Another Finish!

Last night I called a client to say, "I'm done!"  Her daughter is moving to Houston in a few days and she wanted a memory quilt zipped up from old photographs.  

In typical Patty style, she wanted the quilt now.  I, of course, wanted a few days more than she had, so we compromised and got the quilt out in just under two weeks.  Because Amelia is still at home in Louisiana, the timing was pretty good.    

Getting from photograph to fabric is a fairly easy concept, given the right materials.  I simply scanned the photos, resized or cropped as necessary, then printed them on photo transfer fabric.  

Although all the photos were originally in color, Patty wanted them printed in black and white or sepia.  I chose to print the majority in b&w, but I also printed about 6 or so in sepia so that there would be a touch of color, although that color is rather neutral.  

She also wanted the quilt to have a grown-up feel to it, since Amelia is definitely a young woman ready to get out on her own.  To that end we framed the photos in black and used a taupe-like beige fabric for the background.  

A simple stipple on the background and picture frames finishes off the quilt.  I was nervous about trying to quilt on the photographs since I'm sure the needle punctures would appear tacky and large.  

The photo transfer fabric on which on which the pics are printed is heavy and thick.  I could hear the needle punching through on the edges as I sewed the fabrics together to form the frames.  Since the long-arm machine needles are even larger than the Bernina needles, I didn't want to even try my hand at outlining faces or bodies.  So I left those alone and let them stand out, pillowing, inside their frames.  I'm fairly certain that I made the right choice.  

What do you think?  Don't the simple design and monochromatic coloring make for a beautiful memory quilt?  Leave a message and let me know how you feel.  You can also give suggestions or tips for making memory quilts.

Happy Quilting,
Mary