Memories

Sometime ago I saw on Pinterest or on Facebook or somewhere in a magazine these items and thought they would be cool to make.  Memory pillows are made from shirts worn by a loved one.  The cut fabric (from the front and the back of the shirt) are sewn together with the buttons on the front center.  After the stitching, the fabric is turned to the right side, a pillow inserted, and the shirt re-buttoned.  A pillow is made with the 'case' the loved one's shirt.  I also spotted a verse to embroider on a patch that could then be sewn onto the front of the shirt as a tender reminder from the loved one that he/she is close by - always.

 

When Leo died in March and we were sorting through his clothes later, I grabbed several shirts.  He wasn't really one to wear button up shirts; rather he wore more polo shirts or a t-shirt. Most of his button up shirts were white ones that he wore with his Lions Club DG blazer.  Later when Agnes was so sick and Karen and I were sorting through some of her clothes.  Several blouses were in the stack and I added those to the ones I already had from Leo's closet. 

Someone mentioned the DVDs of the video played during Leo's visitation, and I said I had all of those and planned to give them to everyone on Christmas Eve.  The wheels began to turn, as they often do.  Could I do it?  Could I put together a meaningful Christmas gift, one to be cherished, one so timely for the first Christmas Eve to celebrate without the family patriarch and matriarch?  Yes, I could!

 

You know, much as people fuss about spending time on the computer, checking Pinterest, or communicating through texts and emails, much can be accomplished in a short amount of time using the internet.  An instructional video on YouTube.  Pictures on Pinterest with a link to a blog full of instructions.  A friend in Michigan who has an embroidery business on Etsy.  Other than the delay of the first mailing and the necessity of the second mailing through the 'old reliable' postal service, it was relatively easy to complete the project.



Christmas Eve arrived.  After the game with the purple presents, Landon and I distributed the big gift bags to Gary, Sandy, Karen, Mike, Megan, Hilary, Nick, Amanda, and Shelby.  In each bag was a pillow with a patched message.  The siblings received two DVDs, each one containing the slide show from each visitation.  Also in the bag was a gift card holder containing a flash drive of the pictures.  The cousins received at least one DVD.

 

As expected, there was silence, then exclamations of surprise and sadness, then tears and hugs.  Most meaningful for me were the comments from the others.  Mike told me that this was the best Christmas gift he had ever received.  Sandy hugged me and said this was so special and thanked me for making the pillow for her.  Karen was crying and said something similar to Sandy.  Gary and the girls knew I was making them and they had seen them before Christmas Eve.  Hilary told me that Amanda had tears in her eyes as well.








When I was searching for a few more shirts, Gary found two upstairs in the house at The Farm.  One was a denim shirt that he remembered his mother wearing often and he wanted that one for his pillow.  The second one was a green and blue plaid shirt with a blue corduroy collar that was one of my favorites of hers.  I made a pillow for me from that one.  Hilary selected a blue pajama top of Grandpa's for hers, and Megan wanted the green plaid pajama top pillow because her cover picture on FB is of her and Hilary with Grandpa wearing that shirt.  The extra Grandma pillow I had with the bicycle appliques on it was one that I offered to Nick as a substitute for the one he received, if he didn't like that one.  Angie wanted it, so it is returning to Kansas with them. 





I still need to make a pillow for Clay and one for Kent.  I will be searching for more shirts after Christmas.  Then I would like to make four more pillows for each of the great-grandchildren.  Another way to keep their memories alive! 






What to do with the leftover fabric from the sleeves and the collars and the tails of the shirts?  What to do with all of those white shirts?  Throwback to the original quilting fabrics from the days of my great-grandmother----I'll cut squares from the remnants and eventually piece together quilt tops for lap quilts.  I can use some of the pajama pants fabric also.





You know, when I think of the best Christmas gifts, I always thinks that those which come from the heart are the best and most memorable.  While I will enjoy my new microwave and think of the family each time I use it, I know that the memory pillow will hold a special place in my heart as one of the favorite gifts of Christmas 2016.