Meet the quilter...
Shelby is the owner and artist behind every quilt at Memory Keeper Quilts.
Her passion is turning your memories into life-long keepsakes.
Every quilt is an act of love made by hand, and it's her honor to know that her craftsmanship can touch the lives of strangers around the nation in a meaningful way.
When Shelby isn’t sewing memories together, she’s travelling New England with her husband, reading, or playing the flute or harp in local bands and ensembles.
My Story
I started sewing at a young age. My grandma taught me on her vintage Singer machine and together we had a lot of fun making projects such as pillows, bags, and clothing. She also taught me how to crochet, bake, and many other hobbies that bring me joy.
I went to college in the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia and I hold a special place in my heart for that region. I double majored in Music and Liberal Arts for my Bachelor's degree.
After college, I met my husband, and he has always supported my dreams of becoming a business owner.
During the Covid pandemic, I started making and selling small, hand-crafted items and screenprinted shirts on Etsy, as a "side hustle" while I worked full time in a cubicle job at a local non-profit company.
In 2024, I decided to quit my job and focus fully on my career(s) in performing music and sewing. I discovered a love for quilting when my church decided to organise a group project of making handmade quilts and blankets for a non-profit called My Very Own Blanket, which gives these blankets to children in foster care. While making the quilts for this project, I felt how much love and care could go into a handmade quilt. This feeling stayed with me ever since.
After leaving my job and starting my small business owner journey, I found a new sense of fulfilment in the creative process of making quilts. I decided to focus more on quilts to continue this rewarding work of creating blankets that will bring warmth, joy, and love to many more people. On my quilting journey, I discovered the "Making Memories Huggable" method for designing t-shirt quilts, created by Lauryn Martin (@LaLaSewz on Instagram). I fell in love with her process because it's visually interesting and allows for greater variety of shapes and sizes in the quilt blocks and the sizing of shirt graphics I'm able to accommodate in each quilt. I purchased her book and decided to adapt her style of memory quilts into my own quilting design practices.
Quilts for Good
Less waste + community support
Memory Keeper Quilts has partnered with Friends of Forgotten Children, a non-profit organization based in New Hampshire. They work with a textile recycling company, earning a few dollars for every pound of fabric they recycle.
My quilt scraps are recycled through this program, which reduces waste and landfill impact, and the money generated supports their important mission:
"Our Mission is to assist children, families and seniors experiencing hardships by helping to improve their quality of life and ensure greater stability and success. Through cooperative, working relationships with local service organizations, Friends of Forgotten Children fulfills necessary supplemental community needs by providing food assistance, self-help training opportunities, clothing and holiday gift wishes...all at no charge to clients."