Lost Childhood Object - "Borrowed Memories"

Recreating Elyona's childhood object began when I listened to her describe her beloved toy bunny. In her depictions, Elyona told me about her favorite stuffed animal growing up. She remembered asking her mom to buy her the bunny at the store, and to her surprise, her mom said yes! Elyona recalled loving the bunny so much. She told me how it was white and fluffy. Pristine and without a stain because she took such good care of it. Elyona went on to describe how the bunny sat up on four legs and had pink ears that poked straight up. She remembered distinctly that the ears were not floppy, but stood upright even without wires. She also described the classic puff-ball tail that the bunny sported on its backside. She recounted how the face had realistic proportions. Two small black eyes with a conjoined nose and mouth. Elyona remembers her young friend stealing the bunny from her room, and being devastated she was to lose it.

Now, the process of actually making this bunny was more taxing than I had expected. I grew up hand-stitching doll clothes, so I thought it making this bunny would be easy for me. I had forgotten how much time and attention it takes to actually finish a sewing project. Nonetheless, I had a fun time sewing and stuffing the bunny. The process even reminded me of my own childhood. Painting and attaching the pink ears was one of my favorite parts. I loved seeing Elyona's verbal descriptions come to life visually and tangibly. I put the four small white feet on the bottom, so the bunny could sit up. I then bunched up the curly white material and put it on the back for the tail. I think it really brought together the essence of the bunny. Lastly, although the bunny was supposed to be white and pristine, I felt it lacked something. I wanted to represent how much Elyona loved the bunny, so I stitched a small red heart on the front. 

In the end, I was happy that I could give Elyona her bunny back. Because of the time constraint, I was not able to add minor details that would have made the bunny even closer to the original. I would have loved to take more time to fully recreate the memory for her. Honestly, it was an odd undertaking for me to create something visual from someone else's memory. It was a new experience to create a specific image without a visual reference. However, this made the process a challenge for me, and a fruitful exercise in caring for others.