As far as holidays go, we got off to a late start this summer, and I decided to spend a few days combining packing for our three-week holiday with the grandparents with a wardrobe clean-out.
My girls are 10 and 12, and we suddenly discovered they have nothing to wear. Last year's shorts are too small, the trousers are too short and even the T-shirts are tight in the armpits. I feel guilty, but you can't lay all the fault on me. They have been in school uniforms for the past 10 months, so how could I know?
In the past, I loved taking time to clean out my girls' wardrobe. I would sit and reminisce about each piece - the frilly little dresses, the funny-looking jeans that were large enough to fit a nappy, the T-shirts with silly messages. I remembered which pieces my daughters especially liked and which ones I liked best. I remembered where they were bought, too, it seemed.
Most of my girls' clothes were passed on, in one way or another. Some had been so well loved that they were converted into rags. But some were keepers: a hot pink velour pants-and-jacket set bought at a chic chop in Fremantle during a holiday in Australia. My eldest was only two and very afraid of the kangaroos. I also kept my youngest daughter's first one-piece, the mint green terry-cloth jumper (with feet) that she wore when she left the hospital. It's so tiny, we once put it on a doll for a laugh. It's hard to believe our kids were once so small.
My parents were born into farming families during the Depression in Canada, and their frugal habits have stuck. I hate throwing things out, but in our cramped Hong Kong flat, I have learned that one must make room. I refuse to be a hoarder! And so, by combining my interest in creative works (especially making things with my hands) and my desire to hang onto tangible memories of my girls' younger years, I have found the perfect solution: quilting.
This also satisfies my practical bent ... I loathe oil heaters for drying out the air in our flats each winter. So, every autumn, the big pile of home-made, hand-me-down quilts of varying sizes comes out, and my kids give a cheer. It's become a tradition, like decorating the tree at Christmas. We enjoy snuggling up in these quilts through Hong Kong's cold snaps.
