Moving from one house to the next will make you nostalgic no matter how hard you try to fight it. Sorting through boxes of old photos, cleaning out closets full of clothes, and finding things that make you say, “Why did we keep this?!” are all part of the process. We are in the throes of moving from our home in Greenwich to our new home in Wilton.
Over the past three years my sons have gone from babies to big boys, and I have been sorting through a LOT of things. Old art projects, toys and most notably, clothes. Many of the baby clothes have already been passed on to friends or donated to charities, but there are a few that I just can’t part with. The outfit that they both wore home from the hospital, the soft first birthday crown with the silver number 1 on it, the monogrammed hooded towels that warmed them after their first real baths.
How can I display these precious memories in a creative way?
I was inspired by one of the FCMB posts on Facebook that asked moms to share the businesses they run. One mom posted that she runs a company that makes stuffed animals using the scraps from baby clothes. How cool! Why didn’t I pay more attention in 7th grade home economics so I could sew things for my kids?!
Thankfully, my sister did. She is my go-to sewing expert! So when my five year old had a loose tooth, I knew just who to go to for a special tooth fairy pillow. Using some fabric scraps and her creativity, she whipped up an awesome monster pillow in a day or two.
A quick search online showed me that not only could I turn these special pieces into stuffed animals and pillows, but all sorts of cool things. I am happy to know that even though my boys are growing up, the memories of their lives as babies can have new life!
Here are 8 ways to give old baby clothes new life:
- Stuffed animals
- Tooth fairy pillows
- Quilts
- Doll clothes
- Headbands
- Patchwork Christmas stocking
- Soft alphabet letters for learning games
- Bean bags for games