Super Special Order

When is a robe not a robe?

When it has become a bowl!

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I had the tremendous honor and pleasure of meeting a wonderful person last week. She saw my memory bowl listing, and it resonated with her. Like me with my gramma's jammas, she has kept her late Gram's robe in her closet, unable to part with its sentimental value.

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We sent messages back and forth, and she decided to send me the robe to see if I could work with it. When it arrived, the first thing that struck me was the beautiful pale blue color. It was a size large, so there was a good amount of fabric to work with, too. The material was super silky and thin though (a poly/cotton blend), so I knew I would need to cut fairly large strips to make a sturdy bowl.
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There probably is a scientific or mathematical way to calculate the size that a bowl will be. We'd have to figure in many variables, such as the heft of the fabric, the width of the strips, and the size of the hook.

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I'm sure if I asked my husband, he would gladly put his math major to work and spin formulas into the night. But, I enjoy the approximation. I enjoy never knowing exactly how large something will be, or what shape it may take on. I love just letting the fabric take me on a little journey. Fortunately, my new customer trusted me to just make her something special.
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The bowl ended up being 5" across and almost as high! I listed it late last night thinking my customer would see it this morning. Nope, she snatched it up right away and sent me the nicest message. She said she had tears of joy in her eyes when she saw what had been created from her Gram's robe. She told me she took a carnation off the closed casket before she left Gram's funeral, and had pressed it in her bible. This bowl will be the new home for that carnation.

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This special item is on its way to Florida as I write. I can't wait to hear that it has landed safely in its new owner's hands. May she bring joy and many, many fond memories!