Feel their presence

Just wondering … do you think fabrics hold memories?
My sense of reality tells me:
“No! Of course not, the memories are in your head, not in the fabric.“

Maybe telling myself this is just a way to rationalize how crazy it sounds and I should just ignore my feelings. Because, I do want to believe that inanimate objects carry their history with them. Or, maybe what I’m feeling is really just my heart hoping it is true.

You see my family are collectors. We hold onto heirlooms and we search antique stores, flea markets and garage sales for special finds. I have always sensed inanimate objects carried their stories. When my mom died, I inherited one of her every day aprons. I love finding it when I sort through the box of family linens. I think of her cooking in the kitchen and her giving me a warm hug.

I also received a collection of my uncle’s ties after he passed. I cut-up them up and re-assembled them, crazy quilt style, making pillows for his wife (see photo), one for myself, and one for his sister.

Around the same time I made the pillows, I convinced my uncle’s wife to give me 12 of her favorite t-shirts so I could could make a t-shirt quilt for her. I really challenged her with this request because the shirts were so precious to her. Each shirt carried a story about a road race, friendship, or her love of gardening. I suspected she thought I would ruin them and her memories would be lost. When the quilt was completed, she cherished it. Now, after her recent passing, the quilt is back in my care.

So this is why I’m wondering about all this. I have these things that belong to special people in my life. Are my feelings just wishful thinking? Or, is it true that when I hold these textile objects that once belonged to someone I loved, that I indeed do feel their presence.