3-D Memory Collage

I am really bad at scrapbooking. I have made baby book scrapbooks for each of the three kids, and that's it (and even those peter out after a few months old -- sorry, kiddos). But I love mementos, and I save a ridiculous amount of sentimental stuff -- movie ticket stubs, receipts, matchbooks. And then they sit in a drawer or box. Hmm.

I've had this bag of stuff from our trip to Ireland, oh, almost six years ago. I kept meaning to put it in a scrapbook or something, but then it would all just be in a book on the shelf. I wanted to be able to see it.

Since I've been experimenting with sewing fabric onto paper, I thought... why not sew paper onto fabric? A little nutty, yes, but it works. I also wanted a way to include things like the feathers we'd found on an Irish beach, and the road map we'd used navigating the countryside. So I sewed a little pocket to tuck these things into. And for a little Irish flair, I added an appliqued shamrock. All these were sewn onto a scrap of linen fabric I had leftover from previous projects, and then stapled onto an artist's canvas from the craft store (on sale, 2 for $8.99).



I am absolutely in love with the result. It's like the best of a scrapbook, mixed with the display qualities of a shadow box, and I love that you can really interact with it. I can pull out the map, the five-year-old (who was in utero at the time of this particular trip) can play with the feathers... it's fun! And it's pretty, if I do say so myself.

If you want to try something similar, sewing photos onto fabric, my one caveat would be to remember that fabric stretches and paper doesn't. You have to be willing to accept some puckers and irregularities. Although, honestly, I think that kind of adds to the charm of this project. I kind of love how homespun mine looks.



Now that I've started messing around with this technique, I'm excited to explore the possibilities. I wonder what else I can put through my sewing machine? This could get interesting.