Minka’s Portrait

Size: 42in x 36in

When did you decide that you wanted to make a portrait of your daughter? As this is made from her clothing, did you save special items for the project?

My idea to create a portrait quilt of my daughter, Minka, made from her baby clothing was something I had been dreaming of for years. I was working on a multitude of fused appliqué art quilts, including a landscape, cityscapes and a portrait before I began making baby clothing keepsake quilts full time in 2012. After I became accustomed to working with baby clothing, coupled with my previous experience in portraiture, I knew I would eventually try my hand at making a keepsake portrait quilt. In 2016 I finally had enough clothing set aside and was motivated for the challenge.

I saved all the extra special pieces of Minka’s clothing from when she was a baby up until kindergarten. Clothing included a sleeper I randomly bought when I