How It Works – Frequently Asked Questions

It’s easy! It works like this

• Have a look around the website and decide what you’d like. If you’d like to use baby or children’s clothes it’s all here Baby/Children’s clothes keepsakes, and if you’d like to use adult clothes click here Keepsakes from adult clothes (request a brochure for full details)
• If you have any questions or would like to talk things through before ordering, please just get in touch (use our contact form or call us on 07395 257520). There’s also lots more information on this page.
• When you’ve decided what you’d like, contact us to place your order. For baby/children’s keepsakes you can order via the website booking system, using our contact form or by calling us on 07395 257520. For adult clothing keepsakes, please use the contact form. Links are provided on all product listings so just follow the instructions for the product you are interested in.
• We will confirm your order by email, confirm your estimated delivery date and request a 50% deposit which secures your place in our order book. The final balance is due shortly before your order is returned to you.
• You send your clothes to us – most people send them by post. See more details here Sending Your Clothes. We normally need your clothes about 3 months before your estimated delivery date.
• We make your keepsakes, and let you know when they are nearing completion, and bill your final balance.
• Your keepsakes are returned to you by Royal Mail Special Delivery.

We can deliver to addresses within Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. If you live outside the UK and would like to order from us please contact us before ordering to see if we can help you.

Memory quilts are handmade patchwork quilts made from clothing and/or other fabric items. Memory patchwork lets you hold on to those precious memories and wrap them up in a snuggly quilt or cushion, creating a family heirloom and turning them into a functional item that can be on display in your home.

We’ve put together a range of designs that we know work particularly well made from clothing. Use the links below to find all the details, including sizes, pricing and clothing requirements for each design. You can also view lots of examples in our gallery.

Baby/Children’s clothes keepsakes

Keepsakes from adult clothes (request a brochure for full details)

Quilts start from £195 and cushions from £45. Postage to mainland UK is by Royal Mail Special Delivery, and included for orders over £150. If you live outside the UK and would like to order please contact us before ordering to see if we can help you.

We can make alterations to the listed designs (adjusting sizes, layouts, adding/removing borders etc.) or create an entirely bespoke design for you so please do contact us if you have something else in mind.

Some of our Adult Clothing Keepsake designs may also be suitable for children’s clothes depending on the clothes you have available.

We work hard to keep our waiting times as short as possible. We have consistently high demand and balance with keeping the team small so that every item gets the personal attention it deserves. We don’t want to rush the creation of your beautiful keepsakes! You can also book for a delivery date later in the year if you’d just like to get it secured, or ask us to pencil you in and let you know when we start taking bookings for the slot you’d like.

Please do ask if you need your item for an earlier date, as we can sometimes accommodate rush orders.

If you are planning to order for Christmas then it is advisable to book your slot as early as possible as we normally close Christmas bookings by mid September.

You only need to provide your laundered clothing. The price covers all materials other than your clothes.

Please see our page on Sending Your Clothes for more detailed information about selecting the clothes for your quilt or cushion, and how to send them to us.

The suggested clothing amounts for each item are included in the product listings or brochure, and are the optimum amounts for each particular item – if you have significantly more or less clothing that you’d like incorporated please let us know before ordering. You can also include other fabrics if you’d like to.

We Can Use: Most baby and children’s clothes, t-shirts, shirts, blouses, dresses, lightweight sweaters, baby grows, crib sheets, rugby shirts, ties, socks, suit trousers, lightweight denim, tea towels, tablecloths, handkerchiefs, bed linen and other similar items, curtains, comfort blankets, bibs, maternity clothes, socks.

We Can’t Use: Thicker fabrics such as heavy or open weave knits, toweling, heavy denim, coats, hats or gloves. PVC, leather, rubber, lycra/very stretchy items and treated fabrics like rain coats or macs, any item made from fabric that can’t be ironed.

The majority of our customers are from other parts of the country and mail the clothes to us. See more information here 

We’re based in Scarborough, so if you live nearby (or fancy a trip to the seaside!) then you can drop the clothes off with us (or arrange a consultation before ordering).

We need your clothes about 3 months before your estimated delivery date.

All your keepsakes are created either by Millie or Chris (Patchwork Castle owners) or one of our small team.  We will never outsource to a factory or unknown supplier. Everyone working with Patchwork Castle has been carefully selected for their sewing skills, creativity in creating beautiful patchwork from clothing and their pride in creating your precious keepsakes.

Handing over your precious clothes, full of memories, to a quilter is a pretty big step of trust. We know there are no second chances with your treasured clothes, and we take the trust you place in us very seriously.

Yes! A freehand embroidered greeting, date of birth, message or passage can be added to any of our keepsake items. This can be embroidered onto a patchwork piece, or added as a label (from £10).

A name applique is included on our baby clothes memory quilts. Additional names can be added on request.

You can also add photos to your quilt or cushion (printed on special fabric so it feels just like the rest of the patchwork) – from £5 per image.

Please just ask if you have any other requests and we’ll do our best to help.

For Memory Quilts – Clothing quilts are normally machine washable on cool, delicate cycle. The only exception to this would be where the clothes were not machine washable or where there is a lot of applique work. Air dry flat and fluff in the dryer on a cool setting. Full care instructions are provided with your finished quilt. The first time you wash your memory quilt the backing and binding will shrink very slightly. This is normal and helps the quilting stitches to settle into the fabric, and gives a traditional look.

For Cushions – Sponge cleaning is recommended. Patchwork cushion covers can normally be hand-washed if necessary, reshape while damp and air dry flat.

The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) recommend that you do not use a duvet, quilt or pillow for children under one year. For more information please see http://fsid.org.uk.

Please also note that these items are not toys and may contain small items such as buttons and other embellishments that may present a choking hazard (we can leave these out if you wish).

Patchwork quilts are not designed for use as loose covers on upholstered furniture.  Keep away from fires and naked flames.

Yes! Please see here.

Absolutely. Please do drop us a line with any queries. It’s a great privilege to create these keepsakes. We want you to love your memory quilt or keepsake cushion and are happy to help.

Yes! We have a great tutorial package to help you create your very own baby or children’s clothes Memory Quilt. There are also other products in the pipeline -please pop over to our Make Your Own page for the latest news and join our mailing list for updates.

If you purchased via the Patchwork Castle website:

• Please check it hasn’t been sent to your spam or junk folder.
• The system will use your Paypal email address to deliver the tutorial. Please make sure you are checking in this mailbox.
• If you still can’t find your confirmation email, contact us and we will track down your order, and send you a new copy.

If you purchased via Paddle.com:

• Please check it hasn’t been sent to your spam or junk folder.
• Please contact us and we will sort it out.

Absolutely! Please contact us, let us know your name and the email address you originally used to purchase the Tutorial. We will track down your order and send you a new link.

You can find the page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PatchworkCastleMakeYourOwn/ (please note, this group is only open to tutorial customers, and will ask for the email address you used to purchase when you request to join).