Are They Just Potholders?

The goal was to reduce studio waste. we hoped to eliminate fabric scraps by designing new items that customers would want, that we could craft from our scrap pile. Potholders made sense. They would use and eliminate the smallest of the scraps and we do have a walking foot machine after all. We decided on a nice, chunky size that could also work as a trivet or warming mat. We liked that the potholders looked pretty for a kitchen, and would add to the ambiance. We finalized the design details by adding a twill tie for hanging, and packaged them in a pretty organza bow. They were photographed, tossed up onto the website, and we agreed to let sales dictate how we would proceed. Customers spoke loudly. We sold out. Great, we had a plan in place for our smallest scraps and I dove into the cotton quilt pile to make some more of this fun product. But then the unexpected happened. The journey became unexpectedly emotional.

As we sifted through the scraps, a whirlwind of memories rose up as we recognized each pattern. Each of these simple scraps of cotton represented an Apron from our history. My heart swelled a bit as we held the purple stripe in my hand, the giant orange floral, the very loud bold, red geranium. We looked at the pile with a new regard. This simple pile of cotton quilt scraps, in their own way, beautifully told the story of our business. As each piece set gently in our hands, they evoked memories; our first No Tie Apron, our Half Aprons, our House Dresses and onward. We sifted through the pieces with the respect of an old photo album, gently turning pieces over, to display the next group of prints.

The pieces unfurled like a tapestry of our journey. They brought our past to life and we picked through, appreciating the memories they brought us; Farmers Markets busting with people and Aprons hung from every rod of the tents frame, our retail store with the Mannequins that stood proudly in each window dressed in our most current aprons, and the inception of each new design birthed at the cutting table. Each cotton print held cherished memories, representing a piece of our history. But also, they were a testament to the hands that crafted that apron. We all smiled, realizing that these treasured pieces of quilt cotton would now continue to weave our stories into new creations .

With a heart full of warmth and gratitude, we now see and appreciated this living portfolio of moments and realized that our story would continued to unfold. Each scrap, imbued with the essence of our past, would weave forward into something new, carrying the spirit of our shared experiences into your home.

So now, Iwe ask ourselves, is it only a Potholder? These treasured pieces of memory will go, combined and crafted into something tangible, carrying bits of our history. As each Potholder arrives at your home, know that it is a vessel of our history, imbued with the essence of our journey and the treasured places we once cherished, it carries whispers of our experiences. Each stitch and pattern weaves together the echoes of where we’ve been, transforming a simple object into a keepsake of the paths we’ve traveled and the moments that have defined us. It is truly a piece of our history traveling to your home to become a part of your history of the moments shared in the warmth of your kitchen.

Thank you for reading.