The Basics

• Making a photo memory quilt is much like making any quilt, except that you'll be copying photos to printer fabric and incorporating them into the quilt design. The photos are the most important element in a photo memory quilt. Choose them according to a theme such as birthdays, family groups, anniversaries or weddings, or select photos randomly from your albums. Tie the photos together by using those with similar colors, limiting your choices to all black-and-white photos, or converting your color photos to a sepia tone with editing software.
  
  If you're good at editing photos on your computer, you'll be able to adjust the color and contrast, remove red eye and resize the photographs to fit your quilt design. If you don't have a computer or don't feel confident about editing photos, take the advice offered at Quilting101.com and have a photo shop adjust them for you.
  
  

Designing Your Quilt

• After you select your photographs, experiment with layouts. You might find that you like an orderly design with photos arranged in rows, alternating with solid blocks of fabric. Or a random layout, with photos seemingly tossed onto the quilt top and sewn to the fabric at angles, might be more appealing to you.
  
  Transfer your pictures to printer fabric, which is treated to accept printer ink and sold in packages at craft stores or online. Before you print your photos onto fabric sheets, print the first copy of each photo on printer paper to be sure everything's correct. Follow the manufacturer's directions for printing on fabric sheets. According to LovetoSew.com, it's important to keep the sheets very flat, with no wrinkles or bent corners. The site also recommends that you make sure your printer cartridges are full, that you adjust your printer to the high-quality setting, and use the "gloss paper" option for the best results. Trim the printed fabric sheets to the correct size for your quilt design. If you're using an alternating photo-solid block design, trim the fabric sheets to the same size as the solid blocks. If you're using a random design, trim the fabric sheets so that they'll fit onto other blocks as appliques.
  
  

Assembling Your Quilt

• If you've chosen to alternate photo blocks and solid-color fabric blocks, lay all the blocks out in the order in which you'll sew them. Sew the blocks into strips, either crosswise or lengthwise. If you're using a random layout, arrange all of your quilt blocks first, then place the photos at angles on top. Applique the photos to the blocks by sewing around the edges, or use an iron-on product to fuse them together. After you've attached all of your photos to the blocks, sew the blocks together in the order of your layout, working in either crosswise or lengthwise strips. For either type of quilt, after sewing the blocks into strips, join the strips to form the quilt top. If you like, use a sashing strip between each row of blocks.
  
  Add other elements to your quilt such as bits of lace or buttons from favorite clothing, ribbons, charms or appliques cut from clothes. For example, cut an applique of a baby's coveralls from your baby's first receiving blanket. Sew or fuse the mementos to the quilt top. Finish the quilt by adding a layer of batting and backing. Pin all three layers together or use a temporary adhesive to secure them. Sew along each row of blocks through all three layers. Trim the quilt edges to "square it up," or make it even, then add binding on all sides.