Bundle of clothes to wrapping a bundle...

Yesterday I finished up a baby quilt made from clothing.  I had a blue Ann Taylor wool sweater, a pair of pink velour pj's and several printed bandanas.

Two sisters wanted their other sister, who is expecting a baby girl, to have a baby quilt made from their Mom's clothing.  She had passed away five years prior to cancer.  The quilt wasn't suppose to remind them of their Mom's final journey, but rather be a joyful quilt.

Tulips were her favorite flower.  She had handwritten a note to her girls that I could include.

The binding is a solid magenta and the backing is the same cream color as in the top.

The first thing I did was take the sweater and wash it up in the hottest, soapiest water - felting the fabric so it wouldn't shrink later when the quilt was washed.  Then I carefully pressed lightweight interfacing to the wool and velour.  If you've ever sewn with a knit, you'll understand the stretching that takes place if it isn't stabilized.  Then I cut the pieces I needed from these fabrics.

I made sure with the design that the wool and velour was always sewn next to a cotton and not next to each other.  The reason is so I always had a very stable fabric next to the knit piece.

I ended up melting a few of my velour sqaures - I am too accustomed to using a hot iron for pressing as I'm piecing my blocks together.  So using a pressing cloth was important as well as turning down my iron heat setting to low. 

The blocks are 8" square finished and the border is 4" with the quilt ending up 40" x 48".  Using the wool and velour, although a bit challenging to machine quilt, makes a great textural surface giving more depth to the quilt.

I like to think that this woman is able to loving wrap her arms around the new bundle even though she isn't physically here to do so.  

Cancer has touched the lives of so many individuals I have never met, yet we are now connected through needle and thread.