Tumbler-ful of Memories Quilt

Uncle RJ's Quilt

Evenin' all,
Wanted to share with you the details of the quilt I just finished for my Uncle RJ.  This is another in the series of quilts I've been making from my late grandmother Geraldine's dresses.


I'm calling this one the Tumbler-ful of Memories Quilt.  It's a one patch using a tumbler shaped template (see below).  I liked the idea of a glass pattern for a quilt made with her things because Grandma was most definitely a 'glass half full' kind of lady.  Always. Even when life was obviously not.  We miss her so.

click here for free template

So if you'd like to make your own memory quilt, print out the template and start gathering up your materials!  I chose Grandma's dresses that were 100% cotton (a little polyester mix is ok too).  I washed them, cut off all the seams and hems to make flat panels of fabric, and starched and ironed them.  The starching is important to make the well worn fabrics behave!

quilt layout

pieced block

It's hard to say how many garments you'll need, since garments vary in size and amount of usable fabric they will yield.  You'll see here that I pieced several of the blocks since I was down to scraps of certain dresses that I wanted to include.  And that's ok!  Just piece em, iron the seams open, and trace out your blocks. And don't be afraid to throw a few new fabrics in there- I do!  In fact I add up to 1/3 'new' fabrics (from the quilt shop or from other garments) just to tie the whole thing together.


I love, love fusible cotton batting these days.  Plus, you can get it from Michaels or Joann with a coupon!
Remember to press both sides of your quilt sandwich and go over the edges twice for good measure.

outline quilting

more outline quilting

I did very simple machine quilting with variegated thread and a walking foot.  The tumbler sides were outlined 1/4" outside of the seams in vertical lines between the top and bottom of the quilt.  Since in a memory quilt you want to showcase the fabrics, I thought that would be just enough quilting.

binding and backing

Binding was pieced from an XL mens striped shirt.  Backing is a sheet, another great resource for memory quilts (or any quilts for that matter!)


If you haven't tried making memory quilt, please do.  This is even a great project using your kids' clothes since the templates are relatively small.  Please send me your pictures!


Besos, Julie