Lost Childhood Object

I feel like Daniel gave me a really clear picture of his object. I could picture the handheld stuffed dog that he’d described that was really cute and kind of floppy. I recreated it by stuffing the body with rice and the dog’s head with cotton, like described, and then cut fabric to make ears and sewed on eyes and a nose.

Since I had many materials on hand (you could definitely say I’m an art-supply hoarder), it was easy for me to use materials to help translate memory. I could use cloth in similar colors as described to craft the stuffed dog, and had enough rice and beads to add similar features. I had fun working with the soft materials and attaching them by gluing and sewing. I knew I would not recreate an exact replica of the memory, but my goal was to communicate the same moods brought about by the memory. From Daniels description, I knew the mood was soft and comforting, and from his reaction, I could tell he enjoyed what I’d made.

I loved seeing how he created my Polly Pocket’s pool party set, like I’d described to him. These items were obviously difficult for me to tell him to recreate, especially since he didn’t have many materials on-hand. Even though he ended up using random materials, I feel like he did a great job relating the feel of the toy set to the new recycling materials. The slide still looks really fun to make the dolls slide down, and I can’t wait to play with it in person.