A Playtime Project: The Memory QuiltA 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 updated Wed. April / 24 / 2024 The Benefits of Gentler Hobbies Next Avenue The nostalgic crafts that are making a comeback Yahoo Movies UK New restaurant and new crafts store planned for Bradenton shopping center development Bradenton Herald 6 Craft Hobbies Everyone's Talking About In 2024 Country Living UK Crafts retailer Joann files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as consumers cut back on pandemic-era hobbies The Macomb Daily Lancaster Countians win PA Farm Show ribbons for crafts, hobbies, plants, square dancing LNP | LancasterOnline Craft and hobby classes in St. Louis St. Louis Magazine Having a hobby tied to happiness and well-being Harvard Health One Tank Trips | AdhDiy Craft Cafe KSHB 41 Kansas City News The Latest Craze in Hobby Crafting: Becoming a 21st-Century Blacksmith The New York Times Joann fabric and hobby stores enter bankruptcy; post-pandemic craft decline cited - The Mercury News 8 Craft Hobbies Set To Be Popular This Autumn And Winter Country Living UK The 20 Most Relaxing Hobbies to Try This Year Country Living UK Joann craft retailer files for bankruptcy St. Louis Post-Dispatch The Alphabetical Guide To Craft Hobbies | A-Z List Of Crafts Country Living UK 4 Craft Hobbies To Try Out This Summer | Best Summer Crafts 2023 Country Living UK Hobby Supplies: How to Organize Your Hobby Room with ADHD ADDitude magazine Rug Tufting: An Old Craft That's New Again Next Avenue Second Saturday event at Factory attracts shoppers, crafts: in photos Columbia Daily Herald Best new hobby deals for 2024: Lego kits, DIY jewelry making, ClassPass subscriptions, and more Mashable Union Township man nets 34 ribbons at Bloom Fair; locals get 156 ribbons Shenandoah Sentinel National Craft Month - March National Day Calendar 8 new hobbies to try in the St. Louis area Ladue News Six Independent Craft Stores to Visit in Around Boston Boston magazine Meet Mike Larisey, owner of Maritime Hobbies & Crafts Ltd Downtown Halifax Will circular economy become 'hexagon economy'? BusinessCloud Looking to pick up a new hobby? Indigo Studio is here to help. inputfortwayne.com Craft fairs, Hobby Con in Williams Lake this weekend Williams Lake Tribune New Year New Skills: 31 Hobbies To Pick Up In 2024 Outlook India NATIONAL CRAFT MONTH National Today Cobblestone Crafts listed for sale after four decades for $679K HollandSentinel.com London Named UK's Craftiest City | The Most Creative Areas Country Living UK The Heritage Crafts On The Brink Of Extinction Country Living UK OPINION: A love letter to arts and crafts Indiana Daily Student The Best Craft for Each Zodiac Sign Best Life Katie McAllister has a multitude of hobbies that all correlate to crafts The Central Trend Best craft classes for adults in Los Angeles Los Angeles Times Bored at home? Now’s the perfect time to pick up a new hobby CNN Underscored West Virginia Hobbies & Crafts: A 25-year success story Huntington Herald Dispatch As It Turns Out, You Don't Actually Need to Be Good at Your Hobbies Apartment Therapy Leny Handy Crafts: How a hobby became a business Manila Bulletin Business Intel: Crossroads Hobbies and Crafts Roanoke Times Handicrafts and hobby store giant Milbby to open its first branch in the province on the Costa del Sol Surinenglish.com Endangered Crafts and the Destinations Keeping Them Alive (Published 2019) The New York Times Yo! Easter offers skills, sports and hobbies for everyone | City Of Wolverhampton Council Wolverhampton City Council How to Keep Hobbies Organized — Using the Kit Method for Hobbies Apartment Therapy Best craft kits for kids that could inspire a new hobby Evening Standard 10 Hobbies That Earn You Money The Times of India Hobbies and Crafts Theme Cruises Cruise Critic 20 Summer Hobbies You Can Start Today The Everygirl Hobby Lobby vs. Michaels: Which craft store is better? Business Insider 30 Best Hobbies for Women - Creative Activities to Fill Your Free Time Good Housekeeping The 16 biggest controversies in Hobby Lobby's five decade history Business Insider Business Intel: Salem Hobby Shop Roanoke Times Lost trades: The industrial origins of crafts and hobbies National Science and Media Museum Druid City Makerspace offers room for people who create arts, crafts Tuscaloosa Magazine Crafts & Hobbies City of Aurora Arts and Crafts Are Experiencing Surge in Popularity Amid COVID-19 Smithsonian Magazine Nobel prizes most often go to researchers who defy specialization – winners are creative thinkers who synthesize ... The Conversation
|