When my grandma passed away from cancer, I knew I wanted to carry on her love for crochet.
My Grandma was a master seamstress and could crochet you a blanket in under thirty minutes if you asked. I have memories of her in our garage next to a buzzing sewing machine, chalk written on clothing, and random threads or yarns hiding in biscuit containers. It was her hands that always worked behind the seems in our family. Hole in your pants? She’d fix it. Pants too long? She’d hem them. Cold? She already crocheted you a new scarf in your favorite color, PLUS she had another in the making.
At the end of 2025, I received a call that my grandma was experiencing a health crisis. She was admitted to the hospital and I sat beside her while the doctors figured out her diagnosis. During those long hours, I had a single mission: amuse my grandmother by showing her I could crochet just like her. But there was a problem… I was a true novice! At the start, she laughed at me from the hospital bed every time I showed her a half-failed head or a poorly crafted body of a plushie. But, I was determined, especially after she told me she picked up crocheting from her own grandmother. As the hours passed, she grew more confident in me and cheered me on. She said to me, “You can do it!”
After a few weeks, we were getting close to Christmas and I was dedicated to finishing her plushie. Around this time, the doctors diagnosed my grandma with late stage cancer, also known as cholangiocarcinoma. After one final surgery, our family was informed it was an aggressive and incurable cancer, and my grandma was discharged from the hospital bed with two bile duct bags attached to her sweater.
From the comfort of her room, I sat at her bedside and completed the final touches to my crochet creation. After attaching two brown buttons as the eyes, I handed her the long awaited plushie right before Christmas. She held it in her hands, looked up at me, and announced with a strong Filipino accent, “I lub it!” She called it her “Guardian Angel” and from every day forward, she placed it on her chest or held it in her hand. Day and night. After we celebrated Christmas and New Years, she unfortunately passed away in the battle against cancer.
After everything, I will always remember her telling me in the sweetest voice, “It’s my guardian angel. It’s handmade, so I believe in that.”
I started the RosieDream Shop to honor her and our memories together. As I carry on her love for crochet, each of my hand-made piece holds the power of love, protection, and connection.
If you buy a piece made from me, thank you for your support and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.
Sincerely,
Rosie <3