My mom died three years ago this month, December 21. My sisters and I cleaned her closet out, making different piles from the articles of clothing. One pile would go to an aunt who wore the same size. Another pile would go to various charities our family tries to support, and one pile would be thrown out because it was too worn, stained, or out of style for anyone to want.
As we sorted, we shared so many memories of when Mom wore a certain item; where we were, what we did, who was with us. Laughter and tears were our constant companion as we went about our somber task, until the last item was in it's proper pile.
The throw away pile was fairly large because Mom rarely threw anything away. She was a quilter. Fabric was precious. When a garment was no longer usable, it was ripped apart and used for quilt scraps. Zippers, buttons, lace, were all saved and stored away for another use when a need arose. The fabric was saved for patches, rags, and especially quilt scraps.
Knowing that saving what was salvageable was what Mom would have done with that pile of cast offs, we decided to do the same thing. We decided that we would take the fabrics from Mom's worn out clothes and make memorial pillows. My sisters and I took the scissors and seam rippers and got to work. We made patchwork pillows. All of us got one. I am sorry I do not have any pictures. Each sibling took their pillow with them as they returned to their own home. My pillow was given to a cousin who came to visit and commented that she would love to have a memorial pillow from Aunt Winkie, too. Since I still had boxes of the scraps, I gave her mine. I knew I could always sew myself another one.
One day my daughter told me about seeing a story where the clothing of a dearly departed had been made into a bear. She asked me if I could sew bears. She would love to have a bear made from the scraps from Grandma's clothing. I told her I would see what I could do.
A few weeks later, I presented her with the first of several bears that I have completed. Once that daughter had one, all of the grandkids had to have one, of course. It thrilled my heart the way the children received their memorial bears. Of course, each one was different because the scraps were just chosen at random out of the box. They turned their bears over and over, telling their own stories about when Grandma wore this dress or that blouse. It was truly a labor of love to sew the little critters.
My daughters lost their dad last year. I was presented with a sack of his favorite western shirts. They requested pillows and bears from his shirts. The bears have already found their new homes, but I still have two pillow tops needing to be completed. I used the snap flapped pockets from the left side of the shirt as the centerpiece of the pillow top. This is the pocket that would have covered his heart. My girls are anxiously awaiting the completion of their memorial pillows.
I hope you like these little scrap memorials and consider making your own memorials when the time comes. These have been such sweet reminders of good times with a dear relation. The pictures were taken with a little Canon Sure Shot Elph 115.