Posted: 3/14/06
Preserving Memories: Local women get creative
By Jane Palen, Managing Editor
With the approach of spring comes the events that memories are made of: proms, graduations, weddings. Plenty of photos are taken to mark the occasion, and maybe the photos will make it into an album someday.
But two local women have found ways to use photographs to create unique keepsakes that will be treasured for many years to come.
Scrapbooking
In recent years, scrapbooking has enjoyed a return to popularity. Stacey Meyer of Caledonia became interested in scrapbooking because her maternal grandmother kept scrapbooks that told the stories of both sides of the family. She would look at the scrapbooks when she was was spending a quiet afternoon at her grandmotherís house.
The importance of telling the familyís stories became even more clear after her paternal grandparents passed away. Their house was being remodeled for another relative, and a fire broke out. Although many photographs were lost, there was a positive sideó in the process of collecting photographs from family members, they heard the stories that made the photos more meaningful.
Stacey decided to take a class in scrapbooking shortly before her second daughter was born. She found herself with lots of photos, and wanted to do something with them. She had decided to stay home with the girls and became a consultant for Creative Memories, a company that makes scrapbooks and scrapbooking supplies. It provided motivation to get her own albums in order.
Stacey believes that after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, people have made an extra effort to connect with family and friends, which is another reason scrapbooking is coming back.
ìPeople need to get their stories out,î said Stacey. ìItís our connection to the past.î
As a former English teacher and speech coach, Stacey knows the importance of story-telling, and even though the oral tradition has faded away, scrapbooking has become another way to tell a story. And the best part is that anyone can do it.
There is a difference between the tradition and the craft of scrapbooking, Stacey explained. The tradition includes preserving photos and journaling, and the craft includes embellishing the pages.
ìThe craft is more decorative. It can be as easy or as complex as you want.î
Itís important to use archival quality materials so that the work you put into the scrapbook isnít lost over the passage of time. Some materials can cause photos to deteriorate.
The first step in successful scrapbooking is to get organized, said Stacey.
ìIt can be overwhelming if youíre not organized,î she said. Her technique is to try to stay current; sheíll deal with the backlog another time.
Many tools are available to create interesting scrapbook pages. Photos can be cropped in a variety of shapes to fit the design of the page and emphasize the subject. Pages are decorated with colored mats, stickers, and of course text. Having the people and the event described is very important.
In addition to having special events in her own family chronicled through scrapbooks, Stacey also makes gift albums for friends and family. The gift albums can be for a life event, such as graduation or wedding, or for a special project. Stacey made a hobby album for her father that followed his restoration of a 1938 Ford. The album color matched the car, and he takes the album with him when he attends car shows. A calendar is another gift that is appreciated and can be readily personalized.
Scrapbooks can be therapeutic for older adults who are suffering memory loss from diseases such as Alzheimerís, Stacey noted. It can be therapeutic for a patient to create a scrapbook with assistance from another family member, or to feel a connection with the past by looking at meaningful photos of familiar people and places.
Stacey finds that scrapbooking provides a creative release, and likes the fact that she can create something important for her family and have fun at the same time. She also enjoys teaching scrapbooking through Community Education.
Photo quilts
delight grandchildren
Irma Klug, an award-winning quilter from Caledonia, has found a way to create warm memories for her grandchildren. She transfers photos to fabric to make quilt blocks, which she then fashions into full-size quilts. She has so far made 20 quilts and has four to go. The grandchildren are given the quilts for their high school graduation, but they usually stay with her for safe-keeping until the grandchildren are settled.
Irma said the idea probably came from a quilting book. She made the first quilts by getting photos made into iron-on transfers. Now, she can have the photo transferred directly to fabric. The grandchildren and their mothers help her select the photos and the colors and patterns to be used in the rest of the quilt. Irma said she thinks the mothers are more excited about the quilts at first, but the grandchildren appreciate them more as time goes on.
It takes about a year to finish a quilt, and Irma starts when the grandchildren are juniors in high school. She currently has two quilts underway. She has to limit herself to working on the quilts no more than one-half hour at a time to avoid eye strain. Once the quilts are pieced together, Irma does all the quilting by hand. Making the quilts for the grandchildren is a labor of love, but Irma admits to feeling a sense of relief once she finishes a quilt.
Irma has been quilting for about 30 years, and all seven of her children have quilts that she has lovingly stitched by hand.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com