Suzanne Paquette - Modern Memory Quilts: A Handbook for Capturing Meaningful Moments, 12 Projects + the Stories That Inspired Them

PUBLISHER: Amy Marson

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Gailen Runge

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR: Roxane Cerda

MANAGING EDITOR: Liz Aneloski

EDITOR: Katie Van Amburg

TECHNICAL EDITOR: Debbie Rodgers

COVER/BOOK DESIGNER: April Mostek

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Tim Manibusan

PRODUCTION EDITOR: Jennifer Warren

ILLUSTRATOR: Valyrie Gillum

PHOTO ASSISTANT: Mai Yong Vang

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY by Vivian Doan

STYLE AND EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY by Vivian Doan; INSTRUCTIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY by Mai Yong Vang of C&T Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted

Published by Stash Books, an imprint of C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

Dedication

For Michel and Luca, the two people on earth who bring the deepest emotion to my life and whose stories never grow old. I love you most.

Acknowledgments

A book cannot be created in a vacuum nor without support. My heartfelt thanks goes to:

Mom, Dad, and Matt, for your love and unwavering support, and to my mom, who started my lifes path when she taught me to sew.

The Bocks, David, Heather, Jacqueline, Linda, Lucy, Marie-Jo, Maeve, Shanna and Ivo, Tiffany, Tinka, and the women of MEM: I am grateful for your support in my work and in my life. Thank you for making me laugh, cry, and persevere.

Vivian Doan, for her talent, dedication, friendship, and the amazing photographs in this book.

Amy Marson and Roxane Cerda, for their friendship and wisdom in publishing and life. Katie Van Amburg, Debbie Rodgers, April Mostek, and the C&T team for their talent and hard workand for getting the big picture of whats truly important.

Aurifil, Camelot Fabrics, Fairfield Processing Corporation, Robert Kaufman Fabrics, and Soak Wash, for contributing materials for the projects and being great at what you do.

Cinzia Allocca, Stephanie Baldwin, Tom Bock, Kaleb Philips, Mitali Ruths, Marina Segalovitch, Debbie Soll, and Karyn Valino, for your talent and help with the quilts and photography. This book simply wouldnt have happened without you.

And last but not least, Tasha, Jacqueline, Vivian, Jeffrey, Clay, Linda, Brendan, Sonja, Diana, Sophie, the McClelland/Paquette/Sachowski family, Anna, Michel, Luca, Mitali, and Lizyour willingness to share your stories with me is a gift that has changed me forever. I only wish I had asked you to tell them sooner. Thank you.

Introduction

This book contains modern heirloom quilts I designed and made for different families, each quilt inspired by their stories. When I sat down to interview each person for this book, I found that every story about the clothing chosen for the modern memory quilt had an unexpected depth. I knew the stories would be interesting, but I did not expect to be so intensely moved by each interview. The layered emotions behind what, on the surface, seemed like straightforward memories created complex and meaningful narrativesas unique as the people that told them. This should not be surprising: Each of us is a storyteller with something different to say and also something to learn. Yet I was struck by how Id never had these conversations with these people in my life beforesome of whom Id known for a very long time. After that realization, the importance of telling these stories (in this book, but more importantly, in our own daily lives) became amplified for me.

Themes emerged from the stories in every situation: Some joy and happiness and some sadness, pain, or discomfort was expressed. In some cases, joy was hard-won or heightened by challenges and the difficult feelings that come with going through an emotional trial. In others, pain and sadness were countered by sweet, fond memories and happy times that were a balm to broken or homesick hearts. There was always a mix of emotionswhether for a typically happy memory, like the birth of a child, or for a sad memory, like the death of a loved one. That nuanced complexity, I think, is precisely the reason that the people and memories represented in memory quilts are so important to us.

Creating quilts made with fabric that is woven with memories and emotion is meaningful and rewarding work. The projects in this book celebrate or commemorate different life events. Use them as a springboard for a quilt that is personal and suited to the recipientregardless of the original use in this book. For each project, Ive indicated technical advice on which fabrics are best suited to the design.

I hope that you find inspiration in these pagesnot only for quilts but also to tell your own stories (or those of someone else) with needle and thread.

Memory Keeping

When I worked for Cirque du Soleil, our internal newsletter included letters from spectators who had written in about how their evening enchanted them. At times they were moved to tears by the weight of the moment but also uplifted by the personal connection they felt.

Creating modern memory quilts is, for me, a similar experience: taking quiet connections and complex emotionsa combination of funny, sad, wondrous, thought-provoking, or everyday memoriesand pulling them down to earth just enough to convert them into something tangible.

A talisman of sorts, the quilt helps bring your most personal reflections about a person, time, place, or event (and sometimes all of those) to the forefronta chance to reconnect with who and what is most important.

Remembering

When working on a personal project, I look at photos, journal entries, and other physical keepsakes to remember and look for recurring patterns in the details. Listening to music or someones voice, or experiencing the feel and smell of their clothing, can also be powerful reminders.

Specific pieces of clothing might conjure up particular memories and give inspiration for the quilts theme. I always start with how something or someone makes me feel and then figure out how to put those feelings in quilt form through shape, color, layout, movement, and texture.

With Michel + Lucas Papa and Son Quilt, I wanted to create a quilt that celebrated both the joy of becoming a father and the unique bond Michel has with our son by combining their clothing. I also wanted to stop time for just a moment. Every time our son grows and changes, its bittersweetI miss his smaller, younger self yet love who he is becoming. Having pieces of his baby clothing in the quilt offers an instant connection to those wonderful, fleeting days (and sleepless nights).

Michel + baby Luca

Michel + Luca now

Take time to explore the emotions and memories associated with the quilt you are about to make. In the end, you will have a living keepsake. You will pass memories from generation to generation through the storytelling of your personal quilt.

Documenting

The first time I made a modern heirloom memory quilt, it was from my sons baby clothes. I will never forget the first cut of my shears into the tiny onesie. Instead of measure twice, cut once, it was more like measure twenty times, hold your breath, cut, and hope for the best!