#the keepsake project

[thekeepsakeproject]

this blankey was given to jodi throckmorton when she was a baby by Virginia Wareheim, a friend of her mother's and my sister's baby-sitter. she’s been sleeping with blankey since then. her mom offered her $500 when she was in high school to get rid of it--blankey was so important to her that she refused. she wishes that blankey were a keepsake that she could store in a chest or put away for safe-keeping, but she still relies on it for a comfort (not in a creepy way...of course). it is seriously degraded--every morning she finds pieces under her pillow, on the floor, in her dog's fur. it started crumbling when she was in high school and her grandmother tried her best to keep it mended until it was too late. she tries to think of it as an ephemeral object...but her husband worries about what will happen when it finally falls completely apart. will she ever sleep again?! oddly enough, she was never ashamed of it or embarrassed that she would be made fun of (which she certainly was). it's a running joke with family and friends and makes a yearly appearance for family on Christmas morning.

[thekeepsakeproject]

this needlepoint belongs to shari altman. her beloved Gran (Henrietta) made and gave this to her about 7 years ago right around the time she moved to vermont. she has since passed away, and shari will never part with this. as a child, shari remembers going with gran to the yarn shop that was owned by her godmother. she loves that the hanging she chose to give to her and her husband features owls, as they often hear them in the woods near their house.

[thekeepsakeproject]

this is person. 

he belonged to her grandfather and sat on his dresser. her grandfather took him along in his toiletry bag when he traveled (and her grandparents traveled a LOT).  she can vaguely remember person coming along with her grandparents when they would visit.  her grandfather died when she was 9 and somehow, person was passed onto her.  that felt like a big deal to her then, and it feels like a bigger deal to her now.  this is the item that she most strongly identifies with her grandfather, and the fact that it's now hers feels huge, as though her grandfather is with her.  person sits on her "dresser" today, and he goes with her in her toiletry bag when she travels.

[thekeepsakeproject]

patty hilgado bought this huipil in guatamala. she is originally from guatamala, and has a small collection of huipils from all over the region. they mostly made in mexico and central america. they are often very distinctive by region - with varying colors and motifs. in general the traditional ones are made from a simple square pattern, and are hand woven and embroidered.

patty saw a woman wearing this huipil one of the times she was visiting. she asked if she could buy it, but the woman refused. patty mentioned if she changed her mind she should find her at her hotel. a few days later the woman was standing outside of her hotel and offered to sell it. she said the money would do better things for her family than keeping the shirt. 

it is one of patty’s favorite huipils she’s ever seen. it is exquisitely made. 

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on ::

beth reynold’s husband bought this camera as a christmas present shortly after they moved to vermont. it was shortly after she expressed an interest in film photography. she was ecstatic when she opened it, and delighted when the the prints finally came back. waiting to see what developed was part of the fun.

this camera also changed the direction of her life. in 2009 she used it to take pictures for a book that became her final project when she was getting her degree. during this creative process she discovered her passion for analog technology: cameras, fountain pens, dictionaries and typewriters. as a children’s librarian she tries to help introduce kids to transformative experiences. while this includes books and current technology she loves presenting them with opportunities to slow down and find wonder - to step away from busyness. she credits the camera for this outlook.

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on ::

carrie k. has a small collection of pills boxes. it started with one that she inherited from her grandmother - the square one with the ruby color stones. the gold one she found herself. the enamel one was gifted to her by her partner - who ended up having an addition to pills. 

she likes the utilitarian aspect of the pillbox. she also likes the idea of them as small vehicles for communication - like little mailboxes. [she’s exchanged notes in them before]. the idea of boxes/containment and potential for containers to be magical spaces also lead her to collect them. 

finally she finds that medicine has been a theme in her life. what is medicine? she remembers that when she was a child she’d pretend to take candy as medicine. 

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on ::

this stocking was knit by lisa seibert’s great aunt marabeth. it’s the 1945 xmas stocking that came from women’s home companion. aunty marabeth made a stocking for every baby born int he haughey family. she ended up making the same stocking for 5 generations before her death. 

lisa loves the tradition and family history the stocking signifies. marabeth made stockings for her husband and each of her 3 children. 

growing up she has amazing memories of visiting the lake with her dad, cousins, aunt and uncle, her great aunt and uncle and her great grandma pearl, and the stocking reminds her of those times. 

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on ::

this was given to john held jr. when he was born. he has 3 brothers. they each got one. the cross stitch was designed by a friend of his parents. he has carried it around with him his whole life, enjoying it’s late 40′s kitschy aesthetic. he as a very large art collection, but this is the one constant. it’s currently hanging in his bedroom.