On Death and Taxes – And a Pajama Memory Quilt

Jan 31, 2015 | Quilts

They say the only certain things in life are death and taxes.  And that is certainly what I have been experiencing this week.  We lost an uncle and my brother-in-law’s mother. Last month, we lost our neighbor. I have seen a number of memorials on Facebook, too. So as we emerge from the darkest time of the year, so we also seem to emerge from a dark time of death and sadness. At one of the funerals, the priest talked about how we Americans, as a culture, do not know how to deal with death. Our movie, music, and TV programs promote an image of eternal youthfulness.  In our video games, people die, then you restart the game.  But the reality in aging is that there can be physical and emotional struggles, or perhaps a prolonged illness. Sometimes there is joy that our loved one is no longer suffering.  And, then, guilt for feeling joy….

We want to remember our loved ones and hold them near. My memory pillows have been a wonderful way to remember fathers or grandfathers.  And, now, we are remembering our mothers and grandmothers with their pajamas.  This blanket was commissioned by a woman who lost both of her parents within six months of each other.  It was given to her 12 year old niece as a birthday present.  I was planning to make the brick style blanket that I had done in the past.  However, she also had some fun nightshirts, like the “I Love Lucy” one featured in the center panel.

I began by placing the shirt motifs in the center and bordering them with a navy fabric.  I then used the bulk of the pajamas to create bricks.

 

 

There were several silky tops that I cut up to create an outside border, also set off with a blue fabric. Finally, my customer thought her niece would like a navy chevron ultra cuddle fabric.

 

The crazy color combinations somehow work.  The chevron border gives a fun, whimsical finish – perfect for a 12 year old.

And the entire blanket – brings a wave a memories and a few tears…..

I am honored and humbled to cut apart simple things which hold such dear memories for my customers and put them together to create practical blankets and pillows.

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