Thursday's Treasure

You may recognize this ruffled bowl from a few weeks ago.  But how cool is it to see it beside the outfit it is made from, WORN by the person meant to be remembered?  That is my late grandmother from Michigan, and the bowl was special ordered by my aunt.  She had the idea to display the bowl with the photo, and I thought it was the most special touch ever!

~*~

My aunt had this bowl especially made for her daughter, my cousin Jody.  The photo shows our grandmother wearing this outfit at Jody's wedding.  The bowl and photo were given to Jody recently, and I received some very, very kind words about the reaction the gift got.  A big thank you to my Uncle Phil for snapping the photos, and to Aunt Irene for sending them... twice!!  xoxoxo

Super Special Order

When is a robe not a robe?

When it has become a bowl!

~*~

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.

~*~

~*~

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.
~*~

~*~
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.

~*~

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.
~*~

~*~

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.

~*~

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!