How To Turn Your Quilt Into An Heirloom Treasure

Anyone who is interested in preserving family history for their progeny will benefit from this instructable. It is about how to turn any handmade quilt into an heirloom treasure but it has great tips for preserving memories and emotions that we and our children experience through our lifetime in a tangible way. It also has tips about keeping records of important dates tied to an heirloom. The inspiration behind this instructable came from a quilt that I made my sister. I wanted to make a quilt for her that would become a family heirloom that would never be forgotten. I named the quilt "The Pecos Pearl quilt".

This instructable will show you techniques to preserve the information about the quilt and things you can do to keep the emotional attachments associated with it alive and in your memory forever.

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Step 1: Materials List

This instructable has more that one item to make because they are all optional. These memory enhancer's are ideas on how to preserve memories of an item that we have attachments to. These are also ideas of what a quilter can include with her quilt to give to the receiver. These are all the materials I used for memory makers.

1. Finished handmade quilt.
2. Quality picture frame that will display several pictures.
3. 8X10 quality picture frame that will hang on the wall.
4. Leftover scraps from the quilt. (optional)
5. Journal.
6. Quality printed picture of finished quilt.
7. Several printed pictures of the giver, receiver, and family members.
8. Acid free paper should be used for pictures.
9. Box, suitcase, or chest to store quilt.
10. Potpourri, baby powder, ceder blocks or essential oil.
11. Children's favorite books, stuffed animals and keepsakes.
12. Hand written letter from giver.
13. Hand written letter from receiver.
14. Copy of the quilt's pattern and instructions if possible.
15. Small scraps of fabric or muslin for sachet.
16. Embroidery needle, thread, and small iron on transfer for the Lavender sachet.
17. Scissors.
18. Embellishments of your choice for journal, sachet, and box.
19. Wrapping paper, contact paper, or fabric for covering journal and box.
20. Complete newspaper of your area to include with the quilt to show date and events.
21. Embroidery hoop.

love4pds says: Aug 4, 2011. 3:58 PM

I just received some quilts and quilt pieces and have been thinking of what to do with them. I thought of making a shirt with one unfinished top, but that would be short lived so now I have a much better direction to go into. I have so much to work I cant wait to get started now. I have been looking at them thinking UGGG, what to do what to do!!! Thanks for this instructable, I want to do them justice! I am grateful, because now I believe I will! I will send you a photo of some finished products you inspired, one is damaged so I know exactly what I am doing with it.

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sunshiine (author) in reply to love4pdsAug 5, 2011. 12:05 AM

Thanks so much for this comment! I encourage you to follow through because a quilt is a treasure! Really if you have some repairs to do keep it in a small bag or tote with everything you need to work on it. You are sitting waiting somewhere for 1/2 hour or waiting to pick up the kids at school or for what ever reason. A little time here and there adds up and before you know it you are finished. I do this with my projects and in no time they are finished! It makes waiting a little more enjoyable.

So happy you commented because I really wanted to inspire people. I would love to see pictures and ideas you received from this ible! It is fun to see other peoples creations! If you have some real old pieces to work with, I had wanted to do an instructable showing how you can make them detachable so each family member could be the proud owner of one complete quilt.

They would attached by buttons! I did not have time to add that to this ible though. You could also do this with the damaged piece.

love4pds in reply to sunshiineAug 8, 2011. 11:46 AM

I have some other things my aunt gave me from the 1940s and they are tatted handkerchiefs, I don't want to just put them into a plain old frame though, so I have been thinking on them too, not successfully yet. Any ideas for them, could use some? I thought about using starch and making something like a light because starch washes out and they could be put back to original condition, what do you think? Kind of like the string on balloon thing? My home is decorated in 1950's teak furniture so they would go I know the light style is 70's but hey cant think of anything else so far. I have 4 but one has stains. But the handkerchiefs are so amazing I would love to do something cool without hurting them. I love the button idea for a big family, you do need to add that somethime. ! was thinking of taking one of the damaged quilts, very damaged, and cutting off the strip that is bad and repairing the rest with the original fabric and make it a throw. One piece of the damage I am going to cut out and include into a painting because it was so torn up I had to cut all of the fabric around the picture but the picture is OK and it could make a great multimedia painting.
Anyway I loved that you got me thinking about them again and love to hear about other people respecting these and other family art, it kills me going to thrift stores and seeing them thrown away like trash and I wonder if that is what will happen to my art? People always say stuff about regretting throwing things like that away yet they keep doing it. I hope this ible serves as a reminder they cant get them back once they are gone.