Richard James Walker was my friend Brittany’s older brother. He was a warm and loving man who cared deeply about his family, and is deeply missed by them. Richard’s memorial quilt is double-sided and sewn from a large stack of his T-shirts. I used improvisational piecing and kept the shapes organic and flowing.
On the front of the quilt, I included every shade of grey and black shirt that I was given, as well as some purple fabric to represent his love of Prince. Brittany remembers Richard as a young person, dancing to Prince songs from the moment he got home from school until dinner time. I listened to Prince as I worked on Richard’s quilt, often starting my sewing session with “Starfish and Coffee.” The denim fabric used in this quilt represents Richard’s favorite type of clothing–jean shorts. The red T-shirts on the back of Richard’s quilt display his love for Harley Davidson motorcycles, sports, and all things related to the University of Southern California (USC). At Richard’s memorial, his loved ones were encouraged to wear USC gear. Fight On, Trojans!
