​Remember When. . . Dad always wore one of these ties?

​Up to this point I had been working on what would become Remember When Studio; taking classes, coming up with name, setting up my studio. Now I needed a client to beta test the idea when a good friend of my sister contacted me about a bag of old ties. The ties were from her friend's father, a car salesman who always wore a tie. As we talked, I learned that this man was a wood worker and had a unique signature he put on all his work. He was kind and committed to his family. He loved to email and always signed each one to his family, “Love yaaaaaaa.” After looking at some ideas pulled from Pinterest, we settled on two table runners and 3 pillows. When she left I felt so happy to have learned about this man and humbled to be entrusted with this bag of treasured memories.

 
It was a long time before I touched the ties again but they were rumbling in my mind. When I was ready I laid out all 45 ties and took a picture to preserve the starting point then started the task of removing the stitches from each tie. Through this I discovered some were handmade by his sister. So cool!
 
I found wonderful black wool to pair with the ties and started to piece. As often happens, this project evolved. Originally the runners were going to be rectangles with the design going one way, but I decided I much preferred the points on the ends and the square in the middle. I like it so much that I made a spare pillow with it. It also gave a clear spot to highlight his Maker’s Mark (hand embroidered) and "Love yaaaa!" (machine embroidered). I placed the Remembrance on the back as a private sentiment. One of my favorite touches is the tie used to border the zipper on the back of the pillows. I came up with that when I ran short on wool fabric, a fortunate mishap that lead to a design detail I will use again. 
 
This was the perfect beta test.  It told me that there are clients who will allow me to get to know someone’s story and give me the opportunity to participate in preserving that story. Most importantly, the woman were thrilled with their heirlooms. It doesn't get better than that.

Remember When Studio is up and rolling. Use the Contact Form to start your heirloom or to ask any questions!

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