How to Make a Memory Quilt

The pictures clicked in our past hold memories that we cherish even today, the memories that can make us smile as well as burst into laughter. Giving someone a photo memory quilt, as a gift, brings back all those special moments once again. Be it your grandparents, your friends, your children or your siblings, you can make memory quilts for all of them. All you require are old photos, fabrics and some knowledge of sewing. In case you need some help for the same, we are at your service. Read the information given below and get ideas as well as instructions for making memory quilts.

How to Make Photo Memory Quilt

Items Needed

Old Photos
Computer
Scanner
Printer
Printer Fabric Sheets
Fabric
Scissors
Sewing Machine
Iron
Quilt Batting
Yarn
Yarn Needle
Safety Pins
Binding Strips

Instructions

Take out the old pictures of your family/friends, scan them and upload on the computer.
Next, use a photo editing program to crop and resize them. All the pictures should be of the same size.
Place printer fabric sheets in the printer and take print outs of the photos.
Taking the directions on the fabric sheets as guidelines, remove the plastic backing and soak in water.
After the sheets dry completely, trim them to 6½ inches square. Now the sheets can be incorporated into memory quilts.
Buy fabric from the market, its size depending upon the size you want the quilt to have.
Cut the fabric into 6½ inch squares. The number of squares will be slightly more than the number of photos you want to use.
Alternating between the fabric squares and the photo squares; lay out the quilt on a flat surface.
With the help of sewing machine, sew squares into a row. Make sure to keep 1/4-inch seam allowance.
Now, sew together the rows, making sure to add one row at a time. As you do this, keep pressing the seams thoroughly.
After the sewing part has been done, press the entire quilt top once more.
Next, lay the quilt on a large work surface, keeping the top face down.
Measure the quilt top that you have made with the fabric and photos.
Now, cut the quilt backing to the same size as the top and place it on the latter.
Take the contrast backing material and cut it in the same way, before placing it on top of the batting.
Making use of safety pins, pin all the three layers together. This will prevent them from shifting, while sewing.
Put a length of yarn in the yarn needle.
Starting from the top of the quilt, press the needle inside the corner of a square at the edge.
Now, pull through all three layers to the back.
Again insert the needle and pull yarn back to the top. Thereafter, tie a square knot.
Cut yarn and repeat the process in each corner, over entire quilt.
For the purpose of binding, cut four binding strips, making them around 2 inches wide.
Two of the four binding strips should be the length of your quilt plus 1 inch. The rest two should be the width of your quilt plus 1 inch.
Fold each strip down the middle, lengthwise and iron.
Next, fold in ½ inch of each of the raw edges and iron.
Place one of the strips, cut lengthwise, over the raw edge of the quilt.
Now, stitch through all layers.
Follow the same procedure with the other lengthwise strip.
Place the widthwise strips over the remaining raw edges of the quilt and stitch.
Your photo memory quilt is ready to be gifted.

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