QUILT INDEX RECORD

51-148-84

Story about this quilt:

I’m Meg Cox and I made this quilt with some of my husband’s shirts after he died in July 2015. Richard C. Leone and I were together for over 25 years, married for 23. I decided immediately after he died that I wanted to make a series of memorial quilts from his shirts for myself and others. This was the second quilt I made and it was for me. I found it emotionally difficult to cut into his shirts for about a year. The first quilt was made for his granddaughter Lucy, who was 8 when he died. I used his shirt fabric to applique these words on her quilt: “POPPY LOVES LUCY 4EVER.” I have made 3 memorial quilts so far and have begun using a few random shirt scraps in most of the quilts I’ve made since. This has proven incredibly therapeutic to me, both making the quilts and having one for myself.

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Still Holding Him

Keywords or Subject:

Memorial quilt made from my late husband's shirts. One intact shirt is sewn to the quilt back.

How wide is the quilt?

67"

How long is the quilt?

64"

Shape of edge:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Beige; Blue; Brown; Green; Purple; White; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Number of quilt blocks:

25 improv blocks

Size of quilt blocks:

Roughly 8 1/2 inches square

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Describe the quilt setting:

Strip of white between center blocks and a pieced border.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

The 25 blocks were individually improvised and then sewn together. The inside border was made with vertical strips of different widths and corner blocks were improvised crazy quilt style. Other than shirts worn by Dick, the top includes fabric from a cotton bathrobe. The outer border and back are made from a solid blue fabric purchased at the local quilt shop.

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton or polyester blend

How are the layers held together?

Machine quilting

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Outline; Single parallel lines

Describe the quilting designs used:

Zig zag pattern in edge border

Can you see any knots on the front or back of the quilt?

no

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

How is the binding made?

Separate binding applied

How wide is the binding? (measure on the top only)

3/8 inch

Materials used to make the quilt back:

Cotton

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout

What color is the back of the quilt?

Blue

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

One

Description of the back:

Sewn to the back is a striped shirt of Dick's, white with black stripes. Friends wrote messages between the stripes for me.

When was the quilt started?

March 2017

When was the quilt finished?

April 2018

Time period:

2000-2025

Why was the quilt made?

Memorial; Mourning

Quilt is presently used as:

Bedding, special occasion; Keepsake/memento

Where the quilt was made, city:

Plainsboro

Where the quilt was made, county:

Middlesex

Where the quilt was made, state:

New Jersey (NJ)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Where did the maker get their materials?

Old clothes

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

local quilt shop

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Original to maker

Information about the pattern used:

Design and construction of this improv quilt was influenced by a "slice and dice" workshop taught by Jacquie Gering.

Quilt top made by:

Cox, Meg

Quilted by:

Patel, Krishma

Quiltmaker's city:

Plainsboro

Quiltmaker's state:

New Jersey (NJ)

Quiltmaker's county:

Middlesex

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Quilt owner's name:

Cox, Meg (the maker)

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt owner; Quiltmaker

Date data was collected:

12/12/2022

Who photographed this quilt?

Adi Talwar

Details

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Documentation Project:

Public Submission