest) and then asked a cousin who is an experienced quilter for help. She steered me towards a pattern that matched my experience level-NONE! And then gave me a lesson in how to cut and lots of great tips on sewing the pieces together.
These shirts were similar in material probably cotton/poly blends and I used the blue, green and yellow ones in the quilt. The pattern is called simply squares. The light blue material I selected thinking it would complement the shirt colors.
With help from my sister and Mom, we picked a red material for the border and then added some spots of red in the quilt. Red was one of his favorite colors.
I made LOTS of mistakes on this and was thankful for a good seam ripper so I could start over. For me, the trickiest part was sewing everything precisely and getting the seams to match up as I added the pieces and the border. I completed the top and plan to have it machine quilted. I never thought I would enjoy quilting and was so wrong. 
I love how the top turned out and can’t wait to see the finished product.
J > I’m not one to give much thought to clothes and appearance – I certainly have standards – appropriateness, cleanliness, condition, and above all practicality – but nothing more. But if there’s one item of clothing which, if at all, has special place for me, it is my shirts: it’s the garment by which above all others I set out my personality and values. I only realized this when, recently, there was an item on BBC R4 which mentioned in passing that many men feel the same way. So making a quilt out of a man’s shirts is loaded with significance, and it is best done by a close relaltive – especially a widow, or daughter.
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My dad did love a clean, pressed, good looking shirt. He had his favorites. I loved making the quilt and Mom is looking forward to getting the finished product!
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