Two women contacted me yesterday. One asked if I could make a small quilt using baby clothes. The child has since grown up, and the mother wants to cling to a sweet time. The other woman wondered if I could make twin sized quilts for her sons using their grandmother's clothes. That matriarch has recently passed away and was known for her bright shirts. It will be sweet to help preserve the connection to their grandma. 

I have done this before, incorporating the fabric of garments that warmed people. Clothes can be an expression of what we love. Plus something more tangible than sweat rubs off and lingers. Mothers who tuck one of their own t-shirts beside a sleeping infant know this. 

The person who walks with Ben said to remind him to wear a jacket. With a hood. Such things protect him from the chill, and make the ramble more enjoyable. 

Next week brings a Christian holiday that celebrates clothes. The story we are commemorating is when Jesus entered Jerusalem. The cheering crowd pulled off their own garments and spread them on the path. The service I attend will reenact this. The symbolism of offering something we wrap ourselves in to welcome Christ speaks to me as a fabric connoisseur. 

When the clothes I will repurpose arrive at my door, the first step will be to cut them up. This can seem drastic, and yet it also suggests that the memories we hope to collect must be chopped out of context. Cherry picking works for turning baby clothes into a quilt that will keep us warm. Never mind the details like crying in the night, or tantrums. Those can fall away, as we embrace the precious feelings. 

The faded fabric will not lessen the beauty of those shirts and onesies that once were a second skin to someone they love.