Phyllis May was my Nana.
When I was three my sweet mum, barely 21 years old, died in a car accident and Nana stepped in to be my incredibly loving mother for the next twenty years.
We were financially poor, living in a tiny three room flat with my beloved Pop, yet we were more than rich in love, laughter, kindness and Nana's cooking.
Her kitchen sparkled like no other, and every day as I walked up to the front door after school the aromas coming from her kitchen made me jump the three steps and swing wide the front door, rush through the living room and bedroom and into the heart of our home, her kitchen.
Mixing bowl in hand, crisp apron tied around her cuddly waist, she'd beam from ear to ear at my entrance and pretty soon the kettle would be whistling and a pot of tea brewing while she buttered thick slices of fresh bread and spread her delicious homemade berry jam across the top.
Sipping our tea, we'd share the jammy bread and she'd patiently listen to all the doings of my day as though I was the only person in the world she'd ever want to be with.
Breakfast, lunch, after school, dinner...those simple, loving meals at the kitchen table with my Nana are the memories which shaped my own love for hearth and home, they were a beacon of hope and light when as a young mother with three small babes Nana left us to be with Jesus and my heart was shattered in a million tiny aching pieces.
When she died a part of me died as well and I never thought I'd recover, but time passes, some memories dim whilst others shine brighter, and now I am the Nana.
These past six months as I've been designing and stitching this tribute to my dear Phyllis May I've been almost daily remembering my childhood with her and the lessons she taught me through those years, the lessons which I did not fully appreciate until recently.
I've also become more aware of the sacrifice she made to raise me during her 50's and 60's, so late in life after raising her own three children and two of her sister's children as well. At a time when she should have been enjoying the fruits of her labour and slowing down she opened her small home and her arms to raise a granddaughter as though born of her own womb. Such was her 'mothers love' for me.
And that is the story behind this memory book which I've named "Phyllis May's Kitchen"
There are 18 blocks in this project which come together as a beautiful fabric book with pockets to fill with all sorts of wonderful kitchen themed memorabilia, family photos, recipes, vintage linens, aprons or whatever your heart wants to hide within the pages.
This book can be a cherished chest to hold your own memories or a place to add new treasures which can be passed along one day to those you love...
This BOM is broken up into eight months.
The first seven months are sets of two patterns/pages each per month.
The final eighth month is a set of four pattern/pages.
The first double pattern is for the cover and page 2.
In the second month you'll make pages 3 and 4, in the third month you will make pages 5 and 6 - and so on until you have all 16 pages.
But in the final month I'll also include page 17 and the back cover so in month eight you'll be making four pages instead of two.
2022 - the double page patterns are now ALL available from my ETSY SHOP so you can purchase them all at once, or one set at a time when it suits you.
Now let me give you a tour through the book...
THE PAGES
Cover (page 1)
Pages 2 and 3
Pages 4 and 5
Pages 6 and 7
Pages 8 and 9
Pages 10 and 11
Pages 12 and 13
Pages 14 and 15
Pages 16 and 17
Back Cover (page 18)
The page blocks finish at 10 1/2" square and are stabilised with template plastic which slips between two blocks which then come together to make one double page.
There is an extra border added down one side of every block which at the end of this project becomes the spine which holds all the pages together as a book. Each page will end as 11 3/4" wide x 10 1/2" high.
PREFER A QUILT?
Before adding the extra border to create the book spine, all of the blocks are a set 10 1/2" square so it would be easy to make a quilt instead of a memory book.
Included with the pattern set will be the full alphabet so that you can personalise the memory book cover with your own name (or perhaps you have a Nana you'd like to remember too?).
THE POCKETS...
There are nine pockets in Phyllis May's Kitchen and you can fill them with whatever you like.
I've popped in a few photos and vintage linens for these pictures but over time I'll add items which are more personal.
Want to make your own memory book? or quilt?
Pop over HERE to my Etsy Shop for the patterns.
12 comments:
Will make the memory book, excited to start. Peg Willson pwillson49@gmail.com and brucepegwillson@gmail.com
What a treasure you have created, devoted to the memory of your beloved grandmother. I have similar feeling for my own mother. I think I would reach for it every time I thought of her. Thank you for the inspiration and comforting thought.
I think this would be a darling project/ Sandi
This is what I have been looking for...I have a new apartment and I want to make a wall-hanging for my kitchen. Perfect for the blocks! And Mom always let me lick the bowl!
That looks delightful. I would love for you to bring it back.
What fun! I'm sorry that I missed it.
Please do another BOM for this series. My mum died when I was 23, but I actually "lost" her many years before when I was in first grade. She became a serious alcoholic and I remember so clearly one day when I went home to tell her about my day and being ridiculed (because of the drink she didn't have filters anymore). I stopped telling her anything of importance to me from that day forward. Two other dear women became my 'mother of the heart' - my grandmother, and Mum (who I met and grew to love over a year as an exchange student with them). I didn't grow up in 'normal' circumstances, but isn't it wonderful that the Lord puts those people who can make such a difference in our life when we need it most? I would make two books, in honor of each of those kind & loving women who made such a difference in my life. Deb
Oh what a treat it would be if you listed this pattern in your shop! I've made several of your patterns, and your designs are always beautiful and the directions are always easy to follow. This one is one of my favorites!
Would love to have these patterns!
While I'm not much on doing fabric books...these would make a lovely little quilt for the kitchen. I do hope you bring it back! Hugs, Kathy
I fell in love with this tribute to your grandmother, when you first displayed it. I was living in Germany at the time and I thought I had downloaded the pattern. Now back in the States and ready to stitch, I can't seem to find where I saved it. Old computer lost several treasures.
Please, please bring this pattern back.
Thank you so very much for taking time out to share your love for your Nana. I will keep you in my prayers.
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