In 2019 I set out to make a quilt for my then 16 year old son. I’ve been quilting for 10 years now and hadn’t yet made quilts specifically for my kids. Maybe it felt like too much pressure to choose a design? I don’t know why it took me so long but I was finally ready. the bars were floating in a background of various corals (I asked my son what colors he liked and he was not forthcoming— we eventually settled on the color of his current store-bought blanket, a beautiful coral). I included lots of personal fabrics in this one, lots of my son’s old t-shirts, scraps from other projects, and four embroidered portraits.

then/now/always, completed 2019, measures 92”x80”

I had stitched a couple portraits of my kids years ago. My plan was to make a couple more, then create a little display of them all on the wall. When my daughter came out to us and transitioned, it no longer felt right to hang old images of her up around the house. But I struggled with the idea of getting rid of those stitched portraits, or even of them sitting in a drawer, forgotten. I asked my daughter if she would be okay with me piecing them into a quilt. In her even-keel way, she said, “sure, that’s fine, but could you add some new ones too?” Of course I obliged. There are two old portraits pieced into the quilt, and two new. Two from before we knew my daughter as she is, and two from after.

That’s how this quilt for my son became a quilt about my son and my daughter. A document and a celebration of how love can transcend time, age, and gender. The portrait subjects have evolved over time. What hasn't changed is the close bond between siblings, and the love and pride I feel for both of my children.

Since this quilt is so big I used wool batting to keep it light and fluffy. I handquilted it with Perle cotton. There’s a quote from our favorite podcast on the back, just for fun, which I made out of paper and then had printed on Spoonflower. Final pictures by Mitch Hopper. Measures 92”x80”.

back of quilt detail, MBMBAM quote made from paper and printed onto fabric

I tried something new for the label on this quilt. I printed this whole story onto fabric via Spoonflower. But instead of having a block of text exposed on the back of the quilt, I decided to tuck it away into a fabric envelope. I found a beautiful silk envelope on etsy and stitched it onto the quilt’s back. Then I tucked the longer story label into the envelope, after securing it with beaded strings so it won’t get lost or separated from the quilt. I am quite happy with this technique , and could definitely see myself using it again. For me, this ensures the story of this quilt won’t get lost. Wherever this quilt goes in its lifetime, its story will go along with it.

Peoria Street Surplus

then/now/always (a quilt for my son)