To cut into the pieces and cloths that are left behind when a loved one passes away, is both terrifying and humbling. It isn’t something I do often, but when I do, it is done with respect and the realization that a whole lot of trust is being directed my way.
This week, I cut into a stack of shirts and a couple pairs of pajama bottoms to (hopefully!) transform them into something that will keep the recipient warm and loved, in both the physical and emotional sense.
To break the clothing items down into usable squares, I cut along seam lines, after removing the collars and sleeves. For some shirts, I needed only to use the back section of the shirt, while for others, I used both the back and one shirt front.
The layout for this quilt is a simple nine patch block, that will be sashed in white. I cut out 4″ squares from all the pieces. (To figure out how many pieces to cut, per garment, divide the number of nine squares, which in this case is 315 (35 x 9= 315), by the number of garments (in this case, 11).
This is a quick mock up I did of the layout in Touchdraw.
This quilt is moving along quickly. I have almost finished constructing all the blocks, and plan to sash, using 2″ strips soon. I’m hoping that the person I am making it is happy with the results. I can’t wait to see the effect when it’s all quilted and bound and washed.