Handmade Memories
I wanted a nice new closet system in my office closet and the construction was slow but it finally got done and looks great. The only problem I had with the whole idea is, how on earth do I get all that stuff back into the closet?? I am a pack rat by nature, but for the most part it's organized. I love putting things into zip lock bags or boxes and labeling things. Okay, I do not have OCD, but I just hate having to look too long for something when a notion has taken hold. I hate waiting on hold on the phone listening to promotional miss mash and I hate standing in line at a restuarant. So instant gratification is a good thing. Hence the little bags and boxes in my life that have cluttered up my office closet.


So all that clutter came out and some is still laying on the couch and the rest is out in the hallway waiting for some decision on my part, what to save and what should go. This is the bain of my existence right now. Mind you, the majority of this stuff is NOT mine but my eldest son's things. Okay, well maybe it's mine, sorta. It's stuff that all mothers keep to remind them of a child's past. I have things in there like one of his first art projects in high school, a baseball tropy, his winning Pinewood Derby car, a bench he built in shop class, and on and on and on...and one very old suit case from the 60s.

I was on a cleaning jag this morning and was going to put all of this stuff in the hall closet when I decided it was too much for the little closet and now what was I going to do; dig through it of course! I opened the first box and almost teared up.

There on the top of the pile were hand made baby things and a pair of baby shoes from my first son. Now what mother wouldn't stop and pick those things out and admire them? So, I fished them out and had a thought. Why not blog about hand made things from the past? These items were not made by me, but were gifts from some lovely person who gave of her time and efforts to make a timeless keepsake treasure.
These are those lovely items that I found (except the shoes). There was a very small blue and white afghan, a little white jacket and only one bootie.

Here is a close up of the baby afghan. It seems like a very simple pattern but I do appreciate every stitch and the time it took to do everyone. I can't remember who made it but I do know that I saved it because it was made with love 25 years ago.
I feel the same fondness for the little jacket. Now that I look at this picture closer, it looks like it was crocheted. I know that shell stitch anywhere. I guess I put it on the oldest boy once or twice, because I can see stains on it that look like, well... you know-yak.

So my sort of Meme for all of you who breeze through here is to talk about some treasured hand made item, that was not made by you but an item from someone who loved/loves you enough to give it as a gift. Happy Hand Made Memories!