One of the hardest things for me to do as a mother is purge Jacquelyn’s closet and drawers of the clothes she has outgrown. It makes me sad to rifle through these material reminders of a babyhood slipping by too quickly.
I sold a few precious dresses on eBay and teared up as I handed the packages over to be mailed out. I could kick myself for selling those wearable mementos to strangers across the country, never to see the cuteness again. I learned my lesson – now I hoard. Bags of her too-small clothing sit on her closet floor. Some will be reluctantly traded, some will be passed to friends with baby girls born after Jax, and some I will keep to remind me of her sweet babiness, a time of cuddling and cradling – a time I will surely covet. I already do.
For Jax’s birthday present, I sacrificed a few of my most cherished of her tiny clothes, mostly pajamas, teeny shirts and onesies worn during her first few months. I commissioned the mother of a dear friend to fashion a quilt made of these items. It was a somewhat painful decision – paying somebody to cut up the precious PJs and cute clothes, but the result took my breath away – an heirloom created with remnants of her infancy that she won’t remember but will make her feel loved throughout her lifetime.
Dorothy did an outstanding job, stitching together a masterpiece of memories that will keep my baby girl warm. I hope Jax will cherish this quilt the way I cherished the clothing used to create it. I hope it comforts her when she’s sick or sad. I hope she takes it with her when she leaves our home to live her life. I hope she adds to the memories and someday gives it to her daughter for warmth and comfort.
Dorothy is unbelievably gifted in her craft. If you are interested in having her make you a custom quilt of memories of your very own contact her at: dot_quilt@cox.net.
Each tiny square of fabric is a piece of Jacquleyn’s babyhood. Someday I will show her pictures of herself in the clothes that created this quilt.
Some of the pieces were too precious to be cut up, so Dorothy sewed them on whole. The top left bodysuit is what Jacquelyn wore home from the hospital, the top right is a bodysuit she wore in a sweet photo taken of me and her together, the bottom left is one of my favorite things she has ever worn, the bottom left is the bodysuit she wore the day after she was born, right before the nurses took her from me for 3 days of photo-therapy. And the middle, that is truly precious – it’s the first piece of clothing to ever adorn her body, minutes after she left mine.
The striped sashing between the blocks of squares is pieces of the swaddling blankets we took from the hospital.
The back is lined with ultra-plush and colorful minky fabric for extra comfort and softness.
I was not compensated in any way to write this post. I purchased this quilt and loved it so much I decided to share the information on how you can get one of your own. All opinions stated are my own.
