Tips on Sorting Your Deceased Loved One’s Clothing for a Quilt

Are you planning on having a quilt made from your deceased loved one's clothing? The first step, going through you loved one's clothing, is very difficult.  

Here is a plan you can follow to make sorting through their clothing a little easier. Unfortunately, this knowledge has come from firsthand experience. Hang in there, you can do this!

At the bottom of this article are photographs of memorial quilts that may help you think about your quilt.

Clean and Put Away

First, make sure that all the clothing is clean and put away as it would have been if your loved one were sitting in the next room. This way you only have to go through this process once and you won’t be surprised when something turns up in a week or a month.

Tools to Assist in the Sorting Process

• A roll of plastic trash bag
• Boxes or clothes baskets labeled with the name of the quilts or pillows you planning on having made.
• Pen and paper for notes.
• A roll of blue painters masking tape to mark any parts of the items you don’t want use. More information about marking your T-shirts and other items is here. 
  
  

The Actual Sorting

Set aside a block of time for the project. There may be times during this process that you will become sad and need to take a break. This is a difficult task, and it might be helpful to have someone else help out and to tell stories to. Or you might want to do this by yourself so you can take all the time you want to contemplate and remember.

Consider breaking the sorting process down into smaller components so the job is not as overwhelming. For example, pull 10" of hangers off the bar and no more. 

Planning a memorial quilt or pillow?
Here are step-by-step directions for ordering your Too Cool quilt or pillow.

Closet

1. Pull out any item that you hated or had never seen your loved wear. Those are clearly the easy ones to set aside for donation or resale.
   
   
2. Go through the items one at a time and sort them into your piles. Have a pile labeled for each quilt or pillow you plan on having made. Also have a pile for donation and trash.
   
   As you remove each item from its hanger, consider what quilt or pillow it should go into. Remember that if an item is “dry-clean only”, the quilt you put it into will also be “dry-clean only.” 
   
   
3. Special items you might find in a closet:

• • Bathrobes –usable
  • Neckties – usable. But are dry-clean only. We can make a quilt from just neckties.
  • Suspenders – usable  
  • Shoes and slipper – not usable. (They wouldn’t be much fun to snuggle up with!)

Dresser Drawer

1. Open one drawer at a time. This will make the task less overwhelming.  
   
   
2. Pull out anything that you hate and don’t ever want to see again. Those are for donation or the trash.
   
   
3. Go through the items one at a time and sort into their respective boxes or baskets.
   
   
4. Special items you might find in a dresser:

• • Socks – we can use them several different ways.
  • Bras & Underwear – consider if you really want to use them. We can use them if you want.
  • Scarfs and handkerchiefs – we can use these.

Coat Closet

1. Start with the hanging items. We can use pieces from coats and jackets. Keep in mind the care of the jacket.
2. Special items you might find in the closet:

• • Baseball cap – we can use the logo from the cap.
  • Gloves – can be used. The way they are cleaned is a consideration to think about.
  • Stocking hats & winter hats – can be used.
  • Boots and shoes – not usable.

Odds and Ends

You might find other items of the deceased that you would like included in your quilt. Here are some items we can use in whole or use a piece of:

• Flags and banners
• Stuffed animals
• Doilies
• Towels – Kitchen, bath, swimming, golf, etc.
• Table clothes
• Blankets
• Athletic gear that is cloth. For example, running shorts, bicycle jerseys and shorts, and swimming suits.

Click here to read about other items that can be a quilt.

Conclusion

A memorial quilt made from your loved one’s clothing tells their story. We can mix and match just about any cloth item into your quilt.

You are more than welcome to send us anything you would like in the quilt. If we are unable to use it, we will let you know and return it with your quilt. 

To learn more about memorial quilts and pillows, visit our Learning Center.
We have over 200 articles about all aspects of memorial and T-shirt quilts.