Keeping memories alive through embroidery

“My granddaughter, Addison, turned 2, and we had her birthday party on a Saturday. On Monday, she and my daughter, Emily, were at my house after we’d been shopping. When her phone rang, she didn’t recognize the number. A lady said, ‘I think I’m with your husband. He’s had an accident.’

“My husband, Jay, jumped in our car. I got in a car with Emily and Addison, and we began driving to the location. On the way, the lady called back and said they were taking Allen by Life Flight to Hermann Hospital. So Jay and Emily went to the hospital, and I took Addison home.

“I kept thinking, he’s going to be OK. Then Jay called and said, ‘Are you sitting down?’ I said, ‘Just tell me.’ And he said, ‘He’s not going to make it.’

“Allen was born with an arteriovenous malformation in his brain. Never knew he had it. He stopped for gas on his way home from work, and that’s when it ruptured. A few days later, Emily had to decide to take him off life support. Allen was such a good husband and son-in-law, and a great daddy.

“I had done some sewing and crafty projects. I also had bought an embroidery machine. But I was kind of intimidated by it, and it just sat there for a long time. A few months after Allen died, someone suggested that I make Emily and Addison a memory pillow from one of his shirts. I had a friend do the embroidery because I was afraid to attempt it. Then my sister was like, ‘You can do this.’ So I took another shirt, tried it, and it turned out beautifully. And I felt like I had been doing it my whole life. That’s kind of how Mimi’s Memory Boutique was born.

“I make a lot of pillows, and ornaments in the shapes of crosses, hearts, stars, butterflies, you name it. Whatever people request, I make it as meaningful as possible. A poem I often embroider is, ‘This is a shirt I used to wear. When you hold it, know that I’m there.’ When people send me orders, they may include a picture of their loved one and tell me about the person. There are so many special stories.

“As difficult as it was after Allen died, doing this also was healing for me. It helps keep his memory alive. And when I share my story with others who lost someone, it creates this bond. They know it’s so much more than a business for me. It’s personal.”

— Lisa Joiner

Check out Lisa’s Etsy shop.