family bloodlines…

…yield unusual fruits.

not even two months ago, i lost my wonderful grandmother, the last grandparent i had.  my gran had a huge impact on my life to say the least and her loss has left an enormous void that’s been difficult for me to wrap my head around.  this past weekend, i went up to her home to pick up items that had significance to me in my memories of time spent with her and my grandfather.

the above chair used to sit by the fireplace of their little bungalow completely encased in upholstery weight plastic slipcovers.  before you judge, remember, my gran was almost 93 years old and a product of her time!  because of her foresight, my grandfather’s chair came to me in pristine condition and i was proud to be the first to sit upon the tight looped woolen fabric.  i like to think he would approve of the addition of one of my pillows!

my gran’s chair didn’t fair as well (no plastic!) and will require a deep clean if not a reupholstery job to bring it into it’s glory.  she took a lot of pride in her home as the wife of a preacher and first lady of the church my grandfather was head of.  their home was an extension of their church open to those in need of comfort and counsel and upon her passing, letters came from far and wide attesting to that fact.

a working mock up…

i’m hoping that by using my fabrics, i can add to that memory so that their great-grandchildren, who were fortunate enough to know my grandparents well into adulthood, have yet more memories when i pass these items on to them.

in memory of my beautiful grandmother, photo circa 2010