The Art of a Memory Quilt

When it came time to celebrate my beloved grandmother for her 90th birthday. I wanted to entrust my creative spirit to come up with something that would capture her entire life while offering her endless comfort and joy.  It was quite clear to me that what ever it was it would have to encompass the memories of her lifetime and that this gift would contribute to stimulating her mind, offer warmth and provide endless hours of reflection.  Something sewn with photographs, special sayings maybe some charms for embellishment. 

I have heard it said that "a picture is worth a thousand words."  We look at a photograph and it brings us back into that moment, a specific time and place in which the moment was captured so that it would never be lost.  Think of all that one photograph holds.  It commands our senses to come to life, placing us right back in the arms of a loved one, invoking a conversation, the scent of a perfume, or a favorite Sunday dinner.  The gift of revitalizing what was felt offers a greater joy than most gifts.   Each individual photograph could spark a story or conversation, but ultimately would allow Grandma to revisit those special moments in time.  The first of my heirloom quilts was created.

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Each quilt offers a healing that comes from different places for different people.  My Grandfather was always saying that his feet were cold.  This special quilt offered my Grandpa warmth and his children a sense of peace.  Peace, in that all our loved ones were connected and offering warmth and comfort to my Grandfather, their Father who was hurting.  The Nurses would come in and identify with the quilt, conversations would connect my Grandpa with the family pictured in the photographs incorporated in the quilt.  He would be reconnected and shore stories.   This was such a blessing.  

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These are only a couple of the stories that have come from the Memory Quilts I have had the honor of creating.  I have been commissioned to design and create for the most exceptional people.  The hearts that have found healing, the lives that have found peace, the people that have been celebrated and honored through this art form continues to be my inspiration for Three Thirty 3 Designs.