Below are links to our printable quilt panels you can use to create your own paper memory quilt. These are taken from my book, My Paper Memory Quilt: A Family History Pack. Some of the panels have artwork to get you started; other are blank so you can design them yourself. Use your imagination to draw, write, color, paint or paste photos that capture your family history.

THEMES FOR PANELS OF YOUR MEMORY QUILT:

FAMILY HISTORY

• How about a panel that shows your ancestors who were the first to come to the United States and the hopes that they had in emigrating here? You could even include a map of the country from which they came.
• A happy memory that depicts a fun time with your mother or father or grandparent.
• A panel that talks about how your parents decided on your name.
• A patch for a beloved family pet.
• A panel celebrating the birth of a child.
• The time you achieved an important goal.

HOPES, DREAMS, AND WISHES

• A panel depicting a hope or dream you hold for your own future.
• A panel that shows what you'd like to be when you grow up.
• Maybe you want to express a hope for the environment.
• A hope for a family member whom you love or who is ill.

MEMORIES OF FUN AND LAUGHTER

• How about a panel showing your best Halloween costume?
• A panel on which you paste photographs of all the things and people that make you happy.
• Or one for the time when your grandmother showed you how to bake bread or make chocolate chip cookies.
• Or your uncle took you camping for the first time.

HEALING GRIEF AND FEARS

• A square to honor someone whom you loved and lost, such as a family member who was special to you. You can paste a photo of that person and draw an object you associate with her or him.
• A patch for the time you helped someone in need.
• A patch illustrating some of the blessings in your life that you sometimes take for granted.

FAMILY TRADITIONS AND SPECIAL DAYS

• A panel for a special family holiday, showing how it is celebrated. Which rituals are observed? What foods are eaten? You might even write down a recipe on how a special food is prepared.
• A panel for favorite family sayings, perhaps using the language that was originally spoken by your family.

If you create your own paper memory quilt, please consider sharing your experiences with us by sending an email to: WmZ@aol.com. We'll print some of them on the BLOG With Bill Zimmerman feedback page of this site.

These suggestions for creating a family paper memory quilt are taken from my book, My Paper Memory Quilt: A Family History Pack, published by Chronicle Books. To obtain a copy of this book, go to www.chroniclebooks.com, or www.amazon.com, or www.barnesandnoble.com, or go to our Ordering Info section.

To learn how to interview relatives and record their life stories, go to How to Tape Instant Oral Biographies: Recording Your Family's Life Story in Sound and Sight.

You can also find more family fun on the Let's Make Believe! page.