Jennifer Kohl (left) holds a quilt handmade by Fran Flaherty. Clothing worn by Mrs. Kohl's husband, Heinrich, was used to make the quilt to help the family hold on to their memories. ANNETTE M. DROWLETTE/STAFF

''She says, 'That's my daddy's blankie,''' said the 2 1/2 -year-old's mother, Jennifer Kohl.

Handcrafted by Fran Flaherty of south Augusta, the 66-inch by 78-inch quilt in a kaleidoscope pattern of brown plaid material and solid patches of red, yellow and green was created from pieces of Heinrich D. ''Heins'' Kohl's shirts.

Mr. Kohl died March 13, the day before his 26th birthday, in an explosion at the BP Amoco Polymers plant.

''These are shirts he wore golfing or at family functions,'' she said. ''These are the ones I could let be cut up. He had this one orange shirt. I couldn't let it be cut.''

Mrs. Kohl contacted Mrs. Flaherty not long after the accident. Her mother had given her an idea of a keepsake quilt years before as a way to preserve Mrs. Kohl's softball shirts from her high school days.

Mrs. Kohl called several sewing shops in Augusta to find someone who could make the quilt and located Mrs. Flaherty. They talked on the phone and met the next day.

''She got it done in like two or three weeks,'' said Mrs. Kohl, who cried when she saw the finished product. ''It's very special.''

Mr. Kohl's name, nickname and birth and death dates are embroidered at the bottom of the quilt. The quilt is one of three Mrs. Kohl is having made. A second quilt will be made from Mr. Kohl's camouflage clothing.

''He was a big hunter,'' she said.

Mrs. Flaherty's husband, Richard, is an artist, and he will draw a deer head for the second quilt, which will become a part of its design.

Mrs. Kohl said she wanted to have the quilts as an heirloom for their daughter, who will never get to know her daddy.

Eventually, she plans to hang the quilt on a wall and surround it with some of his other possessions, such as his hunting rifle and a bow and arrow.

Mrs. Flaherty has been making quilts for more than 10 years and has made many keepsake quilts.

A favorite that people often ask her to duplicate is her grandmother quilt - a quilt with a collage of photographs of grandchildren.

The photographs are transferred onto material using a special process. Some quilts have been made using wedding photos, while others are a tapestry of family snapshots.

In addition to the two other quilts for Mrs. Kohl, Mrs. Flaherty is working on two other patchwork clothing quilts for some friends of Mr. Kohl.

Mrs. Flaherty doesn't consider her quilt-making a business.

''When I do these, I do them for cost. I charge very little. I can't bring myself to capitalize on that,'' she said. ''I get a lot of satisfaction out of it.''

Reach Charmain Z. Brackett at (803) 441-6927 or czbrackett@hotmail.com.