Client: Amanda Yampolsky

Overview

“Remembering Lewis” is a memorial quilt that was commissioned for a private residence. It honors the life of Lewis Sheiner and is made from 15 shirts that he once wore. His daughter, Amanda, wanted a queen-size, functional quilt for her home that incorporated some of his clothing that she treasured.

Goals

Our collective goal was to transform Lewis' shirts into a lasting, abstract, emotive, keepsake textile to be cherished on a daily basis.

Process

I always begin by analyzing the color range and patterning of the garments I receive. I then created a custom design for Amanda's memorial quilt. Once we agreed on the design, I began work deconstructing Lewis' shirts and assembling them into the quilt. Amanda described the process from her perspective: "I had wanted Lori to make a memorial quilt for years. My mother was in possession of a box of my father's shirts she had erringly convinced herself were all taupe. It was a pleasure to turn over the garments to someone who truly cherishes and understands textiles. I was a recipient of sometimes daily emails and photos that tracked her progress and included me in details of the work. These emails and photos were so compelling that I ended up forwarding them to many relatives, and we all enjoyed watching the quilt come together through the ether. The quilt now lives on my bed, and just the other day as I lay awake in the dark, I was feeling the different textures of the fabrics side by side and realizing there was still more to explore about my beautiful quilt even with my eyes closed."