MEMORIES ARE IN THE MAKING

By Missy Taylor, Owner of Memories in the Making

Elephants, pillows, and bears! TeddyCoat Junction, owned by Melissa (Missy) Taylor, in Pomaria, SC, is home to MEMORIES IN THE MAKING. MITM is a local and Etsy based business, sending thousands of custom sewn memorial designs across all 50 US states. What started in 2019 as a single request from fellow artist Chrissy Massey of Gifted Hands by Chrissy in Beaufort, SC for a “Memory Bear” for a family member led to an instant response of, “What IS a Memory Bear????” That initial lack of knowledge was followed by what can only be considered “God’s Plan,” as I educated and created my way to a “Memory Bear” design of my own device. A subsequent SHARE of images to a Facebook crafting group quickly brought in requests for custom bears from across the US. Boxes of garments shipped with notes about loved ones and/or events had me instantly hooked creatively and emotionally. By 2020, unbeknownst to me, Memories In the Making took the #1 slot in a Google search, and requests for my designs exploded overnight. From there, it quickly went from a part-time project to a full-time business. A wonderful and fulfilling 25 year medical career had come to a close, and helping “heal” people would take on an entirely new meaning.

From a loved one’s clothing left behind to a wedding gown or mink coat, our story is woven into the garments we wear. Greasy swipes on the front of an old worn white T-shirt speak to a father who spent his days working on cars in the backyard, becoming testimony to the strength and determination of the man. A rubber raincoat pulled from a closet decades after a young daughter’s passing brings smiles at the memory of a beautiful free-spirited girl puddle jumping in a downpour. A yellowed 75-year-old wedding gown brings sparkles to the eyes of a Savannah bride as she recalls her “father sitting to pick her gown at a time that it just was not something men did... but he did after mom passed unexpectedly during the engagement.” Our moments in time are most often documented by what we wear, and they carry the chapters of our lives.

Some 3000+ bears later, I have a passion for sharing other’s stories through textiles and an understanding that the creative gifts God gives us are meant to be shared for the enjoyment of others. We can heal with the talents with which we are gifted, and when that happens, it becomes our own blessing. It is my honor to preserve other people’s stories for generations to come.

You can check out Memories in the Making designs at www.Createmoredimensions.etsy.com or www.facebook.com/TeddyCoatJunction?mibextid=ZbWKwL