Made for you
A memory quilt from clothes that mean something to you
Maybe you’re standing in front of a closet you’re not ready to clear out yet. Or you have a box of shirts, children’s clothes and bed linens, and you know just one thing: they are not going in a donation bag.
What a memory quilt is
A memory quilt is a quilt made from fabrics that hold memories. Often they are the clothes of someone who is no longer with us. They can just as well be your children’s baby clothes, your husband’s shirts or your grandma’s tablecloths.
You can use the quilt, lay it over the couch, hang it on the wall or pass it on to someone. I like it when quilts get used. They are warm, you can snuggle up in them, and they last.
A quilt is like a hug made of fabric.
While I sew, my thoughts are with the person these clothes belonged to, or with the person the quilt is for. To me, that is part of the work.
How I work
First the stories, then the scissors
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You tell me about it
Through the inquiry form below, by email or on the phone. As much or as little as you like. To begin with, all I need is your name and a way for me to reply to you.
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We take time to talk
On the phone, by email, on a video call (the consultation then costs 30 euros) or, if you live nearby, in person. I ask about the person behind the fabrics, about favorite colors and about pieces that should stay untouched, such as a breast pocket, a label or some embroidery.
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The idea gets time to grow
Before I begin, I sit with the fabrics for a while. Then I know which quilt it wants to be. We talk about size, colors, pattern and price before I make the first cut. Maybe you decide that you would like to sew it yourself. Then I’m happy to support you and guide you in a video consultation. Maybe, while you’re grieving, you would like to sew one small project or one small piece of fabric every day. We’ll simply talk about it.
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I sew
Depending on the quilt, I piece it by machine or by hand and quilt it by hand or by machine. At the start, we agree on how we’ll stay in touch while I work.
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Your quilt comes to you
You send me the clothes in a package, and your finished quilt travels back to you the same way or, if we arrange it, I hand it over in person. We work out shipping outside Germany case by case. Before I start, we talk about what happens to the fabrics that don’t go into the quilt.
An example
Eva’s Quilt
A few years ago, my mother-in-law gave me a box of fabrics she had saved for years for a special occasion, among them blue fabrics from Sweden, where the family spent many summers. I was honored, excited and, to be honest, a little nervous too.
I added pieces from our own family: a blouse from my sister, a shirt from my husband, a dress and a blouse from my daughters. And because Eva, who the quilt is for, spent a year in London as an au pair, there is a Liberty fabric from London in it, too.
Simply being with the person these textiles belonged to, in spirit, while I work.
Which fabrics
What can go into a memory quilt
My own quilts are made from worn clothes, bed linens, curtains, tablecloths and fabrics I inherited or was given. I’ve worked with dress shirts, blouses, pajamas and jeans myself.
Whether a fabric works well in a quilt is something we look at together. The best quilts are made of cotton, linen and hemp. Fabrics made from synthetic fibers we would need to look at individually. We’ll find a way for those too.
- Dress shirts and blouses
- Dresses, skirts and pajamas
- Jeans and sturdy cotton fabrics
- Bed linens, tablecloths and curtains
- Fabrics someone has saved
- Baby clothes and children’s clothes
Common questions
What you might want to know
What does a memory quilt cost?
It depends on the size, the pattern and the fabrics that come with it, so there are no fixed prices. We talk about the price before I start, and you decide in your own time.
How long until my quilt is finished?
That also depends on size and technique, because I sew some parts by hand. I’ll tell you at the start when your quilt can be ready. If there’s a date that matters, like a birthday or an anniversary, please mention it in your first message.
I’m not ready yet. Can I still ask?
Yes. You can start with just one question and get back to me in a few weeks or months. There’s no rush, and asking doesn’t commit you to anything.
How do the clothes get to you?
You can mail them to me, or bring them to me in Wetter if you live nearby. We’ll talk about what works best before you pack anything. The service area page (in German) shows which towns are a short trip from me.
I live far away or in another country. Can you still make my quilt?
Yes. You send me the clothes in a package, and your finished quilt comes back to you the same way. I sew for people all over Germany, and I’m glad to sew for people abroad, too. We work out shipping outside Germany case by case.
Can I write to you in English?
Yes. Write to me in English, and I’ll reply in English.
What happens to the fabrics that don’t go into the quilt?
We talk about that before I start. Feel free to tell me in your first message what matters to you.
Can I sew a quilt like this myself?
Yes. That’s what my favorite program with memory quilts and quilts without the math is for, and it’s in the works right now. You can join the waitlist on the classes and sewing circles page. If you’d like to sew yourself right away, I’m happy to guide you in a video consultation.
Inquiry
Tell me as much or as little as you like
You’re welcome to start with just a question. Everything except your name and a way for me to reply to you is optional, and you can hit send whenever you like.
- I read every inquiry myself and get back to you personally.
- Nothing is binding. You decide in your own time whether and when we begin.
- What you tell me about the person behind the fabrics stays with me.
I’m in Wetter, Hesse, north of Marburg in Germany. Fabrics can come to me by mail from all over Germany, and I’m happy to receive them from abroad, too. Write to me in English, and I’ll reply in English.
More from the cottage
You might also like
- Sew together
Classes and sewing circles
- Memory quilts
- Sewing without the math
- Sewing circle at the half-timbered farm
- ShowRoom
Quilts with a story
Finished quilts to look at and buy, and what I was thinking as I made them.
- Made for you
Quilt services
Basting, quilting by machine or by hand, and binding, with clear prices.
Inquire now