Why care about old stuff? Because preserving artifacts from historical events, or even just times, helps us and future generations learn about, remember, and honor the people and ideas that went before. Maybe you just want to be able to show the great-grandkids your grandmother’s wedding veil (the one with wax orange blossoms), or maybe you love the vintage baby blanket you found in an antique shop on some back road somewhere.

We’ve gathered up some resources for you in a small series. If you have sources and links to share, thoughts to add, stories to tell, comment below. We LOVE to get conversations going, so chime in! Today? Fabrics and soft goods.

Our Rosie thinks history is riveting!

From handed-down quilts to your first apartment’s barkcloth curtains to your daughter’s senior prom dress, there are lots of sentimental reasons to keep soft goods safe.

General tips and more resources, courtesy of the Minnesota history Center.

If you can’t bear to part with those baby clothes, here’s how to save them for future generations.

Maybe you have a relative’s flight jacket to preserve. Here’s the lowdown on that from the National Park Service.

Where to get archival supplies: Gaylord, Talas, and University Products.

And, as always, we can count on the Library of Congress to guide us to deeper knowledge.

(The “real” Rosie the Riveter: Who was she? And the well-preserved model for our meme? She’s real too.)