Harleys In Heaven
The colloquial expression “I’ll know it when I see it” is appropriate when discussing heirloom quilts. There is no defined “category” for a quilt to be considered an heirloom, as it is very subjective and is tied to the memories the quilt captures. An heirloom quilt does not need to be made with “special” fabrics or laces. Yes, there are many wonderful - and expensive – fabrics available to produce sophisticated and special quilts. But it is also possible to make a quilt with fleece lined flannel shirts and denim button downs. This Harley Quilt is a case in point.
Losing a loved one is difficult, but when it is unexpected it is all the worse. My daughter began dating a young man (I’ll refer to him as JD) in 2019. Early in their relationship, JD’s father died quite suddenly (I’ll refer to the father as “Jay”). Jay was not married and JD was his only child. It was a difficult time, as JD dealt with the myriad of legal, financial and emotional consequences of Jay’s tragic death. Once a few months had passed, my daughter asked if I could make JD a quilt with Jay’s flannel shirts.
Of course I agreed, and anticipated a pile of comfortably worn flannel button-down shirts. My daughter arrive home with two large, black garbage bags filled with clothing. Taken aback, I emptied them all, and discovered Jay’s wardrobe of choice was a “shaket”. Who knew – not me – there is such a thing as faux shearling lined shirts, commonly known as “shakets””?! Realistically there were 10 or so, but as Jay was a large man and these things are bulky, they filled up the bags. There were also a few denim shirts, some plain, but one bearing a Harley Davidson image on the back.
I spent a few moments taking deep breaths, and decided to remove the flannel from the faux shearling, getting some decent fabric to utilize for constructing a quilt. The next step was to determine a design. I placed the Harley artwork in the center and decided to build out from there. Using the flannels and denim, I made two differing blocks, some larger pieces of flannel and some with narrow strips. This allowed me to use most of the flannel from the shirts as well as the denim, and to applique a few charming labels from the clothing. I won’t bore you with all the technical issues involved, but I was pleased the quilt came out large enough to snuggle under and was a comfort to his son.
A few months after I completed the quilt, the city of Kenosha was rocked with unrest after the shooting of Jacob Blake in August, 2020. My daughter and JD were living quite close to the epicenter of the riots, and she was attending university remotely from their apartment due to the Covid-19 lock downs. Concerned for her safety, as she was alone during the days, they chose to come stay with us briefly. My daughter told me afterwards that the only item JD packed to bring down with him that day was the Harley quilt. To know it meant so much to him that it was all he grabbed in his rush speaks to the power of these tokens of love. I was exceedingly touched. Heirloom indeed.