Special memories

Good morning!  It has been a long time since I have shared an adventure.  The end of summer and beginning of a new school year is such a busy time.

I had the privilege of helping a friend save some special memories while learning a new technique.  A friend of mine lost her father last year.  She received some of his ties.  She picked out a few special ties to keep, gave some to her children and husband, but didn't know what to do with the rest.  She asked if I could make something out of the ties to give to her mother.  I was so honored to help her with this process.

This was my first experience sewing with ties.  I was a little overwhelmed!  A member of our local quilt guild suggested a pattern that used foundation piecing to construct the quilt.  Ties are usually made of a slippery material, such as silk.  The material tends to stretch or can be tricky to handle.  The foundation (in this case, muslin) would make the ties easier to manage.  Off to the drawing board!

My friend wanted something special to give to her mother.  She didn't have a lot of ties to work with, so we both decided a wall hanging would be perfect.  I wanted the design to be unique.  I decided to strip piece the ties in the shape of a heart.  How would I cut out the shape of a heart without any raw edges showing? My friend, Laura, suggested pillow casing the heart.  Brilliant!  I sewed the strips of ties to the muslin, added another piece of muslin on top, sewed a heart shape through both pieces, cut off the extra material, and flipped it into a pillow case.

The next step was to appliqué the heart onto a background.  My friend loves the color blue.  Off to the fabric store!  I needed to find a blue that wasn't too fussy, wasn't too dark, or wasn't too overpowering.  I really needed the heart to be the showcase.

I loved it!  The background fabric is from the Stonehenge collection by Northcott Fabrics.  I appliquéd the heart onto the background fabric using a satin stitch.  I had to make sure that heart stayed put!

The next step was choosing a border.  I chose a piano key border with cornerstones.  I love how the various ties added another dimension to the piece.

Finally, it was time to quilt.  My friend requested that I quilt the names of her mother and father in the center of the heart.  I also quilted the names of her siblings and the grandchildren around the heart, adding swirls and hearts throughout.  Very subtle, but all the members of the family are included in this memorial.  Very sweet!

I was really pleased with the finished product.  My friend was also pleased, which is all that really matters.  She will be giving the wall hanging to her mother on the anniversary of her father's passing.

Thank you for letting me share this wonderful story.  What an honor it was for me to hold so many special memories.  Would you like to share a special memories project of your own?

I hope you have a crafty adventure today!
Anni