A Little Blossom

I am in the land of summer and blue sky right now, and it is lovely.  I found this giant dandi-head on a hike yesterday and fell in love with the whispery feathers of its seed pods, just getting ready to fly away.  This shape and color brought to mind a project that I worked on just recently for a customer.  She chose these fabrics specifically, and I thought she did a great job; it's a good combination, don't you think? 

Quilt Progress

Okay, so I was hoping to be finished with my quilt by today.  Alas, the quilting bit has got me a little intimidated.  Here's what I have so far: the back (which I think came out well) and the front.  Plus the batting in between.  It's all pinned together, and I've also basted it, but I think it needs more basting.  I'm planning to bring it with me on my trip to Montana, where there are abundant, experienced quilters there who can help me.  My goal is not to do a lot of dense quilting.  I want the finished product to feel soft and fluffy, but I also don't want it to shift around.  So "Stitch-in-the-Ditch?"  Also, I'm thinking about hand-quilting; will it take too long?  I didn't end up finding the stripey binding that I was hoping for, but I found a lovely little freckle-dot (white dots on an espresso brown background) that I think will look great.  I'll be sure to post pictures of the final product!

 I left a little blank panel to the right of the owl and pussycat print where I can dedicate a blessing to Bria Rose, who is the little sweetie that will be getting this quilt.

Running for a Cause

This past weekend, I ran a 5K race for a classmate of Bronwyn's who has Rett's Syndrome, a rare disorder that affects girls almost exclusively.  I ran the race for Ella, and in memory of Bronwyn.  It felt so good to do something tangible to help with finding a cure for Rett's.  Having a child with a rare disease or syndrome can leave the parents feeling helpless and frustrated because funding for research is limited, and so are the options for meaningful treatment. 

I made this little flag that I wore in rememberence of Bronwyn. It was an emotion-filled run, but healing as well.  

I plan to run again next year, and to set a fundraising goal for myself! Stay tuned. 

 

Self Care

 Taking care of myself has been my M.O. these days, and it feels pretty good.  I've been running again, and although I'm extremely pokey, it just doesn't seem to matter.  One of my self-preservation techniques involves not passing judgement on what I do; I just make sure that my intention is true, and go from there.  What a freeing concept!  So I "run" two times around Capitol Lake, which is a 1.5 mile loop of easy, flat, and not paved terrain.  Mergansers, Buffleheads, Blue Herons, and other waterfowl frequent these waters, and I find that I can get a nice meditation in while I run.  Pictured here is a male Hooded Merganser, who was fishing.  Below is a shot of Capitol lake looking towards downtown Olympia.

I also just made myself a new bag.  This is my Medium Sized messenger bag.  It's smaller than the bigger Diaper bag that I make, but it can still fit a standard file folder and all of my essentials (water bottle, cell phone, lip balm, day planner, book, and an extra pair of socks (you never know when you might need those!)).  I found this awesome fabric and knew I had to have it.  It is distributed by Alexander Henry and it is a home decor weight; feels a bit like a lightweight canvas.  And Mom, if you're reading this, your two bags are all cut out (finally) and ready to be sewn.  I haven't forgotten!

Keeping Warm

Today it is blustery; rain is bouncing off of the pavement and bending the daffodils.  It's hard to believe that it was sunny and 70 degrees just a few days ago.  Ahh, spring. 

Last week I made sun tea on my porch in this lovely glass pitcher that I've had forever.  To keep the bits of undesireables out of my tea, I used a vintage hankie, weighted with binder clips, draped over the mouth.  Just seeing it made me happy. 

And look at this fun little tomboy billfold that I made! It just makes me smile; I love the little owls!

Productive

It is a busy time of year for me, and I am having a hard time finding the time for all of the bits and pieces (like keeping up with my blog). Here I will show you a new messenger bag that I just finished. It was inspired long ago in this post by my garden. I named this the "Sweet Potato" Messenger because of the color and the vining, organic nature of the print. The lining is a Civil War reproduction stripe in cheddar.


Today I am working on completing a donation to the YMCA for their charity auction, and then it's back to keeping up on inventory for the holidays. I just inherited a bag of gorgeous wool sweaters that I plan to make up into throw pillow covers. Stay tuned!

In home news, Bronwyn lost her top front tooth. She looks older to me already! Here she is, feeling proud of herself!