At our church coffee hour earlier this month, I saw a woman carrying a felted purse I made a few years ago. Assuming she would remember buying it from me, I said something like, “I like your purse.” She thanked me, and as we introduced ourselves, it became clear that she didn’t know I had made her purse. When I told her, her eyes completely lit up. It turns out that she had been looking for me to propose a special project.
Elizabeth’s mother had passed away this year, and in going through her things, Elizabeth found an Eileen Fisher sweater that she had given to her mother a few years ago. Unfortunately, her mother had washed and dried the wool sweater, and it was now a felted child-sized version of its former self.
Elizabeth asked if I could turn the sweater into an evening purse. It would be a Christmas gift to her daughter, as a memory of her grandmother.
I told Elizabeth that, although I had never done something like this before, I would like to give it a try. We agreed to meet the following week so that I could see the sweater and brainstorm ideas for the purse.
Well, I finished the purse in time for Christmas, and Elizabeth loves it. Phew! To thank me, she will be making a donation to our church’s scholarship fund for girl acolytes. (I support this fund with my boutique sales at our coffee hour each December.) Thank you, Elizabeth.
