I always loved the continuity of using remnants from handmade garments for family gifts. The first quilt I made - for my son when he was a baby - included bright colors from other projects and the 'filling' is not batting, but a well worn baby blanket from my early childhood. Subsequent quilts included leftover scraps from hand sewn garments my mother made for me over the my childhood. I can remember the meticulous planning she did to get the plaid pattern to go evenly across the arms and bodice of a favorite red plaid dress with white collar and cuffs in junior high school. I remember, too, snagging the pocket on a trash can while running to my next class and being worried she'd be mad after all the work she put into it. The stiff patch material she ironed onto the inside of the dress held the tear closed so it couldn't be seen from the outside and all was well again.
