Remembering Meg

Just a little over a year ago Margaret Straub lost her battle with breast cancer. Becky asked me if I would make a memory quilt using some of Meg's favorite articles of clothing, and I said I would, even though I had no experience in designing this kind of a quilt. I didn't think it would take a year to complete, but it did.

Almost all of the clothing was t-shirts, and a few other tops that she enjoyed wearing. After months of thinking about it, I finally sketched out a few designs and settled on one that would showcase the t-shirt logos she loved, as well as some of the details of the other pieces. After cutting each t-shirt block, it was necessary to back them with fusible interfacing so they would not stretch. Then I cut and stitched together triangular pieces from the other fabrics, and interfaced those blocks as well.

All during this process I tried to think about what Margaret would want since this quilt will be looked at and used by her young children, Will and Lucy. I included sparkles, ruffles, and even some little zipper pockets. By the time I had the top all stitched together, it was already pretty heavy, so I knew that a traditional batting inside would not be necessary. Instead, I simply backed it with a large solid piece of dark green snuggly fleece and machine quilted it on top with invisible thread in all the "ditches". After some consideration, I decided to bind it with fleece also. I am pleased with the way it turned out.

Meg is represented with the bright red "Flash" t-shirt. The white rays that emanate from her square point to emblems that represent those whom she loved dearly: her husband Ben, her children Will and Lucy, and her best friend Becky who helped care for her throughout her medical battles.

I did not know Meg very well or for very long, but I hope she would approve of how this was put together. I'm glad for the challenge, and glad to be able to do something that will help preserve her memory for those who miss her.