Book #5 ~Modular Memory Quilts

It is with great excitement that I make this announcement… my newest book is now in print!!!

For years I’d been contemplating making a quilt with blocks representing each of our Sew We Go adventures. The problem was – we kept having more adventures. Plus, I had other trips that I wanted to include.

Once a quilt is done ~ it’s pretty much done. Adding or removing something is not typically an option. Was there a more “fluid” way to make a memory quilt? I discovered the answer was yes, and Modular Memory Quilts was born. It’s not only for travel memories… there are oodles of options, but a travel quilt was my first project, and I found each step of the way was fun.

First, I needed to go through my photographs and distill each trip down into one memorable shot that portrayed the entire trip for me. That was one of the best parts. I so loved reliving each adventure. It wasn’t always easy to narrow it down to one, but with a little perseverance, I was pleased with the results.

Next I needed to determine which technique to use for each photograph. It turns out this book is not just a showcase of my quilts, it’s a journey into the problem solving and step-by-step techniques that will make each block a joy to create and view. I came up with an entire toolbox full of these techniques. Some blocks were pieced, like the flags from the six countries we visited on our Baltic Cruise:

I try to avoid photos with faces because they can be difficult to reproduce in fabric, but when the most memorable part of the trip is the people, photo transfer is an option. This block is of a trip to Florida we made with our two older grandkids and my parents in 2016 (note the Epcot Ball photobombing in the background).

Some photos just screamed to be Repliquéd, like this one of the Mississippi Queen riverboat. Repliqué is the technique from my first book, Repliqué Quilts ~ Picture Perfect Replicas in Machine Appliqué, which has been out of print for years. I recently received the rights to my book’s content and have included much of it in this new book ~ so it’s available in print again!

There are some blocks made with raw edged landscape techniques, such as the one of my son jumping off a waterfall in Maui.

And quite a few blocks were a combination of techniques, like this one with the photo transferred view of Budapest from the raw-edged Repliqué of the Fisherman’s Bastion.

I actually connect the blocks with a combination of simple notions and, when a “quilt” gets too big, it can be rearranged into multiple quilts. This works great for children/grandchildren quilts ~ more can be added as the family grows. And eventually each child can have their own quilt.

I’ve combined sample blocks from classes I’ve taken into a fun MMQ:

I hope you’re getting the idea. There are so many more possibilities even I haven’t thought of. To purchase your own copy of Modular Memory Quilts from my site please go to: https://www.chrisquilts.net/books/ .

I will be presenting a lecture about my new book at the Winter Quilt Show 2022 this coming Saturday, February 12th, at the Washington County Fairgrounds.

For all the information click here! Advance tickets are no longer available online or by phone, but tickets will be available all week at the museum in Cedarburg and at the door.

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And one more thing! My friend Connie let me know that Jinny Beyer is retiring. She has been an inspiration to me and I have used many of her fabrics in my quilts. Everything on her website is 40% off. Click here to check it out.