Sentimental Journey

I am quite a sentimental person and often wonder why we keep the things we do. I tease my husband for having so many of life’s keepsakes, but actually I’m in serious competition with him!

I’ve been spending time going through boxes of old letters, cards, cassette tapes and nick knacks that have somehow travelled this far with me in life. Having time to do this now feels good. It’s freeing to reevaluate what I keep and why. I confess to a bit of help from Marie Kondo’s mantra “Does it bring joy?” as I sort, thank, discard and reorganize what I keep. 

It’s interesting to think what other people collect and hold on to. Some of these keepsakes like teacups for example are something I enjoy celebrating in my work. They have a memory and connection to shared rituals at a time, a place and with people which I cherish. 

My fabric stash collected over the years from markets, travels and favourite fabric shops has been pruned, but not notably so, with mask making this year. I’ve always meant to make a quilt that incorporates these pieces and the stories that go with them.

I have been surprised by some of my findings. There were things carried unopened, not looked at for so many years, that I had no idea were there. This is the perfect time to ponder the past, put things in their place, appreciating all the stories remembered through them.
This is my new mission, within the simpler quieter life that is now. 

I have some shelves in the studio where I keep some of my favourite keepsakes, pictured here a little Delft teacup that I love to draw.