Two different hand stitched letter holders ...

 I gave you a glimpse of the letter holder I have been busy making since I got home from South Africa late November. I asked for one of my late Dad's shirts to be kept for me so I could use it in a sewing item & I had it in my mind to make a complimentary letter holder with it. 

I made a letter holder to keep my Mothers letters & cards in nearly a decade ago when she passed I used a vintage cloth that belonged to my grandmother, then used by my Mother as the base for her hand sewn holder.  This is her letter holder  - very feminine & in the colours she loved. The little crochet work was some of my grandmothers & I used them on this work. 

For my Dad's, I used the shirt as the main part with the button flap visible. I had bought some fabrics with a milagro heart print on it in black, red & gold. Dad was spiritual rather than religious so this fitted well as it is a sign of love for humanity, the flame reaching out of the heart with a cross evident.  I have a large gold milagro heart at home & I like the symbolism  of it. 

This was some of my standby fabric in case I did not have a shirt to work with. I also bought some fabric with inspirational words that fitted & knew it was dependent on the shirt colours & patterns. 

My Dad loved the comfort of denim & he wore it so well with his tall, lanky frame so I always knew some additional denim would be needed. The round patch on the front of the holder was one from the shirt sleeve, the sort of elbow patches we had on our high school blazers & it was a perfect shape for the front.  I used the epaulets from the shoulder in the inside as flaps - I had no pattern, it just flowed as I sewed  & cut. 

I made a second, more flat letter holder with various fabrics layered over it - stitching heals the heart for me; this is backed with denim again & is a perfect size to slip the old photos & documents in. 

These two masculine letter holders join my journals & my Mothers letters on my desk upstairs - within easy reach to re-read the news but safely kept together. 

It is a relief to have completed something tangible but useful - it really is the small things that matter in how we remember people & keep memories safe. Have you done anything similar? Please share ... 

Thank you for stopping by & taking the time to read, 

 Dee 💕