Piecing Together Memories
In the process of clearing out my storage space, I am once again faced with a dilemma that creeps up every few years…what can I part with, and what am I still too attached to that I can’t bear to give it up? More specifically, can I throw out my 28 year old daughter’s dance costumes or my 30 year old son’s soccer and baseball uniforms, each ranging from size 5 toddler to adult? The kids have long ago irreverently told me to chuck them, but as I hold each one of them in my hands, I can hear applause, feel a swell of pride and love, and generally bask in private reveries of young motherhood in all its sweetness and anxiety. These artifacts are poignant reminders of hours spent trekking kids here and there, saying silent prayers that they would achieve the goals they set for themselves, passing around oranges during half-time, fund raising, car pooling, cup cake baking… you know the drill. I have downsized over and over through the years, but these treasures… how could I possibly throw these out?
As I discussed this with my mother over tea the other day, her friend Kathy suggested a memory quilt or wall hanging. She told me how she had saved swatches of important old clothes and made a quilt out of them before she tossed them. She even relayed how she had kept a few swatches of buttoned shirts and worked them into the quilt in such a way as they could be unbuttoned to expose a note or important document. What a great idea! I could see that same idea working with pockets from old clothes as well. Besides recycling by making something functional out of cast offs, the resultant quilt or wall hanging would not require storage and would still be a tangible symbol of events that took place in the history of my children’s childhood. Displaying it would be a way of sharing the memories with the whole family. OK, I'm convinced. Where’s my needle?
Click here for directions on how to make a memory quilt.
Too busy but think it's a good idea? Click here for someone who'll do it for you!
Visit Nona Nita's Nook at http://www.nonanitasnook.com for information, ideas, and reviews of products to support modern, enlightened grandparenting and
My Path Productions at http://www.mypathproductions.com to help you follow a more authentic life.
As I discussed this with my mother over tea the other day, her friend Kathy suggested a memory quilt or wall hanging. She told me how she had saved swatches of important old clothes and made a quilt out of them before she tossed them. She even relayed how she had kept a few swatches of buttoned shirts and worked them into the quilt in such a way as they could be unbuttoned to expose a note or important document. What a great idea! I could see that same idea working with pockets from old clothes as well. Besides recycling by making something functional out of cast offs, the resultant quilt or wall hanging would not require storage and would still be a tangible symbol of events that took place in the history of my children’s childhood. Displaying it would be a way of sharing the memories with the whole family. OK, I'm convinced. Where’s my needle?
Click here for directions on how to make a memory quilt.
Too busy but think it's a good idea? Click here for someone who'll do it for you!
Visit Nona Nita's Nook at http://www.nonanitasnook.com for information, ideas, and reviews of products to support modern, enlightened grandparenting and
My Path Productions at http://www.mypathproductions.com to help you follow a more authentic life.
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