The gift of a quilt

A memory quilt is a great keepsake for you or someone you love. It can also be a great gift. Memory quilts make great gifts for coaches, co-workers, bosses, exchange students or anyone with whom you share some memories (or cats).

This quilt was a gift to a high school cheer leading coach from the girls on the squad. I was approached by an assistant coach who wanted to create a collective team memory for the coach. Each girl contributed a t shirt and $15.00. The shirts the girls chose had special meaning to each of them, and together the finished quilt was a tribute to the hard work and dedication of each team member and the success of the whole team.

This quilt was a birthday gift to a business owner from one of his employees. The business owner’s brother designed the graphics for t shirts commemorating annual gathering of the business. The employee had saved his shirts from many past events and sent me a bunch of them. I was able to make a quilt and pillow, which were given to the business owner for his birthday. It also represented a memorial tribute to the artist, who had passed, so it was doubly meaningful.

This quilt was a retirement gift for a woman who had worked for 40 years in a public school system, the great majority of those years in the athletic department. The system had 13 high schools, and there was a t shirt with the mascot from each school. What a great way to commemorate a lifetime working among athletes and coaches.

My family hosted an exchange student from Brazil. Eliza lived with us for more than three weeks during January and February, going to school during the day and becoming a part of our family in the evenings and on weekends. We showed her around Doylestown and the surrounding area during the evenings, and took her to Philadelphia, New York, and Washington on weekends. Wherever we took her, I surreptitiously purchased a t shirt. When my daughter ventured to Brazil the following year to stay with Eliza and her family, she took the quilt with her to give to Eliza as a more permanent memory of her trip to the US.

A t shirt quilt is a great way to commemorate a successful sports career, an interesting professional life, or another year well-lived!