Blessed Are the Peacemakers

{Me with Granny Iva}

{Me, Mom, Granny Iva}

It all started last summer. A bunch of our family was up at my grandparents' house having dinner one evening. While I was back in my grandma's bedroom rocking Levi, she came back there and got a little storage box out of her closet and said "I was wondering if you thought you could use these for anything." Inside the box were a few piles of fabric scraps that had been cut out by my great grandmother from clothes she used to wear with the intention to someday make a quilt (or two). There were not enough scraps to complete a quilt pattern, but I knew I could use them for something.

My (great) Granny Iva holds a special place in all of our hearts, as I (and most all of my siblings/cousins) had the privilege of growing up knowing her (I have mentioned her here and here before).

I had an idea of what I wanted the minute I got the scraps. I had seen this blog post a few weeks before, so I sought out the shop it came from, which is called For the Love of Joy. I emailed Anna, the shop owner (you can visit her shop here, and her blog here), and told her my story, and asked her if she would consider making 10 pillows for me, using my great grandmother's fabric scraps and a scripture of my choosing (Matthew 5:9). Everyone in our family can quote this scripture, having heard it recited by my grandma (the one who gave me the scraps) most all of our lives.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9

I wanted to give these pillows as (Christmas) gifts to my family members as an heirloom of Granny Iva's. Anna was extremely gracious and told me it would be a privilege to make the pillows for me, and she even provided me a discount since I provided some of the fabric. I sent her the fabric scraps back in August or September, and told her I just needed the pillows before Christmas, which she mailed to me in plenty of time. They turned out perfect, and I have never been so excited to give a gift as I was for these. Had I had no budget, I would have commissioned a pillow for every family member, but I live in the real world so I made sure to have at least one per family.

Be sure to visit Anna's shop if you are in the market for something special like this. She has so many precious items, especially if you or someone you know is expecting a little one. Here are a few of my favorite items from her shop:

{Family name pillow with scripture, image via For the Love of Joy}

{Coffee sleeve, image via For the Love of Joy}

{Quilted Boppy Cover, image via For the Love of Joy}

Anna's shop will be closed for a couple of weeks in January, but she will be back after a short vacation. You can find out more about it on her blog.

Here are some of my family members with their pillows, and a few snapshots of my pillow. I love these heirlooms and I'm so happy to have had them made!