Remember When. . . I monkeyed around with Carelooms?

​After teaching thousands of students, it is not surprising that 
I was contacted by a former student to create an heirloom for her.  Stacy had lost her son, Anthony, to the disease of addiction five years earlier and was ready to have something made from his favorite jacket.  As we talked, I became more and more impressed with Stacy as she casually explained how she had taken her grief and channeled it into helping others battle this disease.  She does not just talk but also walks alongside other families through the DSAA (Donegal Substance Abuse Alliance), and has become the first CFRS - certified family recovery specialist thru the PA Certification Board in Lancaster County.

I was humbled by this remarkable woman. As we started to talk about what she wanted to have done, she explained that she has a grandson who was too young to remember his father. Since Anthony loved monkeys, Stacy wanted two monkeys made from the jacket, one for her and one for her grandson.  She planned to use her grandson's monkey to help tell Anthony's story when he was old enough to understand.  

The first challenge I tackled was that I did not have a monkey pattern, and I also did not have a name for a monkey.  My bears are Bearlooms, my rabbits are Harelooms - but what to call a monkey?  Nothing was coming to mind until I decided to make my whole line of animals Carelooms!

My attention shifted to a pattern. Luckily I have friends who had monkeys who were willing to help with the design.  I started by creating a pattern from Monk Monk Holland. From there, Otto Fry and Mr. Pirece helped me to alter the pattern until I was content with Remember When Studio's Monkey Careloom.

To test the pattern, I bought a jacket at a thrift shop and tested it out!  This taught me that the arms needed to be narrower at the shoulder and, although I remembered the pocket for the Story Starter, I forgot the pocket for the heart in the front. It would also be helpful to revise the eyes so they stood out on a dark background.  "Monkey" found a good home with my good friend Reese who adopted him on her 2nd birthday.

Next time at the thrift store, I looked for woven fabric and found this fabulous vintage girl's dress which resulted in a slimmer monkey.  The fabric was reinforced with interfacing and the other alterations were made.  The monkey Careloom was born!

Now I could start on the monkey's I had promised.  Stacy had told me that she could not bear to wash the jacket, but was OK if I did.  She also told me that it was OK if all the stains did not come out.  That was great because after 2 days of soaking in Oxiclean, some did not.

The mix of the brown satin lining, the brown ribbing and the plaid outer fabric made adorable Carelooms.  The white behind the eyes was Mr Pierce's suggestion and the long legs were a special request from Stacy. The stuffed felt heart is attached at the shoulder with the pull cord from the hood.  It slips in to a special pocket in the chest, where hearts belong.

Stacy's Careloom has a special tattoo that came from the front of the jacket.  Her grandson's Careloom is embroidered with "Stinky Butt," his father's pet name for him.

The Monkey careloom was born through trial and error and a little help from some friends.  Have an idea for a Careloom of your own?  Contact us and let the creative process begin!