Crafts & Hobbies Information

A Playtime Project: The Memory Quilt


A friend recently suggested a use for my daughter's first wardrobe, which I've dutifully saved in the back of the closet, and lugged on two long distance relocations. Turns out she's done the same thing with her daughter's first clothes, and we've decided to make memory quilts. This playtime project preserves my little girl's everyday playclothes for no other reason than that they are hers.

Having been raised in a somewhat non-sentimental household, I jumped at the chance to engage in something that could possibly boost child emotional development at the same time that it provided a way for my daughter to feel connected to happy childhood events. I suppose it's my way of compensating for something I always wished I had. By the time I was born, the fascination with baby girls was past, and whatever I used and wore was handed off to Goodwill when I was finished with it.

The project lets you conserve storage space by cutting those favorite 0-3 month outfits into workable squares-or if you're an experienced quilter, you may feel confident experimenting with different shapes. I've never tried this before, so I don't want to complicate it with my perfectionist tendencies. I want to turn this into something we can do with our daughters-it always surprises me how young children can take to things that we assume are beyond them.

I went through the clothes to separate them according to "cuttability." Fearful of violating airline luggage allowances, and mindful of movers' square footage guidelines, I've unwittingly reduced the cherished collection little by little; this last relocation I was so desperate to conform to the rules that I left behind many of the pieces I had faithfully saved. Our having been in the Caribbean this past hurricane season further persuaded me to fork over even more of the little wardrobe to children whose homes (and wardrobes) had been destroyed. The pieces that remain are so few in number that I find I cannot bear to take the scissors to any of them.

And so the playtime project will consist less of quilting, and more of time spent sitting on the floor, arranging tiny high-tops, Mary Janes and workboots into shadow boxes. There's also the first jean jacket, overalls and the dress Little One wore to "school" when she was four months old. All of these are small enough to pass for doll clothes, and therein lies their preciousness. The rest are tiny crew neck sweaters, a little rain slicker, and the pajamas she wore in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit. These, with selected Boston Globe front pages will go into a trunk alongside the baby book (volumes I and II), the photo albums of the first years, and The Scrapbook; to be opened with great fanfare on some birthday after "we" have reached the Age of Appreciability.

Tricia Wellington


MORE RESOURCES:
Google

Collections and Hobbies
The News Journal, DE - 9 hours ago
Visitors to Dover?s Museum Square will have an opportunity to celebrate the hobbies of two extraordinary physicians during the ?Collections and Hobbies? ...


MySpace links up with the OpenID Foundation
Current IT news from heise online, UK - 14 hours ago
They can now cache certain profile data, such as favourite films, job, and hobbies for 24 hours. They can also store core profiles, which include data such ...


LIFESTYLES/2008 Miss Neshoba County Pageant
Philadelphia Neshoba Democrat, MS - 8 hours ago
Her hobbies include reading, shopping and spending time with friends. A senior at Leake Academy, Miss Winstead is a member of East Philadelphia Baptist ...


The Hobbies or Vices That Get You Through the Day
Wall Street Journal Blogs, NY - Jul 18, 2008
Readers, what are the hobbies or vices that help you cope with modern life? Trashy novels, cigar smoking, horoscopes? Do you collect international beer cans ...


This is Money

Boys $15000 dearer than girls to raise
NEWS.com.au, Australia - Jul 18, 2008
The London study found parents will splash out $4407 each year on their sons for clothes, gadgets and hobbies. The study, which examined the spending habits ...
Bringing up a boy costs $14000 more than raising a girl Melbourne Herald Sun
Why boys, not girls, are more high maintenance Times Online
Gadgets and sports mean boys cost £7000 more to raise than girls ... Glasgow Daily Record
Daily Mail
all 22 news articles


New hobbies
Calgary Herald,  Canada - Jul 10, 2008
While Todd Bertuzzi may still have some mileage to go on his career, I am appalled that, in light of his being far more of a thug than we've ever had on the ...


Local man uses hobbies to promote Selma
Selma News, NC - Jul 17, 2008
Since his retirement, he?s made hobbies of photography and web design and uses them daily to promote the town he calls home. Mullen relocated to Selma 41 ...


Amputee athletes ready for Extremity Games
The Associated Press - 9 hours ago
Adaptations once only seen at the Paralympics are trickling down to amateurs expecting similar effects in hobbies like skateboarding and mundane activities ...


7 Reasons Not to Dismiss Statin-Caused Pain
U.S. News & World Report, DC - 9 hours ago
Not being able to walk down the stairs without pain, say, or participate in cherished hobbies can put people experiencing strong adverse effects of statins ...


Youngstown Vindicator

HOBBIES FEEL THE PINCH
Youngstown Vindicator, OH - Jul 12, 2008
And to ease the overall financial burdens caused by expensive gasoline and a slow economy, some people have been giving their favorite hobbies less ...

Hobbies - Google News

home | site map
© 2006