Purple Passion

Hello Blog Friends,

I have something quick and cute to share with you this week.  I work with a very special young lady named Heather (same age as my youngest daughter Kerri) and she is getting married in October.  Today was her wedding shower.

Heather's gift from me was this casserole carrier, made in her favorite color...purple.  The pattern is called "Casserole Carry-All" by Indygo Junction.  It is quilted in a 2" grid pattern (suggested in the pattern).  The pattern called for a bias tape binding, but I chose to bind the edges in the same fabric as the lining.  Insul-Bright was used as the batting inside.  I added a purchased a covered 9" x 13" glass pan and two wooden spoons for handles.

This was a fun and easy project to make.  Heather likes to cook and this was a perfect gift for her.  Here's the finished project:

And here it is with Heather, it's new owner:

Guess what Heather's wedding gift will be...you got it, a quilt.  More next week on that...

REMEMBRANCE OF FRAN

Hello Blog Friends,

I'm sorry to have been away these past few weeks with no explanation.  

Something sad and sudden has happened in my life...my dear mother Fran passed away on August 1.  It has been a very hectic past few weeks, making arrangements and getting her affairs in order.

Fran loved to sew and has been sewing from the time she was in high school...a career of over 70 years.  Ever since I can remember, she has been making something.  She was an accountant and worked in a busy public accounting firm.  She used to tell me that sewing in the evening was what kept her grounded, and helped her to relieve the stresses, especially in tax season.  She made my clothes when I was small, all the dresses for my wedding, drapes, even a coat!  In later years, she started quilting and has made quilts for me, my brother, and my girls.  Most precious of all, she passed the love of sewing on to me.

We worked on a project together 7 years ago, and made 10 quilts for donation to Project Linus.  

She loved the Flying Geese block and made a quilt for herself that she hung on the living room wall of her apartment.  

This is a trundle bed (one bed slides under the top one).  They have matching quilts that she also made.

These are but a few of the items (too numerous to mention) that she has made and passed along to friends and family.  How lucky we all are to have these special items made by loving hands.