color story #7
There's nothing I like more than finishing a longtime work in progress. This color story comes from a quilt I have been working on for my son C who is 4 1/2 years old and the sweetest boy you've ever met. (I know I'm biased because I am his mother, but man, he is a sweet one.)
A few years ago my husband cleaned out his closet and ended up with a stack of old dress shirts. Nice shirts that had gotten old and worn out, and he was ready to toss them in the trash. Instead I threw the pile into my fabric stash, and a little later decided a very simple quilt would be the perfect way to use them.
I don't think I will ever throw out another one of JR's shirts. Men's shirting fabric has such a lovely feel and I love the small grids and tiny ginghams and all the shades of blue. I love the idea of a quilt made out of a father's shirts for his son. And I've tried to perserve little bits of the shirts in the quilt, a few pieces of pockets and plackets here and there. It's a very simple little quilt, and I'm a little embarrassed it has taken me so long... why do I always stall when it comes to the binding?
My sweet boy has been waiting so patiently.
02.28.2009
Reader Comments (50)
I love your color story, I'm sure that your quilt will turn out to be great. I really like your blog.
Thank you for such a great idea! I love the concept of creating a meaningful gift as well as giving old items new life. I too stall when it comes to the binding!
What a fabulous idea! That will be such a sweet memory for your son. I totally want to see it when it is done.
I love the idea of it, and look forward to seeing the quilt! I wanted to do the rag quilt thing a few years ago, and asked everyone in my family to donate flannel instead of throwing it out - pajamas, shirts, boxers, etc. My brother sort of misunderstood, and gave me a pile of boxers that were torn or worn. Very nice plaids; I ended up making a Trip Around the World quilt for his son, all blues, and most of the fabric was from that stack!
My brother, a Catholic priest, started an amazing not-for-profit NYC company called "Goods of Conscience" that turns special fabric woven by women in Guatemala into stunningly beautiful clothes sewn by women in NYC (all according to the principles of fair trade and wages). He's gotten a lot of favorable attention from the fashion world. I mention this because someone gave Fr. Andrew a bunch of material from a men's clothing company that was about to be thrown away. He cut the material into 6x6" panels and had them sewn into unlined curtain panels WOW!! These blocks of color, complementary like your husband's stack of shirts, glow with light like stained glass windows I've never seen. Something out of MOMA. Really amazing. He's so creative (www.goodsofconscience.com)!
When John cleans out his tie collection, you should make Bee a tie skirt, like the one I made Scout so long ago. Get this... she can still wear it! It's a drawstring waist (tied with a navy ribbon) so it just gets shorter... and shorter... and shorter. When it's immodest I'll give it to Ada!
Great idea! My husband does the same thing but this time I will save it for better use. Thanks for sharing!
What a great idea! If I only knew how to make a quilt.
My fiance and I plan to make a quilt similar to this. Instead of taking our older clothes to the thrift store we have been saving them and will eventually combine them into a quilt for our bed when we are married.
What a fantastic idea...I now know what to do with all those thow away shirts! Thank you, thank you