Want to make a patchwork memory quilt?

I get a massive buzz when I force myself to finish a creative project rather than slump in front of the TV after the kids have gone to bed.

My latest labour of love was a keepsake blanket for my youngest, Lorcan the Brave, who is two and a half. 

It's all the nicest clothes he has worn since he was a baby that will forever remind me of him during his early years.

Lorcan's blanket, with hood!

It's a great way of decluttering their wardrobes and freezing the memory of them as a baby/small child, rather than giving away their old clothes to other kids or charity shops. 

I've made memory blanket/patchwork quilts, whatever you call them, for all three of mine now, making them up as I go along. If I hit a snag, I watch how it's supposed to be done on Youtube, then I try to work through the solution.

Each time I've thought of more inventive things and been a little bit more ambitious. The blankets have got bigger and bolder every time, with zips and pockets, but the latest one evolved even further, topping them all with a funky hood at the top!

Yes, you can even crop up their favourite hoodie and include that for comedic effect. It took me a little bit of fiddling with the sewing machine to work out how to do the zip/hoodie combo, but I got there in the end. 

Youtube is very handy for patchwork tutorials, but I find they're a little bit too strict and structured, I prefer to do less ironing and less straight edges. The beauty of these old clothes blankets is in their personalities and imperfections. I don't have any of the right cutting or binding gear, just a pair of scissors, some pins and a sewing machine. I don't use wadding, just an old blanket.

It costs nothing. Just blood, sweat and tears! But seriously, it's a lovely gift for kids who like to snuggle under their favourite old clothes. 

Tegan's Blanket

The problem I have now is that my oldest wants a new blanket because his, the first - the most quilted and smallest, has since been overshadowed by the other two's huge, soft blankets. 

Jago's blanket

So for my next creative project I'm saving his old TShirts and I'm going to make one for him as we begin the cycle again! 

Who knows, maybe I'll even make one for myself one day.....

The full instructions to make your own are here:
http://www.mamadynamite.com/2013/03/make-your-own-memory-quilt.html

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