Remembering Barbara

Barbara Binder Kadden, 1954-2018

Barbara Binder Kadden, a dear quilting friend, passed away too soon last week on Oct. 9 -- one day after her 64th birthday and 27 months after being diagnosed with brain cancer. 

Wearing purple for a STITCH dye fest on Anderson Island.

Barbara always had a smile -- often a mischievous one -- and was full of energy. She belonged to my art quilt group, STITCH, and was president of the Gig Harbor Quilters Guild for two years, chairing the meetings during a year of intensive treatment for an earlier cancer. She was in remission from the first cancer when the brain cancer diagnosis came in and knocked the wind out of all of us.

Barbara, center, with me and Linda on the ferry for a STITCH outing.

We knew her as a friend and quilter, but when her obituary ran in the newspaper I learned that she was also a nationally known Jewish educator and author. Besides writing or co-authoring numerous Jewish education books and other publications, she also had been director of the Jewish Education Council in Seattle. 

"Walking With Zafta," by Barbara Binder Kadden

She was so proud of her family, which included her husband, Bruce, son, daughter and two grandchildren. She finished the quilt "Walking With Zafta" ("zafta" means grandmother in Yiddish) while she was undergoing cancer treatment. It's a photo of her with one of her grandchildren that she printed on fabric and then appliquéd on top of the beach fabric panel.

Her services were held last Friday on a beautiful, crisp fall day, with orange and golden leaves brilliantly illuminated by the morning sun. 

We will always remember

Barbara's sunny smile

and boundless energy.