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My favorite recent project is seen here, lounging on an old family rocking chair, memories on top of memories.

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And I didn’t plan this, but I see a painting of the old family homeplace this chair came from leaning on the wall in the background of this shot.

Memories on memories in front of memories.

It may be one of my favorite projects ever, and it was very easy and very fast.

I took a bunch of my children’s old dresses they had outgrown, outworn, and outloved. They were too far gone for donation, with a hole here and there, a bleach stain, a stain stain, but I couldn’t bear to throw them out.  Too many photos of them wearing these fabrics. Too soft with washing and playing.

Too many memories ached into the weave.

For a pattern, I cut out a square of cardboard the size of the biggest pieces of the fronts and backs of the dresses below the yokes, which allowed me to salvage two squares from each little dress.

I spread them out so no matching squares touched and it looked right, sewed them together in rows, and sewed the rows together.

After that, I cut a piece of flannel the size of the big rectangle of patchwork and sewed them right sides together all around the edges, leaving several inches for turning.

After turning right side out, I sewed all around close to the edge and again across the seams to “quilt” it.

It’s rather wabi-sabi, but I love it every time I see it, and the kids like it, too. They especially like that I included a couple of pockets.

Pockets are a love that starts in early childhood and continues life long, I think.

Can I hear it for pockets?

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and soft, worn, dresses?