Holding onto Clothes for Sentimental Reasons

Hi ladies!

A quick update firstly- I just started summer work again cleaning hotel bedrooms which is extremely exhausting work, which is why I haven't been on the forum in the last week at all. During my evenings, I have been packing up my possessions as I am about to move in with my boyfriend for the next year. I'm very excited! Anyway I'll be back on in when I get into a routine with work and sleep!

So when I was packing, I came across my old college hoodies (and lots of other stuff that made me very sad and nostalgic) and I was wondering what to do with the hoodies. Obviously I don't want to wear them but I want to hang onto them as mementoes of undergrad life.

Two of the hoodies are from my university cycling club and they have the club logo on the front of them, and the other hoodies is my class hoodies with the class motto on the back and the university logo on the front.

So, what is the best way to store these hoodies. Should I put them away in a box or am I being overly sentimental. My other idea was to cut up the logos and mottos from the hoodies and place them in a scrap book or use them in some sort of memorabilia sort of thing. The only thing is that I need access to a sewing machine for that.

So should I

a) stop being so sentimental and chuck out old clothes

b) put them away and pull them out every now and again

c) get crafty with them (would love some suggestions for this!)?

16 years ago

Laura

(website)

Veteran

You should hang on to them! Maybe one day you will open that box and not feel sentimental about all of the sweatshirts and therefore will want to only keep one, but until them, I say, save them all.

p.s. in Angie's closet-cleaning posts, she suggests creating a "sentimental" box ... nothing wrong with that.

planetamy

Active Member

I think it's perfectly fine to save these things. I still wear my college sweatshirt around the house. Perhaps that would be something you could do? That way, you're still getting use out of them.

Otherwise, if you want to just pack them away (I have several shirts from college that I will never wear again but won't throw away, either), I suggest using those space bags where you get rid of all the air, making the bulk almost non-existent.

Hope that helps
Amy

Maya

I saw a girl on WNTW take a Mickey Mouse shirt she felt sentimental about and have the Mickey part framed and signed by S&C. Your scrapbook idea sounds similar.

I wear my college sweatshirt in the winter as loungewear because it's warm and cozy. Hoodies have their place in life! Just not outside the house

Storing them is my least favorite option, only because it doesn't seem to serve any purpose, other than to refrain from tossing everything. But it's not like you'll see them or use them, so it is basically like tossing them. I have done that with some stuff myself (like toys from childhood), only because I'm not quite sure what else to do. You seem to have more creative options though. I would keep them as loungewear or do something crafty. If they're the huge kind with lots of fabric, maybe you could make a little pillow out of them?

shiny

I wish I had saved my college greek sweatshirt. I don't know where I would've stashed it for all these years, but now that I have teenage girls, i would've loved to give them this sweatshirt to wear. This is just the sort of thing they would appreciate too: we found a vintage sweater with DD's high school logo on it, it must've been from the 50s, and DD16 just adores it. She loves vintage stuff.

With that said, the sweatshirt was white, so I'm guessing it would be quite yellow had I saved it.

Otherwise I love Maya's ideas.

P.s. thank goodness for facebook because my college friends have posted a scanned in photo of me wearing that very-same sweatshirt.... along with my fellow little sisters when we got initiated. So at least I have that!

JewelryGirl

I haven't read all the responses but save. My SIL makes quilts out of old sweatshirts & jeans. They are way fun! That might be a cool way to still enjoy the memory & use it in a different way.

Louise

I was going to say liike Maya get them framed and display them proudly x

Chris

I have a box with "sentimental" clothes - I even have a tshirt from the place my husband and I got married (the Little White Wedding Chapel Drive Thru in Vegas) and no way will I give it up. I wouldn't wear in public either!

If space is a premium, you can get larger size Space Bags at Target/Walmart/Dollar stores and flatten things out for storage plus it keeps better.

I would wear a few items like that for gym wear if they make you happy.

Kristen

I have some t-shirts and sweatshirts I have stored for sentimental reasons although I would never wear them now. I think it's common, and natural.

My mother-in-law recently made a great gift for my brother-in-law, who is a grown man in his 40s who's been a rock-concert-goer and sports player and fanatic all his life: she took all of his favorite t-shirts from over the years and made them into a quilt. I cannot tell you how thrilled he is to have it!

Angie

Fashion Stylist

By all means box your sentimental goodies, Dawn. It’s great idea to hang onto items like that but keep them away from the things that you wear every day. We have two sentimental boxes in our garage that we will keep forever.

I’m excited about the new phase in your life! So fab! Have a safe move and pop in when you’re settled. We miss you already.

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