Parentless Parents: Remembering Your Dad on Father's Day

Father's Day can be particularly challenging if you've lost your dad. I'm a mom of two young children, and my father passed away when my son, our oldest, was just 18-months-old.

While I'll be happily celebrating my husband and father-in-law this Sunday, part of me will also be grieving, even though it's been nearly 10 years since my dad passed away. Indeed, 47% of all survey respondents in my new book Parentless Parents say they grieve more on Mother's Day and Father's Day than celebrate.

One of the best antidotes for missing my dad is doing my best to keep his memory alive. My father was an architect and wore a handsome necktie every day to work. After he died, I couldn't imagine throwing them away, or even donating them to charity. They reminded me so much of him. Instead, I decided to honor what they meant to me, and made a made a beautiful quilt out of them. That's the quilt in the photo below.

To make the quilt out of my father's ties, I turned to The Gazebo, an online quilt making company. All I had to do was give them a bag full of his ties, and the magicians at The Gazebo did the rest! Of course, you can always make a quilt yourself, or locate a quilter near you.

My quilt is a conversation starter. When my kids ask about a certain swatch of fabric, I can tell them a story about my dad, and the time I remember him wearing that particular necktie. The quilt is just an extra special little reminder of my dad that I treasure, even more on Father's Day.

For more ideas on how to keep the memory of your father alive, check out my at Keeping Their Memory Alive blog.

Have you ever transformed a piece of old clothing into something really special?