I had done "photo memory quilts" before but never for someone I‘ve known.  And doing one for a family member takes it up a notch and if it's for your mother-in-law it gets more important. I so wanted for her to like it ... not just for her but for my husband's sake as well.

All of the important steps that go into making a quilt, plus a few additional technical ones depending on replicating elements (ie: photos etc.) are complicated by "the highly personal" nature of the subject while making it all work as a rich visual experience is a tall order.  Picking out the photos, alone, was daunting. Being relatively recent transplants to Texas, Chris and I were tickled to have a photo of him as a child dressed as a cowboy with all the goodies: from hat to boots added to the mix. 

Adding all that to the normal holiday deadlines, quilting jobs to finish, orders to fill and house cleaning to accomplish it was looking like I would have to give her a box labeled "Handy-Make-Your-own-Memory-Quilt" complete with unassembled fabric swatches, photos and thread.  But somehow I managed to finish the top.

I was so excited for her to receive it that I tried to get the family to break with tradition and open one gift on Christmas eve. As usual, and not unexpectedly, tradition won out, but she caught my enthusiasm and by Xmas morning she was as anxious to open it as we were for her to like it.

Oh, I almost forgot, she cried when she saw it. In the world of women … the highest praise.

Comments

• 4. Sandra in California (23 February 2009 at 8:48 p.m.)

  I love how each picture recesses, and then all of the pictures within the gold recess from the exterior frame. Very nice job with the color scheme and placement. I agree with something simple, you would not want to detract from the pictures.
  
  

• 3. Cindy in Mich. (23 February 2009 at 5:03 p.m.)

  I love the colors! It really turned out nice :) I agree with something easy in the border as it is busy. Something curvy in the gold and ditch the rest.
  
  

• 2. Elaine T. (23 February 2009 at 5:01 p.m.)

  Very nice! I love the border!
  
  

• 1. Diane in Springfield,VA (23 February 2009 at 12:58 p.m.)

  I love the quilt! You did an especially nice job framing each photo. I'm about to quilt one similar to this for a friend only her's is all black and white. The photos are all "matted" in white and surrounded by Turning 20 background. The background is so busy, I'm just going to do soft flowy quilting there, and try to SID around each "frame." Can't wait to hear how you quilt yours. (PS, I used to be from Dallas--hope you like TX).
  
  

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