Graduation Gift Ideas for Quilters

 

A Personalized Party Favor

Graduation parties usually have something for attendees to sign - typically with messages of well-wishes for the graduate. Sometimes, these signed items can be easily damaged or lost later, but a signature quilt is sure to last quite a long time. Making a mini signature quilt would be a lovely piece of decor during and after the party, and it’s very easy to make. 

 

 

 

 

Using a signature block is your first option, like for the GO! Graduation Signature Throw Quilt Pattern, but you can also use square dies or a mix of different shapes that all finish at the same size.

 

 

 

You could designate different blocks for different guests at the graduation party, such as one block being used for the graduate’s parents, another for their siblings, a few set aside for extended family members, and the remaining blocks for other attendees.

 

 

 

It's also a fun idea to use embroidery with the signature quilt, like stitching in the graduation year, the graduate's name, and/or their school. This can be done using the free embroidery downloads that come with the GO! Carefree 3" Numbers Die, the GO! Carefree Alphabet Uppercase Set (2-Die Set), and the GO! Carefree Alphabet Lowercase Set (2-Die Set). 

 

 

 

 

Along with the handwritten messages the graduate will be able to read later, you can use the graduate’s favorite or school colors (as long as you get a darker colored pen/marker) for extra customization.

 

 

To Treasure Their Memories

If you like the idea of making a signature quilt, the graduate will love a memory quilt. A memory quilt is when old, worn, or ill-fitting clothing is cut and then sewn together. There is usually a theme, such as showcasing the graduate’s life with baby outfits and t-shirts from childhood or using t-shirts they acquired during their academic years.

 

Memory quilts can finish at any size, but pairing the dies you use with a GO! Qube Mix & Match Block and a GO! Fabric Cutter will ensure that each block has the same measurements. For a full walkthrough on how to make a memory quilt, including a video tutorial, check out this blog post. 

 

 

 

 

Most memory quilts display any text or images from the clothing used in the center of the block, but you can also utilize other types of clothing, like button-up shirts. You can upload a picture of the piece to GO! Quilt and create a customized block.

 

You can also apply similar instructions for making a memory quilt to gift the graduate a custom pillow, pillowcase, or tote bag using their old clothing. These are easier projects to do if you don’t have easy access to the graduate’s clothing or if they don’t have a lot of clothing to use.

 

 

 

 

For this example, I took a picture of a shirt with a floral pattern, cropped it, and used this image as well as my university's colors to make a design for the GO! Love Note Pillow Pattern.

 

 

 

GO! Make A Graduation Gift

If you're looking for a different project, Pam and Erica recently came up with other creative graduation gift ideas and discussed them during the AccuQuilt Live Event, "Celebrate Success."

 

 

 

 

Whatever you give them, the graduate in your life is sure to love it. Share your graduation gift project with us on social media using the hashtag #AccuQuiltBuilt and don't forget to tag us @AccuQuilt!