Creating Donor Memorial Quilts
Infinite Legacy’s Donor Memorial Quilts are created to celebrate the legacies of those who have given the gift of life through organ, eye and tissue donation. We display memorial quilts at our events in Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington, DC, honoring our generous donors. We also use memorial quilts to raise awareness about the lifesaving impact of organ donation and transplantation and the hope and healing it provides to donor families.
Our Memorial Quilt History: Honoring Organ, Eye, Tissue, Research and
In-Spirit Donors
Prior to merging in January 2023, The Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland (The LLF) and Washington Regional Transplant Community (WRTC) each had their own respective quilt program. WRTC’s Donor Memorial Quilt began in 1995 and The LLF’s followed in 2001. Collectively, the two organizations completed 47 quilt panels.
Since April 2023, Infinite Legacy has revealed five new quilt panels to honor the legacies of our donors. Each year, new quilt squares are created by donor families and pinned to an in-progress quilt at our Annual Ceremony of Remembrance.
Did You Know? Our quilt panels continue to grow every year.
One seam of each quilt panel is always left open for new “patches of love” to be added. When one panel is completed, a new panel is created. Each panel is unique, symbolizing the individuality of each of our donor heroes. The quilt panels are all held together by the common thread of love.
If you want to honor your loved one who was an organ, eye or tissue donor, follow these directions to create a memorial quilt for our next Annual Ceremony of Remembrance. Before you begin designing, ensure you meet our requirements below.
Creating a HANDMADE QUILT SQUARE in Honor of Your Loved One
- Your quilt square should be cut to exactly 8 x 8 inches. Within the 8-inch square, allow 1 inch on all four sides for the seam, ensuring that your content fits within a 6-inch square. Please print and reference this template as a guide.
- You can use fabric, puff paint, iron-on transfers, patches and other craft materials to create your memorial quilt. Please note that all materials must be permanently stabilized and suitable for washing.
- Contact our Aftercare Team to inquire about adding your completed square to our quilt.
Creating a DIGITAL QUILT SQUARE Online to Honor Your Loved One
- We suggest using the free online design platform, Canva, to create a custom quilt square. Canva is user-friendly and allows you to upload your own photos, if you wish to do so. We have a variety of templates available for you to use HERE.
- For more tips and tricks customizing your quilt square, please watch our video tutorial here.
- Your design should be 6 x 6 inches and downloaded as a high-resolution .jpg or .png file type.
- Upload your digital quilt design using our submission form (coming soon!).
- All digital quilt submissions will be professionally printed on fabric and available for pinning at the next Ceremony of Remembrance.
The digital quilt square submission form for the 2026 Ceremony of Remembrance is coming soon.
Questions?
If you have any questions on how to create a memorial quilt to honor your loved one, please reach out to our Aftercare Team.
Email: aftercare@infinitelegacy.org
Aftercare Direct Line: 443-833-1147
Join Us for Our Annual Ceremony of Remembrance
Interested in attending Infinite Legacy’s Annual Ceremony of Remembrance? Our event is open to donor families in Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. Please reach out to our Aftercare Team with any questions.