Memory Lane

Today Princess asked about being a bride so I pulled out our wedding album and giggled with her about how fancy I looked and how happy "Lala" and "Uncle Jay" are in these pics. We were so happy. We still are. Nearly eleven years have given us many chances to laugh, cry, debate, struggle, move and fall more in love.
I couldn't help but to share these. We look so young and knew so little of what lay ahead, but I still feel all these photos deeply... Deeper, actually than I did then.

Scrap hairbows

I've been making these scrap bows for years now, using the tiniest (strippy) bits left from various projects. They've adorned probably 100+ gifts that have left my house in the past few years. They've even been gifts themselves, sometimes I'll fill up an organza bag of 10-20 and wrap that as a gift for a friend.
I've seen a number of folks turn them into hairbows, but I've never posted about it here, that I remember... This week, my sister in law asked for some yellow scraps to make 9 scrap bow hairbands for my niece's new soccer team. That reminded me to take a pic of Mimi in hers before school one day.
She was actually writing a card to a school friend that was including a scrap hairbow that she had made. Her comment about the bows in her pigtails: "mom, the funny thing about these is that I know exactly which quilt they're from"

Finding my voice

The Project Modern Challenge this quarter is "find your voice". Since this is something I've been wanting to do for a long time, I thought I'd give the competition a go. I'm now 2 weeks from the deadline and though I have a ton of sketched ideas for it, I hadn't actually started sewing. My friend, Latifah, came over a few weeks ago and helped me to wrap my head around how I could try to get some of my favorite curved shapes worked out in pieced fabric. She shared with me her copy of Dale Fleming's book "Pieced Curves So Simple" (liked it so much I bought my own copy).
I finally had my kitchen (kind of) unpacked enough last night that I felt able to pull out fabric and attempt a little piecing of curves.
And here's what I got! I'm pretty excited, because I held it up to one of my oversized collages and it was totally "me", it looks like all my doodles and collages... I think I'm on my way....

Almost done

When I finish the final 1 foot of binding on this puppy, I'll take a photo in color and share this project with you. I've been working on it for about 4 months. It's taken so long because I decided to hand quilt it! It was totally unnecessary for the design of this particular quilt, but I'd just heard a presentation on hand quilting and wanted to give it a try. So now it's almost done and ready to give to a special pal of mine.
The problem is that the kitchen remodel and an unexpected second foster child's arrival this week has set me back so far. I'm actually late in my quilting bee for the first time in 18 months and haven't gotten my machine out in weeks. (sigh, I feel like I'm missing an arm).
Anyhow, maybe today it will get done. Last night, I brought it to the LAMQG meeting to try and multi-task, but I had to bring the little Princess (our new 4yo foster placement) with me, because she was afraid of being left with the babysitter. Halfway through the meeting, she got really sad and started missing her mommy. Then she started crying in the middle of the talk and we had to sneak out the back... What I heard of the talk was great, it was Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle via skype! Very inspiring. And I can't believe they are in Oak Park, Illinois, my favorite hometown. I had no inclination to quilt while I lived there 2001-2005, but had I, I would have been able to connect with them. Oh snap.
Now I'm gonna see if Baby will nap and Princess will play just long enough for me to make a few complete stitches. Then I'll snap a color pic. :)
This one was taken at the park the other day while the kids played in the splash pad as I watched, sewing on the sidelines.

Little artist

Turns out I have a precious little artist staying with me. These pictures are so vibrant and raw they make me happy and sad at the same time.
We are doing our best to love her well while she is here for a couple days.

Surprise visitor

Well, if you read this blog, you'll know what it means to have this quilt out with a little girl's hand on it. Last night, a desperate Social worker called needing a place for a little girl to stay for a few days.
We scrambled, got ready, and now Mimi has a roommate for the weekend.
I had always felt this quilt was for a little girl who would stay with us for a while, but had all but given up on the idea. The quilt was up in a closet, put away.
And then at 10pm, a little sad person with nothing but her playclothes on came to us. So I've told her this is just for her, and found a cuddly bear for her to love as well. We are currently sitting on the couch drawing.

Mimi and her necklace

In a week, she will be a second grader. Here she is today, tan, end of summer tired.

Vacation crafts

We've had a great extended weekend away with my extended family in Palm Springs. I planned ahead and packed enough hand sewing for about 7 or 8 weeks of vacation... So I was more than prepared when my nieces wanted to dig in. First my eldest niece, Lily, wanted to sew her own project bag, like the ones I carry all my projects in, so I had a little sewing buddy all weekend. Then 3 year old Violet asked me in her tiny voice, "Lala, do you have any yellow favrics?" (insert my melting heart here and you'll see how she ended up with a yellow "packpack".)
Lily was convinced then to turn her bag into a backpack herself and after two days of working on it with great determination, she was able to put it on with pride for these pics.
I spent tonight working on a third bag for middle sister, Sofia, and of course, Mimi needed a little love, too, so I capped off the evening with some tiny surprises for my special girl, too.
(I'll show those tomorrow.)
Didn't really make much progress on my own projects, but I did get lots of sewing in and plenty of indoctrination to the cult of sewing for my nieces. (Mimi spent her vacation practicing Ms. Pacman and other old school video games on the big booth here at the house, for her own change of pace! Sewing, not so much...)

Favorite Sewing Books - post 7 - One Yard Wonders

Oh do I love this book!
It's another one that has gotten dog eared by my carting it around everywhere.
(True confession, I leave the house with at least one extra bag almost every time I leave - that has a sewing book and at least 2 projects to work on. This one has been in the bag a lot.)

I've made the cutest casserole holders from patterns in this. I learned about this book by hearing the podcast on Craftsanity and I love the fact that this is a truly collaborative effort by tons of designers. And so many projects? wow.

favorite Sewing Books - post 6- Block Party

This book is an exciting view into the world of the new online quilting bee (like the two I am in!!). It's not only got the 12 projects that the women made, it's got the stories of their journey - their inspiration and it's really neat to see how the bee quilts turned out with 12 pairs of hands involved.

And yes, mine is signed (by Alissa). Which is always fun.