Recent experiences of births and bereavements have thrown into focus the changing stages of my life, with each progression marking an end to one stage as much as the beginning of the next. Belongings that I have progressively accumulated act as memory triggers but also symbolise these losses, such as the loss of my childhood or the loss of my 'single' status. Within this piece – Catherine Fuller, 1982-2011– I referenced Victorian memento mori, where images of the recently deceased become memorials through the addition of other significant materials, such as using human hair in surrounding embroidery. By photographing my varied collection of objects and adding embroidery with my own hair, I am building a memorial to my past selves, playing on the common assumption that photography acts as a preserver of memories. Quilting also has strong associations with memory. Traditionally, fabrics came from existing family quilts or important clothing such as wedding dresses. Patch templates were made from significant pieces of paper such as personal letters, which would sometimes be left within the final patchwork – layering fabric memories on top of paper ones. In this piece, the images of my objects on fabric become patches. Their templates are photographs representing the stages of the quilt production. The final patch is an image of the quilt itself – yet another object to add to my collection.

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