Saturday 1 August 2020

Memory Keeper

What a different challenge this has been.

This wonderful button sheet that dropped through my letterbox was a little bit of organised calm in the midst of chaos in May. The buttons were from Gwen who put together such a brilliantly tactile inspiration piece for this challenge.

My initial thoughts all ran along producing some sort of Penny Rug or something akin to the work of Sue Spargo. If you haven't come across her work I do urge you to check it out!

In the end though I kept coming back to thinking of buttons as memories and that is what I drew on for this challenge.

I wanted to create something that was, just like buttons, lovely to look at as well as useful. I also wanted the components of the piece to evoke specific memories. I have entitled this piece "Memory Keeper" as each element of this, from the choice of fabric used to the individual buttons included,  has a memory that it relates to.

The memories associated with these buttons are Gwen's not mine but together we have created a new set of memories, which is such a lovely thing to be part of in this particularly strange time.

As you can see my Memory Keeper was made to hang on the back of my chair at the sewing machine and filled with the tools I use the most I am all set up to start on making more memories!

Thank you so much Gwen for the wonderful inspiration and Janine and Catherine for organising such a great challenge. I can't wait to see my fellow Endeavourers inspirations and the pieces they have created from them.



Head on over to  Celtic Thistle Stitches to find out more about the memories involved in my Memory Keeper.


17 comments:

  1. Those buttons are so beautiful! I like your idea that this is a kind of collaborative work between you and Gwen, and that you have both contributed to this new memory piece!

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    1. Thanks Catherine, they are lovely aren't they it was hard to do them justice.

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  2. Oh, this is wonderful. I love the idea of a memory keeper, and you’ve done such a nice job with the buttons.

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    1. Thanks Barbara, the button sheet was such a great jumping off point for this challenge

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  3. What a clever way to use the buttons. I like the idea of a memory keeper, and how handy to have this on the back of your chair.

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    1. Thanks Wendy it will be a lovely reminder of this challenge every time I walk into my sewing room :)

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  4. Great idea and execution. Beautiful.

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    1. These challenges never go in the direction I expect them to, but they are always fun Debbi!

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  5. Fiona, when I saw this my mind went immediately to my mother's button box. Didn't every family have one back in the day? As I child, I would sort them for hours on end and ask my mother about the red velvet covered ones or the little butterscotch yellow ones. Where did they come from? What were they on, Mommy? I love how you took old memories and made new memories with them in collaboration with Gwen. Beautiful -and bonus points for useful!

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    1. I can still vividly remember the button tin my Mum had when I was young and the hours spent "sorting" them too Maureen. I did fleetingly think of making a box for this challenge, but decided that this chair caddy would be more achievable :)

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  6. I've never seen a button sheet but it makes so much sense. We had odds and sods in one of Dad'd old cigar boxes and it was always a rummage to find something. Your organiser solves that problem too!

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    1. A button sheet is very organised isn't it Ruth? There is something very calming though about rummaging through a button tin, especially when you are small and not looking for something specific :)

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  7. I love the way you've used these buttons to create a memory keeper that you can keep to hand. I can imagine you, years from now going through all sorts of item and memories (many of which are yet to happen) with your grandchildren and telling them of things that happened before they were born and when they were young and even about the Endeavourers and the buttons and inspiration coming from Gwen far across the sea in America :)

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    1. I was really keen to make something lovely and useful Janine and I can tell you that I already enjoy having this memory keeper hanging on the back of my chair with all sorts of bits and pieces waiting to be used :) I shall enjoy even more having the opportunity to explain how it came to be to a grandchild or two!

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  8. Great piece and way to use buttons! I collect them, have had them gifted to me when friends have passed, and generally acquire them various other ways. Like a beloved piece of fabric, I find it hard to use them.
    xx, Carol

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    1. I know that feeling Carol, which is why I am especially pleased to have used these special buttons in such a way that I see them every time I walk into my sewing room :/

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  9. I can't take credit for putting the button sheet together -- I bought a slew of them from an antique dealer years ago. I always thought they were commercial samples because they were all wired into their cardboard sheets the same way (and I loved the multicolor wire swirls on the backs as well), but I could be wrong. I love the way you interpreted them as a memory collection and combined them with your own buttons for a unique piece!

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