Meet Jayne who creates Memories to Treasure using keepsakes and garments from those we've lost

When married mother of two Jayne Dixon lost her father suddenly and unexpectedly in 2016 little did she realise that her profound grief would be the catalyst for her thriving business ‘Memories to Treasure’.

The Wirral based 57 year old decided to make keepsake cushions and bears for family members from her fathers shirts and jumpers and such was the interest from friends and family that within a year ‘Memories to Treasure’ was born and the order book was full.

Whist bears form the mainstay of the business, with over 1000 produced to date, cushions are also popular gifts for birthdays, christenings and anniversaries. With an average bear taking between 5-6 hours to make and bespoke orders taking much longer Jayne insists that each bear passes her strict quality control standards.

Jayne said:

“When customers bring me a garment to produce a ‘Memory to Treasure’ it is often the only thing they have left belonging to a loved one, so there is no room for error and precision is the key. Often the garments are heavily patterned so matching can be a challenge”.

With 85% of Jayne’s business coming from bereavements, sometimes in the most tragic of circumstances, Jayne says there can be many tears along the way but the most rewarding part of her job are the tears of happiness that come when a customer collects their finished orders.

Jayne continues: “Turning precious garments from loved ones into heirlooms and keepsakes fills me with joy. It is completely different holding a bear, full of personal touches, to holding a lifeless garment that would otherwise live in a drawer”.

With ‘Memories to Treasure’ expanding rapidly, Jayne has now operates from a studio and to date has no plans to mass produce the keepsakes. Jayne says “The story behind the garment is so important and will often lead me to adding some extra touch or detail and the personal connection with the customer is what makes doing this job so worthwhile and rewarding”

Whilst Jayne has fine-tuned a standard pattern for her ‘Memories to Treasure’ Bears, she has produced some spectacular bespoke orders for a whole range of customers and circumstances. During the pandemic she produced an NHS bear, many of which were bought for doctors, nurses and key workers and she has also produced bears from uniforms of all descriptions for retirements. Keepsakes (cushions) start from £45 and bears start from £75.

The keepsakes, produced on Wirral have now been sent to customers worldwide including Canada, America, Australia, most of Europe and right across the UK.

Jayne continued: “Every bear reminds me of my mum and dad and being able to turn someone’s grief into something beautiful is why I love what I do”.

With Christmas just around the corner Jayne is working extra-long hours at the moment secure in the knowledge that her keepsakes will produce many a festive tear on Christmas morning and the hours of love that she puts into every stitch will be appreciated and treasured.