Thursday's Threads: Quilting a Memory

One day I was going through my jewelry box. We had just moved to Oklahoma and I was still unpacking and getting into our new space. This is what I found:​

My Mother Pins

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Boy Scouts of America, these are my Mother Pins. Every time, my son earned a new rank or a special designation, like the Order of the Arrow, the troop had a Court of Honor. In that ceremony, the Mother was given a pin. My first thought when I found them years later was, "I don't want to lose my pins. I had better put them in a safe place." Then I thought about my son's rank patches, merit badges, and other Boy Scout awards. He was an adult who would soon be married, but I still had these mementos. So I decided, naturally, that I would make him a quilt, sew them on the quilt the way I sewed them on his uniforms and sash so may years ago, and then give him the quilt. 

​It took some time to find the right material (and the badges). However, when I saw Robert Kaufman's Boy Scout fabric, I knew that was the material that I should use. It was perfect! I had not decided on a pattern, so I guessed on how much fabric to buy and which fabrics to buy from the line. I was afraid that the fabric would be gone before I decided on the pattern, so I went ahead and bought the fabric first. Fortunately, I guessed pretty well.

​For the pattern I chose Stars and Patches from the book, Still Stripping after 25 Years by Eleanor Burns. Below is a photo of the finished quilt:

Scout Quilt pieced and quilted by April Adams. Pattern is Stars and Patches by Eleanor Burns.

Here are some close ups. Notice the ten points of the Scout Law in the tan fabric.

The Order of the Arrow badge is on the left, and the Philmont badge is on the right.

​Our son attended Philmont Boy Scout Camp when he was in high school. His Dad had planned to go with him, but he broke his ankle and could not make the trip which included backpacking. The photo below is a portion of the back of the quilt. It includes our son's search and rescue picture. I scanned it into my computer and then printed it on fabric with an ink jet printer. It was very easy.

Pilmont Search and Rescue Photo on the back of the quilt

I am glad that I did not find out that Philmont took a search and rescue photo before the boys went backpacking. They did this just in case they had to go find them in the backcountry. By the time I found out, my son was home safe and sound.  Below is a close up of the Eagle Scout badge from the front of the quilt. We are very proud that he is an Eagle Scout.

The hardest part of making this quilt was that all of the fabric was directional. That made constructing the quilt more difficult. However, I do love the fabric and the extra effort was worth it. I must admit though that I avoided directional fabric for many years after.

​When I made this quilt, I was quilting a memory. It documents our son's progress from a Tender Foot Scout to an Eagle Scout. It was a long journey that everyone in the family shared with him. We were a scouting family.

Do you have a memory that you would like to quilt? Please share it and any other comments below. I tend to reply on the web site. However, you can also email me, and I will reply by email.

​Happy Quilting!