One of my favorite scrapbooking/crafty queens, Becky Higgins, has a product that she created a few years ago called Project Life. It has everything you need to create an album to chronicle your daily life. I don’t know if I could keep up with taking a picture-a-day for 365 days, but I do believe in preserving your memories. Maybe some day I’ll tackle that kind of project. But right now I’m into sewing…
I’ve seen these t-shirt quilts all over the internet. They come in all shapes and sizes. I had a friend ask if I would sew a quilt together of a bunch of her husband’s coaching shirts. I have sewn many quilts but never a t-shirt quilt. Loving a new challenge, I decided to give it a try. My friend was wanting this for her husband because of all the years that he coached their twin’s sports teams. I was very pleased with the way it turned out and enjoyed the process of putting all these memories together for her. Sorry to say that I don’t have a picture of that quilt. BUT, her sister-in-law wanted a quilt too. Her sister had 15 years (15 YEARS!) of t-shirts from the Jazz Festival that she used to go to in New Orleans. They were the most detailed event-type shirts I had ever seen.
I was so excited to sew them together and preserve those memories into a useful blanket. I placed the shirts in chronological order from the top to the bottom. As I stitched each shirt together, I found myself thinking about those years as they pertained to my life and what memories they held for me. What was I doing in such-and-such year? Oh, I remember this happening in this year! I also thought about how much fun they must have had at those events for a decade and a half. It was a true gift to put this quilt together.
And you know, it’s a funny thing about memories. Our brains remember things not only through what we see but what we feel. I am sure that everyone could tell in detail what they were doing when the Twin Towers were hit. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I have feelings and images attached with that event. Memories are what shape who we are or who we’ll become. This is why I think it is so important to be present, truly present in your life. When we are so focused on other things, we miss out on other memories that are being made in the present. It’s kind of like your life timeline doesn’t move forward. I feel that memories help me grow.
What memories are you creating today, right now?
THis is beautiful, what a great way to preserve your memories.
I use my sketchbook to record places I’ve traveled to or everyday items and it’s great to look back and see where I’ve been.
I have a project like this in the works, too! I have a box of cut up tees that I’m “crazy qtnuliig” into a t-shirt quilt by placing them on newsprint. And now, I have the space to lay it out and do it. Can’t wait!