Saturday, November 16, 2013

The Kiwis: Sisterhood and Loss

Grandmother' Choice top
Blocks by KayelleKiwi
Finished by ColvinKiwi

Those of us you who read our Flickr Discussion Group comments know of the recent loss of Keyelle Kiwi, a member of our worldwide digital group.

Centennial for New Zealand

Sisters ColvinKiwi and KayelleKiwi worked on the Grandmother's Choice blocks together although CK lived in the U.S. and KK in New Zealand. The internet and Skype made collaboration across the Pacific possible.


 KK (Kerry) made all the blocks but she became too ill to finish her top so her sister put on the borders while saying goodbye in New Zealand.

ColvinKiwi wrote this lovely tribute:

"I'm hoping that you will remember my sister KayelleKiwi who had made her blocks with a bright and breezy colorway.

With a very heavy heart I want to tell you that she passed away on Tuesday, October 29, 2013.

When she received her cancer diagnosis in September 2012 I encouraged her to work on the Grandmother's Choice project as something to do to distract her from all the medical business. It gave the two of us something to share (often using skype) despite the fact that she lived in New Zealand and I live in the USA.

On Friday Oct 25 when I arrived in NZ she asked me if I would please make the borders for her quilt top and then get it to the longarm quilter as she wanted it to be a Christmas gift for a family member. I am immensely grateful that I was able to do this before I came home again. 

A special thank you goes to Dawn Copp the longarm quilter who quilted and machine stitched on the binding for me within a 36 hour period so I could see it was almost done before I had to come home. It is now with our non-quilter sister to do the final handstitching of the binding and label.

Quiltmaking is a great form of therapy and I know my sister got a lot of joy out of reading your comments about her blocks. Maybe you'll think of her when you see a flash of lime green paired with black."


The color theme was Kiwi greens and black.

Do browse through Kayelle Kiwi's photostream to see her lively blocks and how they reflect her home.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/84917913@N04/

Our sympathies to ColvinKiwi.

6 comments:

  1. What a wonderful story with this amazing quilt! It is perfect that the story of the connection of loving women inspired this quilt and this was the perfect project choice!

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  2. What wonderful work she did. I hope it gave her joy.
    Blessings, Kathie L

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  3. Thank you for honoring Kerry's quilt and memory in this way. She would have been happily surprised. Her quilt buddies and I teared up again when we saw the posting.

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  4. So sad to hear of the passing Kerry, but heart warming that the sisters could make such a beautiful quilt that gave the blocks of the past to modern quilt of today with dark and green contrast around each block.

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  5. Amazing quilt. I'm so sorry to hear of Colvin's loss.

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  6. This post makes me cry. So sad and wonderful all at the same time. I have two sisters as well and I can't imagine losing either of them. Since I'm the oldest maybe I'll never have to but it would be a blessing to share a journey like this one to make those final days a special time and a bond to remember forever.

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