We all know by now that we should find a way to reuse gently used clothing as our children outgrow them. For 90 percent of my children's wardrobes, this is exactly what we do. But I also have a collection of clothing that fall in the category of "too special to share," even if they are only special to me. You know what I'm talking about ... the sweet little pale purple T-shirt worn by both of my daughters to family picnics. Or my youngest child's favorite pair of pants that she carried around as a blankie long after she outgrew them. These items are not particularly expensive or well-made. It's more the memories they evoke then the garments themselves that makes them special. Still, I can't bear to part with them. But I've always felt a little guilty for keeping a pile of perfectly good clothes laying around.

 

I think I might have found the solution to my conundrum. I'm going to send my pile of treasures off to Willow Creek Studio, where they will be transformed in to a one-of-a-kind keepsake quilt that my family can cherish forever. Willow Creek Studio was started by a mom who, when packing up her own son's clothing, realized that she could not put the lid on the box. Instead she wanted to reminisce over each piece of clothing. So right then and there on her son's bedroom floor, she cut his tiny clothing into squares and created her first memory blanket.

 

Quilts range in price from $80 (for 16 pieces of clothing) to $660 (for a queen-sized quilt made from 132 pieces of clothing.) What a great way for parents to reuse and recycle those cherished old items of clothing!